A Word To The Wise

Greoley artd I'enton agfriiMt Grant and Conkliug, Butler and anti-Butlor, Cameron aml anti-Cameron, Shermaa and anti Shermarr, Hurlan and anti-Harlan, Schurz and hater ot Schurz, Warni" . and Dunn, Harailton and Davis - truly, Í8 net tho Republican party a uuitod band tf brothera. Kut, we are told, all these littlo disagreements will vanish as tbc mists of the inorning when a national coiivniüou shall havo seleoted a candidato. Perhaps. Whercver the diffcrenco betwoen men tbo spoils only and they are iighting for no other principie whatever, bufc only so much of control wifcbin a party organization as may securo them a sharo of pelf and plunder, we may expedí those diffoFenccr to Tituish whenever the presence of a common Democratie foe rorwes1 setise of comnion danger. - ■ That class of Republicana will flght each other long as the Democrats give them a chanco to. Sglit for tho spoils. But thoso who have convictions of duty and are frghting for principies - how are tlicy to come together 'i By some comijromise, many thiuk. But what comproniise i possiule. Empty resolut ons will not 1: ilanoc a cundidate with till the power Eind patronago of the Presidenoy witbin his roach. That element, whiohevw it muy be, by which tho candidato isülected eim afford to stuff the nesdutious with doctrines most hostilo to its own, and laugh at tlio fools -who accept windy words in lieu of practical power. Nor can any división of candidates serve as a basis ; a President has power ; a ViccPresident is a mx figuro, somotimes ornamental but never of use. If Grant were out of the way somo candidato might be found who had no convietions and whose opinious upon Yexcd questions, if fortned at all, would be so little known as to offend nobody. - The K.idical party has ampio store of suchstatesmen - brilliantfenco-ridors.vvho never indulge in un idea until they are ure it will prevail. Blaino. with his Mways which aro d.T-rk," pledg'ing the ea:irmanship of tho Co'.nuiitto ot' W'ays and Moans at ono and the same timo to Garfield the free-tradcr, and Shellabergpr the protectionist, is a lovely sample - a man who could stoer his bark through all the eddies of a Presidential oampaign without ever couiinitting hiuiself to anybody, eioept privately " on the honor of at gentleman." Or Colfax, the great American smiler, who gets up oyery niorr-ing to " retiro from ■ politics," ns somo men tako a cocktail before broakfest, in order to proparo him for having no opinions during the day, and who profoundly dpproca-ted tho courso of Grant towards Sumner and in tho Santo Domingo affair, even while doing lus utmost to assist the Grant faction in a victory whieh he thought would make a renomination impossible - this particular Joseph Surfoce of American politics also would ïtuko an elegivnt comproniise. Nobody would suspect him of a thing so rash and ionorable as the entertainment of an piuion on any disputed question. But Grant is not out of the way. Every day heseems more sure to grasp the prize which his narrow but intense nature has marked for his own. In somo States power grossly abused, in others patronage shamelessly prostituted, in all tho lash of party discipline and the threat of party ostracism are uscd unsparingly to subject the party to his will. Thfi opposition is misarabl lod and hopelessly dividod. Oreeley strongly to a ccrfciin class, but his peculiar prominence as a protectionist iuakes him a caudidate for whom tariff-reforraers could not possibly ■wote, and they form a large share of the opponents of Grant. Trumbull wonld aoiomand their support, but he, poor man, ka out his own throat by espousing a reform of the civil service which would etrip the Uadical Congressen of all patronage and d:stroy tho wholf Republican machine. No wonder the truly loyal denounce this terrible iconoclast. Cox is a gpod. sort of man, weak in hiinself, but weakcr far in a set of friends who havo not the backbone of a wet dishcloth. Between those who eau not, those who dare not, and those who doubt, the oppoaents of Grant in the Republioan party are drifting into a position both hopeless nd disgraceful ; indeed, so weak of hoart are they and so enslaved by party discipline that when one bold man bke Schurz declares that ho can not and will not support Grant in any case not One of them has tho uerve to approve him, but ora lamen ts his rashncss. another thinks him injudicious, and tho many, with sanctinionious uplifting of hands, "fear he i going over to theDcmoerats.' So for the Republican politicians who oppose örant. They aro many and prominent, but they are divided, destitute of common aims, and guilty of a lack of nerve which is simply amazing. - Ono resoluto soldier, however ignorant, narrow, or oiFensively selfish, is more tlian a uiatch for a luillion of theso people of damp ardor and wiltod purpose, who havo a cold swoat when threatonnd with loss of patronage and go iuto a fit when suspectod ot' iiilidelity to party. If these p'jople wish to bo mot half way ki any eiïurt for tho defeat of Grant and Radicalism they must show some strength of character. Thero are rnough of thom, or they can wield innuence enough if they clioosevto ïuake tlie victory of Grant absolutely impossiblo. Sincero Demoarats, who réalize how dangerous to the oountrv is the contitiucd rulo of the Radical fautiou, woald gladly prepare the way for a tiiorough and hoarty co-operation of all its opponents, but thoy aie rced to doubt whethor the anti-Grant liepitl 4iuus have stamina onough to ■walk over level ground when all obstagles have boen removed. Allies who can a-)t stand alone are not worth much in a fight. If Democrats have anywhero shown an indisposition to meet these gentlemen in common efforti for the publis welfare, as Senator Schurz compluins, it ys mainly becausü so few of the Eepnbli.ians have aoted with that manly iudependenee which in him commaiids tlie aospect tf all. When others, liko hun, 9ca,vriy declare their principies, and bvow theuoselve roady to fight for those principies if noed be alone, they will find all Domocrats oagtír teprepare a common ground for opposition to Radicalism. But tttoso who have not the pluck even to approve that Senator wlion ho leads are not allies so valuable that Demoorats should luarch far out of strong intienchments to mout tlifui.