The Portland daily press., 1868-05-30
Grant and COIflx.

The nomination of our greatest soldier to @
the cOmmander-in-chef of the army and ma
Wy and of our most accomplished parliament
arian to preside over the deliberations of the
Senate, has seemed to most of us an excellent
and every way befitting choice. No nomina
ton was ever received with such hearty and
unanimous consent and eXultation as the NOM
ination of Grant and Collax has called out from
the Republican party. The platform is worthy
of the candidates The party which in 1860
declared that slavery should not exist in the
United States, now declares with equal cour-
age that the promises of the nation shall be
fulfilled in letter and spirit. There is no lin
gering over dead issues, no defamation about
the sins of our fathers or grandfathers but
esolute denunciation OF the wrong which
now, in the year. Of grace 1868, is most i'm
minent.
The Anti-Slavery Standard, which still
keeps up a terrible warfare against an extinct
iniquity, is not satisfied. In. his last manifesto
Mr.. Wendell Phillips greets the Chicago NOM
nations as follows:
Chicago has nominated Grant and Colfax for
President and Vice. President. That is, the
men who wish to get possession of the govern
ment without being definitely pledged to any
thing, have availed themselves of General
Grants popularity TO effect their object
Hence our Presidential candidate. For the
Vice Presidency, Mr.. Justice Chase and his
seven conspirators have nominated Collax. A
repentant Nation, sadly mindful of the cheat
practiced on it and Hamlin in 1864 would
gladly have atoned for that sin by puNing his
honored name there. Nation indignant at
the treachery of two weeks ago-a treachery
dictated by spite against Mr. Wade, would
have been proud to flare its fierce rebuke in
the faces Of Trumbull and Fessenden by lift
ing Wade's name on the party banner. But
the party had neither nobility nor courage
enough for either course. 1t stood cap in
hand to its traitors and begged to know how
they could be c07ecitidted! 1t was this policy
of Cancellation which betrayed Hamlin once
before, and went down to the grocery cor
ners' of Tennessee to dig up this drunken
nightmare which rides us to-day. We COM
mend the historical "Reminiscences to Mr.. Col
faxs attention.
Is this the voice of friend, or of an enemy?
Four years ago we remember that Mr.. Phil
lips was as loud in his praise of "the drunken
nightmare which rides Us to-day" as he is now
in praise of Mr.. Wade. Four years ago we re-
member his denunc iations of Abraham Lin
coin were as eloquent and vivid as his denun-
citation of the "seven conspirators" to-day
-Four years ago he wanted "Mr. Justice
ed him then as they distrust him now. Who
betrayed Hamlin in 1864? Who but Phillips,
loud-tongued for johnson then, and the Mas
sachusetts delegates who represented him at
Baltimore. "You cannot expect" said one of
them to a Maine delegate earnestly remon-
strating against the sacrifice of Hamln, "You
cannot expect friend of Charles Summers to
vote for Hamlin." That was the attitude of
Phillips and his friends four years ago. and it
ill becomes them to complain of their work to-
day. What influence they had was thrown
then against the President the people loved
and for the Vice President whom from the
moment of his Inauguration the people learn
ed to despise. And these same men come to
us now with their imbecilties and whimsics
about the nomination of Grant and Colfax!-
Brass is said to be an alloy of copper and zinc,
but Mr.. Phillips latest specimen hardly differs
from pure copper.