Year: 1872




The moral of the New Hampshire cleo
ton is frankly acknowledged by the Dem
ocratic papers The Chicago Times, the
great Western organ of the party, says:


"The defeat is abundantly compensated by the
moral which it affords. This moral is embodied in
the obvious deduction that The Democratic party
re-slfcfioa OF Grant The most hopeiessly pig
headed Bourbon in the party must now recognize
the fact that he Democratic edHdiddte for Prsst-
dent could not carry more than one-ttird the eLec-
tordL T0te. Ii follows that the hope OF rescuing
the country from imperialism and corruption de-
pends solely on the union Of all the elements OF
opposition to secure this result, and to achieve
victory which il almost assures. Is necessary
the wide and spontaneous expressions of popular
approval that have been elected by the selection OF
the candidate which was made at Columbus"
The New York World echoes the strain.
1t advises its party friends not to appear
in any way to dictate the action at C1n-
cinnati = 1t declares it willingness to sup
port Judge Davis, or Mr. Trumbull, or
Mr. Charles Francis Adams, should either
of them be nominated at Cincinnati and
afterward adopted by the Democratic
Convention. 1t is the New York World
which says:


"The New Hampshire election, then, is chiefly
important in that it insures the nomination OF
their votes upon the Liberal Republican candi-
dates, If such names shall be presented by the
I1HC100dtl COnNcnIO0 as 10 CODlIndnu luc OOuu@
dence of Democrats in the good faith and patriot
ism of the movement for reform"


This opinion of the Chicago Times and
the New York World is known to be
shared by many of the most influential
Democrats in the country. And such
declaration, made at the opening of
Presidential campaign, is proclamation
that the Democratic party, as such, may
abandon the field. 1t does not, however,
i al, 4<NI scha nd
1t would maintain its organization; but
should it, as an organized party, accept
Republican candidate, and should the al
lance to secure his election be defeated,
the Democratic party would not rally as
a distinct political organization.


The moral of the present condition OF
that party, therefore, is well worthy atten-
ton; and it will not be counted among
the least memorable of the events of Cen
eral Grants administration that the party
which by its subserviency to slavery dis
graced the honor of the American name,
and by its tacit sympathy with the rebel
lion aided the blow aimed at the national
life; which sowed the seeds of the demor-
alization in our politics which all good
citizens deplore; which would have reor-
ganized the Union with the heel of the
rebel States upon the negro; which four
years ago declared reconstruction uncon-
stitutional and void, and pronounced for
virtual reputation; the party which for
a generation has pandered to ignorance
and resisted equal rights; which reviled
General Grant in the field as butcher,
and denounced him in the Cabinet as cor
rupt-now, in the sure prospect of his re-
nomination and reelection, declares that
it has no chance of success whatever un-
der its own name and with distinctiyely
Democratic candidate, and that it Will
vote for any old abolitionist, for any
''minion" or ''hireling" of Lincoln, for
any man whose political character and
career have shown steady and con-
temptuous hostility to what are known
as Democratic principles and policies, if
by so doing it can only see chance of
! defeating the soldier who finally crushed
the rebellion, and the President whom it
sees that the country trusts.


Since the abolition of slavery in this
country there has been no fact so full of
encouragement to every man who truly
believes in the American principle as this
spectacle of the decay of one of the most
powerful and perilous of political organ
| iZatlons. Could the Democratic party
have remained IN power, the struggle be-
tween liberty and practical despotisn,
which was indeed cruel and bloody
enough, would have been very much more
desperate and doubtful; and the stability
and prosperity of the future of this coun-
try were secured when the hold OF that
party upon popular sympathy was relax
| ed. We are not saying that it is not yet
a menace. We are speaking only OF the
proposition of Democratic journals and
| politicians to "pass" party nomination.
| 1t is the policy of "passivity" of which
we speak, not of disorganiZation: the pol
icy of recoiling for a better spring:
That the election of a Cincinnati
candidate would be virtually a DEM
ocratic triumph we have often stated.
| But in such a case the absence of DEM
| ocratic candidate from the canvass, and the
voting of those Democrats who would
vote at all for a confessed Republican,
would be a situation which, although
| bringing the Democrats into power, would
also bring in bitterness and demoraliza-
ton. Yet the success of the Cincinnati
movement would arrest the Democratic
dissolution, which the expressed willing
ness to vote for Republican shows to
have begun, and which it should. be the
object Of every patriotic man to complete.
1t should be, therefore, conclusive ar
gument with every Republican who in
clines to Cincinnati, that it is the last


chance of the Democratic party. 1t is a


favorite axiom with the New Y York Tribune
that Republicans should ascertain what
the enemy wishes them to do-and then
carefully avoid doing it. Does the Tribune
think that the Democratic enemy would


rather see it going to Cincinnati or to
Philadelphia?


"The Cincinnati Convention" truly
SAYS the World, can amount to nothing,
except so far as it draws away Republican
votes from Grant" But not the most


Jealous delegate to Cincinnati supposes


that the nomination there, should one be


made. will command a majority OF the


Republican vote The alternative offered


by the World is precisely what we men
toned some weeks ago. Either the Re
publican party will be so evenly divided
that the Democrats may hopefully nomi-
nate a distinctive Democrat, which no
body believes. or their only chance of
success will lie in an alliance of the en-
tire opposition. But of that alliance the


Democrats would be the chief and
controlling element, and could the


movement succeed, they would ap-


propriate the triumph. Cincinnati is


therefore the straw at which


the drowning Democratic managers


clutch. 1t is to dissatisfied Republicans
that they turn to offer them a last chance


of recovery. But the fate of the party il


doubtless prefgured by that of its proud


est and most perfect organization-Iam-
many Hall AsTammany fell by its own


corruption, so the party to which 1t De


longed is falling by its own treachery 70


the great principles of liberty and equal
itv, Twelve years ago, in its pride OF


power and its contempt of American man


hood, with one hand it scourged the slave


at the South, and with the other tried tC
tear out the free tongue of the North
And now, but not without blood and
desolat:on and the sacrifice of the flower


of American youth, the country is re


leased from the terrible hold of the Dem
ocratic party, which has no hope for the
future but in the Cincinnati Convention


-Hdrptr's Weekly.


In Wilmington, Del some time ago. al