Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-05
A mJLrTARY CANDIDATE.


civil war-a Bayard in courage, ana
| possessed Of military genius He is ;
gentleman Of liberal general education
and stainless honor, and has displayed
great force Of character in the various
positions he has been called to occupy
In every respect he is the superior O
General Grant lie has more natura
ability, more culture, and more manli
ness. lie is much the filter Of the two
for Rresident OF The United States; and
ifthe candid opinion Of the army officers
were had it would undoubtedly so de,
eide His just administration of th,
fifth military district, and his firm sup
of President Johnson as against the
Radical policy Of suhjugating the South,
ern States, brought his name before the
people rs one who would aeceptably lead
them in the struggle to redeem the
nation, and were he made the candidate
he would deserve and receive the cordial
support Of the Democracy. If soldier
is chosen for either place on the ticket OF
the New Nork Convention, General Han
cock should be the man. There is but
one disparagement to his availability as
a candidate in competition with Grant,
but it is serious one 1t would be a
contest between soldiers and notwith-
standing the intrinsic superiority of the
former, it would be plausibly, and to a
degree, successfully urged, that he was a
subaltern While Grant was the chief In
popular estimation, the official promi-
nence of Grant would be made to OVER
shadow and outweigh the force of the
personal contrast in Hancock's favor
His candidacy would give the canvass a
personal character, and degenerate it
into mere comparison Of military abil-
ity and achievements, in which the fac
titious renoWn and surroundings of the
General-ineChief would be made to play
| such a part AZ would mislead and de-
ceiye This objection is valid and OBJ
Vious, and if there were no other, it is
sufficient to deter the convention from
placing its candidate at so great disad-
vantage Reason as we will a large
portion Of the masses are controlled by
appearances, and when these are adroitly
used, they captivate at the expense of
sterling worth and merit. That this
would be the course Of things, in the
event the Democracy choose a soldier as
a candidate against Grant, there can be
no question
Then are there any reasons why a
military man should be nominated for the
Presidency We think not, but on the
contrary, believe that many exist, 10th on
the score Of principle and expediency,
that should determine in favor Of civil
lian as the representative of the Democ>
racy Ia the first place, if the Democ-
racy has, in the present exigency, one
more important mission than another, it
is the restoration of the simplicity of the
genuine Republican system of govern
ment That We have widely departed
from this, and that the administration of
the government during the last seven
years has introduced Innovations which
have well nigh converted the republic into
a centralized, and Irresponsible and
autocratic government there is no doubt
The cause for this Is found in the pres
dominance which military men and modes
have lately acquired oyerthe civil author
ity and forms One Of the direst curses
entailed by the civil war, and that one,
too, which, if not speedily restrained,
will exert the most permanent evil effects,
is the suEOrdination of laws and states-
manship to arms and military domina-
ton. The nation had its con-
eeption in opposition to the
government of colonial magistrates
with military powers. 1t was born Of
peaceful ideas, and the cardinal prinei-
pie Of the system which the wise men
who nurtured it into maturity, adopted,
is the retention of power from the hands
of the government Unlimited power,
on the other hand, is the seminal prin>
ciple of the military theory. 1t is in di-
ametrical conflict with the republican
view, and as it becomes paramount the
latter is forced to yield 1t Is the !
province and the duty of the Democracy,
as the party of the Constitution, to ar
rest the progress of this evil, and to do it |
at once The nomination of Presiden-
tial candidate who has no claim ON the
public regard but his military services,
will be an unfortunate and disastrous
compromising with error and we cannot |
but believe, an unsuccessful trick of ex-
pediency. The masses are surfeited with |
men. They have "supped full
Of horrors which are associated with |
guns, drums, and wounds and all |
their appurtenances They perceive that
things are sadly out Of joint They |
know that military sway has brought the
present deplorable condition to pass.
lnstinotively, they look to a restoration of |
the supremacy of civil ideas, as the
source Of relief lf the Democratic party /
should disappoint this just and natural
Of a people trained to look
with distrust upon military FORMS and
from sore experience, bv |
forcing them 10 grace in captive
bonds, the chariot wheels Of a military
hero, it viii, We fear, forfeit their con-
idence, and fail in its high duty.