The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-06-04
q ZION
STATE
COMMITTEE.
The Cleveland Convention.

The bugle notes OF the Disseminated have
been heard sounding through the land, and
summoning the people to assemble in mass
convention in one of the most beautiful cities
Of Ohio; but after all, the war did not quite
come up to the high sounding manifesto
The gathering could hardly be called q Mass
Convention. for the people did not rise in
their majesty and strength and go to that
convention, which was principally made up
from the odds and ends Of all political parties
and cIiques of the day. Its leaders are those
discontinued, fault finding spirits who are al
ways floating about in society, and seeking
vulnerable places and joints in official har-
nesses through which they can thrust their
arrows.
The inimitable Sterne wrote, many years
ago, that some men are hobby-horsical, and
are never contented unless they are booted,
spurred and mounted on their favorite nags.
Now we don't object to any gentleman's rid
ing just such hobby as best suits his taste.
The truth is, we rather like this sort of indie
pendence, and love to see men develop their
true characters and ignore hypocrisy, either
individually or collectively, especially when
the Republic is not likely 10 suffer detriment
from such demonstrations. There is GER
tain class Of men who are very prone to mag
nifty objects upon which their minds and
hearts have long been fastened, and by this
process very small errors are often enlarged
into mountains, and even innocent short
comings, or unintentional mistakes are mag
niaed into huge sins.
Minds trained in such schools are not fully
aware of their own faults, or the dangers to
which these faults may possibly lead, especial
ly when they partake of political character
In shines that try mems souls" and when the
very life Of the nation Is at stake. And yet
these men may be honest and believe they
are doing the State some service" We
would not impeach their motives, but warn
them to avoid any political action which may
possibly injure the cause they profess to have
20 much at heart.
We remember the year "A. when Clay and
Polk were the Presidential candidates of the
then two great political parties-Whig and
Democratic. A third party, called the LIB
erty Party" rose up and came between the
other two. This third party was composed
of abolitionists, pure and simple" and not
like this Cleveland convention made up OF
all political stripes. Believing they were
right, they went ahead and defeated the cleo
tion Of Clay who was much nearer their polit-
ical faith than Polk who was decidedly pro-
slavery. The two great parties were SO equal
ly divided that these Liberty men held the
balance Of power, and exercised 1t too. But
the case is somewhat different now, and the
great Union party OF our country has so much
margin that the members OF the Cleveland
convention are powerless. The nominee of
the Baltimore convention will sweep all the
free States like a new broom, and these ex-
tremely radical men will be left high and dry,
without an organization and without name
The time is coming, and that not far distant,
when these very men will have their eyes
opened and will wonder at their past folly, es-
pecially that portion Of them who are not
politicians by trade. And those who are, will
be left TO bite their own finger nails, and con-
tiaue TO grumble and wait for another tide to
roll up on which they may hope to ride into
place and power.
There is deep and strong current running
through the masses, which these men cannot
stem. They might as well hope to stop the
waters on Niagara Falls In their wild career,
as TO resist the honest impulses of the free
and loyal people.
We are impressed with the belief that some
Of he
ed out by this Cleveland convention even at
the risk of placing in the Presidential Chair |
Vallandigham, Fernando Wood or f. o. j. |
Smith, II by SO doing they could defeat the
election Of the nominee of the Baltimore con-
ventlon, especially II Abraham Lincoln should
be that nominee. But thank Heaven, they
are powerless to bring such calamity upon
this country. The noble and patriotic i'm
pulses Of the loyal masses assure us that such
disgrace will never fall upon our nation. 1t
Is singular spectacle TO witness Phillips
and Cochrane working together in the same
political harness. We know that misery often
times makes strange bedfellows, but that
philosophy hardly accounts for the yoking OF
such team.
We trust, and even believe, that large por-
Hon of these Disconnected spirits will fall
back into line and fight with the Union party
Tor Liberty, Justice, and good Government.
The others we leave stranded on desert
shore with no eye to pity and no arm to cave
hem; or, In other words, we turn them over
% the copperheads of the country and leave
hem to the enjoyment OF the company to
which their instincts naturally lead them.
We close this article, already longer than
We intended, with some brief extracts from
he New York Evening Post and Boston Ad-
'ertiser, which happen to be lying before us.
n a welconsidered article the Boston Ad-
'ertiser holds the following language:
In spite of the flourish of trumpets the
cleveland nomination after all does not rise
o the dignity of movement. 1t strikes no