The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-27
RAJ. 'ITMORE.
MONDAY, AUGUST u, 1860

Tho independent Reform Central Committee,
,,hosa names are announced this morning for the
,ocond time, will meet tonight at Barnum's Cor
,r,tir first consultation Whether they will be
oh,o to agree on q candidate for Mayor before they
odiourn. cannot be known but we think it al
topether expedient and advisable that they should
do so as soon as possible. They can give no
guaranty of the good faith of their determination
to disregard every unworthy consideration in Sc
lecting the individual they may recommend like
naming him. 1t is very easy TO define, in the
abstract, what qualities ought to exist in an indie
pendent candidate for Mayor, but inasmuch as all
these must be found in some one person, and can
be practically embodied and expressed in no other
way, it is absolutely essential that the Committee
should find the right man. 1t is emphatically
case where the rule, principles, not men," will
not apply, if in any circumstances it is a wise
rule in the selection Of candidates. We need q
Mayor Of integrity first, integrity second, integ-
riy third-but of integrity in its widest and most
elevated sense-not mere honesty of intention
but honesty of purpose, coupled with intelli-
gence enlightenment, frmness, and admins
tive capacity. These are eminenty personal charac
teristics, not easily found, but indispensable in
the individual for whom the independent voters
should be asked to cast their votes. We may place
statue on pedestal and call it the statue of any
one Of the cardinal virtues, or all of them COM
bined, but it is the mere embodiment of sentiment
existing in the mind Of the sculptor. The marble
will take what form and represent whatever emotion
Tho statuary may conceive, butthere is no such pro-
N''' II me- e on embodiment of principles among
men, IN choosing Mayor .----t colact fco,,, ,or
acers already formed we can neither add to nor
take from moral and intellectual CONFORMATION
any more than by taking thought we can add
cubit 10 stature. In finding a candidate for
the present crisis the Committee should not exercise
their imaginations nor be led away by blind con-
fidence, but usc their common sense They should
find a man who has past life TO guide them,
for they may take it for granted that his future
life will be very much like his past If he has
been faithful over few things, it will be compar-
atiyely safe TO make him ruler over many things
1t is quite understood, and by none, we are
persuaded, better than by the Committee itself,
that the candidates are to be truly independ-
ent Of all partizan influences. This is thing
difficult TO accomplish, and, even after it is done,
still more difficult of general recognition -
The Committee cannot overlook surrounding facts
-itmust take into consideration the condition of
affairs in the political world or else it may stunl-
BILE upon nominee who, however unohectonable
in most respects it would be impossible to elect
1t cannot hope to find candidate without politi-
cal preferences. The best and most intelligent
citizens have them although it by no means fol-
lows that their possession need interfere with the
most honest and impartial performance of official
duty. Still fit be fact that there is a vast BODY
of our voters, perhaps majority of Them lately
belonging to one party, now split in twain, and
exasperated against each other as TO be willing
to vote for any one rather than member of the
opposing faction, we have no hesitation in saw
ing that it would be extremely injudicious to
nominate candidate exposed to such an obiec-
ton, if one of equal merit can be found, who is
in q different position. nomination like
that could not fail to be re garded as a
partisan one by large number of voters, and in
spite of all representations to the contrary would
be treated as such. We do not usually speak in
parallels, and we therefore say with perfect dis
tincness, that we should regard the nomination of
democrat ofeither wing, as so unfortunate at this
uncture as to be nearly certain to prove fatal to
the Independent Reform movement. This cannot
properly be called party consideration. The Re-
formers do not profess to be so far above ordinary
motives as to be Indifferent to success, nor so I'M
practical as to refuse to adopt any proper means
10 attain it. Unless, therefore, it should be demon
srated that there is no citizen among those who
will, at the next Presidential election, vote for
neither BRECKENRIDGE nor DOUGLAS, who is not as
oF qualified IA all other respects, for the duties
.u,-. 10y "a one Of those who will, we
0 Oe'iioo'''t WIZ be named. We are
.1 ,'' "po'i leliec'lon, this Course will be most
P''"le 10 Democrats themselves. while il
VIII attract VOTES from the Opposition which Would
be given to no Demno,,t whatever. Let us be I'M
derstood. There is no Independent Reform parts
in Baltimore, although we believe there is vast
majority Of rioters who wish to see partisan politics
excluded from the municipal government. Yet
all these voters are to certain extent partisan
They have their political preferences which they
mean to express at the proper time, and which
they are with difficulty, induced to forego al
Gny time. In voting for independent candidates
they do not constitute or acknowledge themselves
party, but rather postpone party considerations FOL
common purpose on which they are for the time
agreed. The course, therefore, which will bring
the largest number of these partisan voters to lay
aside their differences at the municipal election is
IN fact the least partisan for the Committee
to adopt. Their object must be to name irst-ratc
man who can be easily elected. We would not pre-.
sent any other than lirst-rate man to get all the
votes in town. butt is useless to incur serious risk
of defeat forany but reason of absolutely controll
ing power. The Independent Reform candidate
for Mayor should be an individual of the
highest personal qualifications, commanding, by
his past life, universal esteem and confidence not
complicated either with the disgracefnl rule of the
few past years Or with the present unhappy division
OF the Democratic party. With such candidate
there can be no doubt of his triumphant election
over any combination whatever.