The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-29
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPICs-CoMPLED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING CBLEGRAPH.
General Blair in New YOrk-The Luke.
warm and the Red Hot Democracy.

from Ut0 ~. T. hSTUtU,
General Frank P. Blair, Democratic eandi-
date for the Vice Presidency, had a noisy and
demonstrative welcome at the great meeting
In Tammany Hall. He made speech OF nearly
an hours length, defending himself from tne
charge of being revolutionist, casting Dack
that charge upon his political enemies OF the
Republican party, and declaring emphatlcally
that General Grant had a policy-one that
wonld prove fatal to the Constitution and the
country-a policy like to that of Cromwell and
Louis Napoleon
General Blair's appearance in New York at
this crisis, while Seymour, the head OF the
ticket is swinging around the circle" In the
West, is a remarkable event, as his speech in
the Tammany wigwam Tuesday night was re-
markable speech. In the Copperhead organ,
which assumes all the airs of the dandy and
chief "medicine man" OF the Democratic
party, not even passing allusion was made
yesterday morning to the coming of General
Blair. The Seymour and Hoffman faction here,
par excellence, did not, in fact, send for Gene
raj Blair, and did not want him. Their game
in the Tammany Convention, whatever II may
have been in the beginning, was, IN tne hnai
struggle, reduced to the simple purpose OF
saving New York and of getting Governor
and Legislature subordinate to our corpora
ton rings. The October elections, from Penn
sylvania to Nebraska brought the conviction
home to these spoilsmen that Seymour and
Blair were in a bad way; that New York
would probably be lost; and that the case was
so desperate that nothing bat the desperate
remedy of a change of front and change OF
the Presidential ticket would save the party
even in New York.
This remedy was boldly proposed, and the
dead weight of General Blair was urged from
day to day for a week or more through the
Copperhead organ aforesaid, as involving an
imperative necessity to change the ticket.
n D-1. h. L..I - h. Ay,oI
Democratic Executive Committee, promptly
responded that this thing on the verge of the
great battle "would be equivalent to disband-
ing our forces" The conspirators against
General Blair then demanded at least his re-
moval; but failing also in this experiment,
their Copperhead organ proclaimed that hence
forth Seymour was the candidate of the Demo-
cratic party and the authorized representative
of its principles; that Blair was cipher,
mere nobody on the ticket; and that his let
ters and speeches had furnished capital enough
to the radicals, but that henoeforward they
would have to fight Seymour. Accordingly,
it had been arranged that he should make
tour to the West, and in series of stirring
speeches, from point to point against the
abuses and usurpations OF the radicals, COM
pei them to drop Blair and defend themselves
against Seymour.
The plan was put into operation; but the
managers had been counting without their
host. General Blair would not hide his light
under bushel at their bidding, but main
tanned the field, bravely defending his Brod-
head letter as the main plank in the Demo
cratic platform. To make the matter worse,
not having the fear of the lukewarm Manhat-
tan and Tammany Hoffman clique before his
eyes, the Brick POmeroy, Jack Rogers red hot
Democracy doubtless contrived this visit Of
General Blair to New York as the uniinching
champion OF their rights and the Tammany
declaration that all the reconstruction acts
Of Congress are unconstitutional, revolu-
tionary, null, and void" and of that
other declaration, that the bondholders must
be paid off, like the rest of us, in greenbacks.
Thus we have developed. here in New York
city among the confused Democracy Sey
mour faction of the lukewarm Democracy de-
termined to keep Blair in the background, and
q Blair faction of the red-hot Democracy who
are quite as firmly resolved to keep him in the
foreground-a faction coHtending that Blair is
a marplot hereto, disturber, an outsider,
and dead weight upon the party, and fac
tion gloryiDg in him as the living embodiment
oi the Democratic faith and the Democratic
programme.
There is at Washington guerilla Copper
head organ supposed to be sort of tender to
the kitchen cabinet, which, joining in the out
set in the demand for the shelving of Seymour
and Blair, still keeps up the cry. But it
seems TO nave QdO bOul0 lDhlluS VI Lue bdlue
of the Manhattan ring of bondholders aud
Bohemians, for it says:-"Mr. Belmont, re-
covered from the fatigue of his long recreation
at Newport, has suddenly become aware that
something must be done to save, not the gene
raj election, but the State of New York, Hof-
man, and the Tammany ring. That little
empire is of more importance to the sachems
of Tammany than all beside. Governor Sey-
mour is at this late hour made a stalking
horse for this purpose alone" And again
this Washington organ demands the shelving
of Seymour and Blair. This is Democratic
harmony "with all the modern improve
ments." We hardly know what to make of
it. We think that, take it all together, it
presents bad prospect, not only for Seymour
and Blair, but for Hoffman, as the party most
directly interested in the New York election.
About the only redeemlng features of this
Democratic muddle are the manly courage and
honesty of the red hot Democracy of the
school of General Blair, and the pluck of Blair
himself in boarding his sccusers in Tammany
Hall. If any of them entertained the com
forting idea that the mission of the General to
this city would be immortalized by his mag
unanimous withdrawal rom the Democratic
ticket, they must try to bear their disa appoint
ment. Nominated in the July Convention by
acclamation as an Out-and out eXpounder OF
the Democratic faith, General Blair no doubt
feels that obedience to the clamors of a little
clique of spoilsmen and Bohemians would be
treaohery to the great mass Of the Democratic
party. The effort made to hide him from the
"rhli" eva was trick OF cowardice to which
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