New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-07-18
THE FaIIADEIPHrA coNvENT1oN.

aeAtiNtAuAa VI t4e EIllauGiE tlA GOllN5Ibtu1 AAio
originators Of the movement have issued cir
/ culer inviting both political parties to send
delegates recognizing the fact that the
convention is to be coalition of parties favor
4 ing the policy of the President ofoourse it
did not enter into the contemplation Of Mr.,
Randall. who sigpls the circular, that the Re
i publican party was at an likely to accept this
invitation. since the Republican party is in
4 die aggregate hostile to Mr.. johnson and to
the restoration Of the Union The two
i Northern parties which will be represented in
the convention are, therefore, the Democrats
/ and the Conservative Republicans, represented
/ by AIessrs Cowan and Doolittle- former
controlling about two million votes and the
l&tter a number which, great CO small,
| does not admit of accurate estimate
The effect, however, Of this paral-
lelsm of representation is to deprive the
| Democratic element OF the influence with
which its numerical preponderance might
invest it, and, at the same time, to preserve
that distinctness of organization to which the
Democratic party are so strongly attached.
and which they would so reluctantly surren-
der. As to the South, the circular Of the com
mittee can have very little application. In
| these States there are not two parties fayoring
1 the Presidents policy. There is only one
party, and that is a party which embraces the
people of the South. In two or three of the
Southern States the radical element may be
sufficiently numerous to constitute a sort Of
party organization, but in the rest there is
nothing to disturb the uniform flow of public
opinion. The small circle of so-called .
Unionists are just sufficiently numerous
to FL the federal Offices, and to furnish
material for the action Of the test oath
law. For any other purposes they might just
as we'll have no existence and they certainly
would not be missed If they should
disappear entirely. Hence it is scarcely
credible that the invitation extended to the
two political parties to send delegates to
the convention was intended to operate within
I the limits Of the Southern States.
II Yet even at the North, there seems to be a
want of accordant sentiment among the sup
i porte1s Of the contemplated convention. The
New York Times, for instance, is sorely dis
ressed at the unanimous support given to the
convention project by the Democratic press
The Times insists that the object of the move
Inent is to nationalize the Republican party
But that paper must know that the confession
Of such purpose would be fatal to the pro
jected assembIage The South, assuredly,
could not reasonably be asked to assist in
Matchmaking party which, besides being
| the author of all her woes, is peculiarly and
inevitably sectional in its character. This idea
Of Matchmaking seetionalism is very much
like loving our enemies and praying for those
who despitefully use us. 1t is good in the
ology but it is bad in politics. On the other
hand to ask the Democrats to assist in con
ferTing pre-eminence on party to which they
are ineradicably hostile, or rather on a small
section Of that party. is like asking large
army to surrender to a corporals squad Of the
enemy. Mr.. Raymond's theory Of the conven-
ton is very remarkable theory indeed He
thinks it should be constituted of none but
Es' Union" mem Union" men of the South
and g Union men of the North. Since the OBJ
Ijeet of the convention is to assist in restoring
/ the Union under the Constitution, it is natu-
raj to suppose that it would be composed ex-
elusiyely of men who have a right in a certain
a sense, to call themselves Unionists, But this
does not suit the fastidious Raymond. To be
sure, he does not give any precise definition of
the term Union men, as he is in the habit
Of using that term but since he excludes the
Democratic party Of the North from its EN-
brace. it is plain that he means only such
Union men there as voted for Lincoln, and
q only such e Union men" here as were anti
i Confederates during the war. A convention
constituted in such a manner would have no
parallel in this country except the TYLER
i "bread and butter convention of 1898. 1t
would represent party which would be CON
veniently small enough for purposes of speedy
enumeration. The extent of its influence
would be accurately figured by the power
which Mr.. Raymond's solitary ana dubious
vote exerts in the House Of Representatives
and by the strength of the faction represented
by Bolts and Hamilton in the South.
The New York World has some very
sensible remarks on this subject, and from
/ its article we make the following extract:
When the Philadelphia convention assemblies
what ls to be the test of admission? Is it 10 he
the congressional test oath This test oath would
eAoiade me great body OF the Southern people i;
put the Democrats whom the Times would read
out Of the convention will find difficulty in tax.
ING It, 1T that OATH the spirit Of that oath ia to
be the law Of the convention, Democrats have mol
Interest in attending, because, in that case the
North will be unable to meet the South in friendlyl
conference. ANY door which is wide enough TIL
admit the Southern people, will be more than
VIDE enough to admit Democratic citizens Of the,
~ ORTIZ Aay test which shuts out the great body
0f the Southern people, viii render the convention
farce. 4 Ell
The chagFin of the Times results from the nnabig
Test failure Of its attempt to construct 4 tbiFY
party OF conservative Republicans, which its
lElenda hQped 70 use for selfish ends by giving
Pnfehasaoe value to its alliance. a party Of trim
iaers led BY politicians Of loose prnciples. ana
noldlng the balance of power between the two
| III WI paEues might extoTt conditions from one
Rassy or The other, and buy up the best ofaces
~ loFm and WELD such d party Of trimmare
seems e nave been the design of the sinner
chqae hich the Times il The rnouthniaca. ~ !
me failure Of this design makes tbat io,,r ~
uanaRpy. Rolihcians OF the Ravmond ,r;1ea
VIII form but small minority ~ tSa "a AZ H.
gates who will be chosen to tho can,sn 80
Even il they were majority they eonld ami
test 70 exclude Democrats, which would moi c5nse
more sweeping exclusion of the Southern Sele
gates. Ahe convention would thereby re.enact
the policy Of Congress- ssaltiiy the cali on which
10 assembled and render its pretended protest
against the radical rump Congress ridieaaas by
producing sort Of highfe bel0w-stairs rulnpi ofi
lts own. II, by any trick Of parliamentary leger
demain q majority of this way of thinkine; sh6nid
net TIE in