Year: 1870

Partyl


Ii has been cautiously but Significantly
given out that Gen. GRANT intends in every
event to be a candidate for reelection. This
being go, it seems impossible to account for
his persistent pursuit of policy which dl.
rectly tends to the destruction of the Repub-
lcan party, except upon the hypothesis that
he is resorting to the desperate expedient OF
trying to form personal party, and run
us it's nominee in 1872 over the ruins of the
organization that in 1865 placed him In the
White House.


Though the attempt to organize personal
political party is hostile to The genius Of
our institutions, il is not beneath the
ambition of really great man. The
attempt to form such party in this
country has been made in two conspicuous
Instances. DE WITT CLINTON tried it in the
State Of New York, and Gen. JACKSON ON
the wider theatre of the Union. Each pos
sessed mental and personal qualities admira-
bly, adapted to give the experiment tho best
possible show for success. and both made the
endeavor at periods in our political history
when, if ever, the attempt might have been
crowned with triumph


CLINTON was n statesman Of the broadest
views and the highest reach Of intellect, skill.
ful and successful politician, n man of vigor.
Gus will and indomitablo courage, who
idolized the State Of New York, to which he
and his family had rendered distinguished
services. He made the effort to form q per.
sonal party during the war with England,
when the Federal party was going to
pieces. But, when he ran for the Presidency
in opposition TO MADISON, very unpopular
candidate, though he was able to carry his
own State by peculiar combination Of cir
cumsanees he failed to obtain the vote of
any other Republican State, and was inglori-
opsly beaten.


With political prospects seemingly blasted
forever, CLINTON soon promulgated the pol
icy Of constructing our present canals. The
war was over, old issues had passed away,
party lines were partially obliterated, and
the public mind of New York was prepared
to appreciate the bold conception of connect
ing the western and northern lakes with
the Hudson river by means Of the Erie and
Champlain canals There was q strong
Clintonian party in existence but through
out the dozen years that intervened between
the bright day when CLINTON, spade in
hand, amid the booming Of cannon and the
acclamations Of thousands of spectators,
broke ground for the Erie Canal, down to
the wintry night when in the quiet of his
library, while preparing message to the
Legislature, the pen dropped from his hand
and his heart ceased 10 beat, it was not the
Clintonian party that gave him victory in his
memorable contests with ToMPKISs, TALL
MADGE, RooT, and VAN BUREN but it was
the canals that always tidcd him over all
obstacles, and bore him in triumph TO the
State Capitol.


But Gov. CLNToNs partially successful
effort to form personal party in New York
deprived him Of political following in the
other portions of the Union, and neither Of
the great parties of the country would accept
him as their leader. Though one Of the
ablest statesmen in the republic, he attained
and kept power in this State by modes which
rendered his election to the Presidency an
impossibility.


Gen, JACKsoS's attempt TO form personal
party was more signal failure than that of
Gov. CLINTON The victory of New Orleans
had given him a wide popularity. Amid the
dissolution of parties in the MONROE era he
wrote n series of letters clearly indicating
that he was in favor of forming polit-
ical combination out Of the dissolving fac
tions, of which he was to be the central
figure. His bold ideas, his military fame, his
lofty courage. his inaexible will, the irresist-
ible magnetism which he shed all around
him, his political catholicity, the chaotic CON
dition of old organizations, and his position
az the representative man of the Mississippi
Valley, all seemed 10 indicate that JACKsoN's
efforts to found a personal party might be
crowned with success. He tried the expert
ment as Presidential candidate in 1924,
backed by numerous and powerful body of
friends, and he failed. He then fell into
wiser hands The Democratic Republican
party made him their candidate against Mr.


ADAMS, and he was elected. Since that


event nobody has tried to organize personal


party ON any considerable scale, unless We


Include in this category the ridiculous