Year: 1876

y uS ootS sffFt. 10 tuC sdtHc uArQ upOu
by the President OF the United States
for the national thanksgiving.





The MiGHT HAVE BErS."-In an
able and frank editorial under the head
ing given above. the Baltimore .7meri-
ean, amcng the foremost and most au-
thoritative orsc'es of Republican opin-
ion in the United States and the ac-
knowledged organ Of its party in Mary
land, gives expression in its issue of the
llth instant to statements and opinions
remarkable for the new views expressed
Of Grant and his fsvorites and for the
con6rmatory support given to the large
and ugly bin Of particulars fled
BY democratic newspapers and orators
against republican management and the
national administration, during the cam
paign just closed. As the american is
OF the highest authority with the Re-
publicans of ST. Mary's and is certainly
entitled to the same weight with them
no~ that it was before the election, We
publish its latest expressions with view
of enabling the colored people Of our
county to judge for themselves as to
which of the opposite party leaders in
their midst-the democratic or republi-
can-told them the most truth and " hich
the most falsehood, merely promising.
that the american is their own witness
and that we give its article without the
change of single letter.


Eve suppose it might as we'll be con-
fessed, now that the Republican PARTY
has met with SO serious a defeat in
national campaign that it has been
growing weaker before the country ever
since the reelection OF President Grant.
Nothing Is to be gained by concealng
the truth, but il must be both interest
ing and profitable to take RETROSPECT
tive view OF politics during the last four
years and trace out the causes which
have lifted the Democracy from mi
nority to>a majority party and dissipa-
ted the burden of disaster and odium
under which it has labored for sixteen
long years. We might even 90 back
as tar as 1868, and say that in making
Presidential candidate of a success
ful General the Republicans committed
mistake that was born out of the
memories of the war and the gratitude
felt tow ards the man who had conquer
ed peace. Something there was also
OF fear IN the motives .hat prompted
the original nomination of Grant-fear
that the Democratic party had been
SO strengthened by the administration
Of MIR. Johnson and cotemporary causes
that Republicans could only save the
Government by taking advantage Of the
popularity of Grant and turning it to
political account. 1t was not asked at
the time whether General Grant was
great statesman, for the war feeling
was fresh and pointed towa ards him a.
the most available nominee. He was
elected, and nothing occurred during
his first term to indicate the coming
troubles within the party, although the
radical leaders-the men of the Sum
ner class, who had founded it and built
it up, were already showing the signs
OF dissatisfaction with the ADMINISTRATION
that were later OH to develop into open
discomfort and opposition. Many of
them gave their aid to Mr.. Greeley in
1872, but their conversion to his sup
port was more than offset by the refusal
of Democrats To vote for him, and so
resulted four more years of Grant in the
White House.


1T was exceedingly unfortunate that
when in 1870, Republicans in Congress
and having the ear of the aaministra-
tion, commenced war upon Sumner and
Schur2, President Grant did not al once
show TO the country that his sympa,hies
We're with the old time leaders of the
party and promptly repudiste the oiii-
cious schemers who were apparently
in his full confidence. The dsposal of
Mr.. Sumner from the chairmanship OF
the Foreign Relations Committee OF the
Senate was crime and blunder, and
was one of the first OF those iatuous
errors that paved the way for the revo-
luton OF 1874 and the greater one OF
1876. From that momen; the admins
trailon and its supporters commenced
TO involve the party in growing disre-
pute. MIR. Sumner, MIR. Schurz, Mr..
Greeley and a multitude OF other honest
and faithful Republicans who had
right to voice in the political organi-
zation which they had most largely
helped TO create, and which they had
served in the days when to he Repub-
lican was to encounter obloquy and
danger, could not be insultcd and as
sailed in the party by latter day con-
verts without most harmful reaction
upon 4 following. When they embark
ed in the Liberal movement of the Pres
ldential campaign of 1872, they caused
Republicans who were such from patri-
ouc convictions 70 ask themselves
whether party that had passed into
the control of new men and had spurn-
ed IFS old ard honored leaders was not
becoming untrustworthy and un6eserv-
ing of continuance in power: The
seed that was planted then germinated
and struck the roots of a desire for
change broad and deep in the popular
mind, and to-day Republicans are COM
pretending with regret the outcome of
a policy Of fatuity aud perverseness.
The lesson has been sharply taught that
no party can afford 10 atfront leaders
who have been conspicuous m it for
4 =