Page:The Galaxy, Volume 5.djvu/54

46 to the negroes, and, when qualified by education, an equal voice in the choice of rulers. Each race furthermore would be stimulated to educate itself as soon as possible. The Republican party cannot hope for success if it uphold negro suffrage as developed at the recent elections in the Southern States; at the same time it cannot afford to be untrue to itself and renounce its negro wards. By adopting, through its representatives in Congress and its State and National Conventions, such a compromise as the one just proposed, it will yield no principle, will bring the Southern States into full relations with the Union and secure its success at the Presidential election under the leadership of General Grant.

As constituted at present, the Democratic party will find it extremely difficult to take ground that will be acceptable to the majority of the people of the North. At its National Convention, which will meet next Summer, the Southern States, of course, will be represented, a fact the importance of which cannot be overestimated in attempting to forecast the future of that party. The delegates from these States will probably urge the nomination of some man identified with peace during the late war, such as Pendleton, Vallandigham, Thomas H. Seymour, or, possibly, Horatio Seymour. As regards the platform, their influence will tend to prevent the Democratic party from taking that position on the negro question which a great many of the Northern delegates will wish to take, to wit, equal rights for all before the law, and the willingness to accept an educational qualification for suffrage. Unable to take this stand, the party will have to content itself with a negative platform, including one plank favoring the payment of the national debt in greenbacks—for upon this the West and South will insist—another denouncing the corruption of the Republican party, and still another objectiing to negro suffrage in any shape. With such a platform, the result of the ensuing election would not be considered as doubtful as it might under other circumstances.

It has been the aim of the writer to present in this article a candid estimate of the prospects for success of the two great political parties of the country at the approaching Presidential election. This estimate is based upon a survey of public sentiment as manifested at the present time, and its probable drift during the coming six or eight months upon the prominent issues of the day. He is aware that in such an active community as ours the scenes shift very rapidly at times, and, possibly, new questions may arise which will press upon the country for immediate decision, but there are no indications, at this time, that any such will overshadow those which have been mentioned in this article.