Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-27
The Chicago COnVentiOn..-The Repub-
lean Ticket and Platform.

Inc republican party, through Its grand
Sanhedrim or council of war at Chicago,
having chosen its standard bearers and
agreed upon its plan Of operations, is now
fairly in the field for the Presidential cam
paign. With general enthusiasm and
confidence in his popular strength never
surpassed in any party convention over any
other name, General Grant stands pro
claimed the unanimous nomination of the
republicans for President Compared with
the roll of his grand military achievements,
from Fort Donelson to Appomattox Court
House, Old Hickory's battle Of New Or
leans, Harrison's Indian fights at Tippe-
canoe and on the Canadian river Thames,
where fell the great Tecumseh, and Tay-
lor's Mexican victories, from Palo Alto to
Buena Vista, and Scott s from Vera Cruz to
Molino del Rey and Chapultepec, and Ere
mont's successes as the Pathfinder" from
the Rocky Mountains to the Sierra Nevada,
to the San Joaquin and the Sacramento
all dwindle into bagatelles. If, therefore,
the military glory of these men, each in
his day, rendered them more available for
the Presidency than our most distinguished
contemporary statesmen, what shall we
say of Grant, whose browning campaign
against the late rebellion covered an area
Of five hundred thousand square miles and
compassed the surrender of three hundred
and fifty thousand armed men? We can
only say that this candidate is stronger
than his party, and that the party, seriously
weakened in consequence of its radical OK
cesses, still confidently relies upon his
strength.
For Vice President Schuyler Colfax, of
Indiana, Speaker of the House Of Repre-
sentatives, has carried off the prize The
/ failure Of the eleventh article Of the i'm
parchment was the failure of "Old Ben
Wade !" With Andrew Johnson's removal,
and with Old Ben" in the White House,
he would have been master of the situation
at Chicago for the second place on the
ticket, His only hope Of compensation
now for his great disappointment lies in
Johnsons removal, or in the prospective
Cabinet of General Grant. Mr. Wade's
present term in the Senate expires on the
18th Of March next, when democrat takes
his place, elected in consequence of the
startling overthrow of Wade and his party
in Ohio last fall on their platform Of uni
vcrsal negro suffrage. Wade, as bigoted
ianattcal radical, is an unpopular man out
side the ultra radical faction. Colfax man
of larger abilities and broader and more
and popular men Of his party. Fenton is a
failure and was wisely overslaughod. Cur
tin, very respectable man, seems to have
labored under similar difficulty in his own
State to that of Fenton Had the New /
England States united upon Hamlin OF vii |
son they might have secured him IL was
against all these disaffcctions upon these
other candidates that the general POPULAR
ty Of Colfax prevailed, Notwithstanding the .
fact that he makes the ticket, " like the |
handle of a Jug all on one side Grant
from Illinois, and Colfax from Indiana
leaving the East and the South both out in
the cold
The platform upon which this ticket is
presented to the people is work Of some
ingenuity Like an old cam paigner. the
Convention moves with bold step whorc
the ground is firm, but treads cautiously
and gingerly over the boggy places. The
country is first congratulated on the sue
cess of Southern reconstruction under the
policy Of Congress- proposition which
could not be avoided, good or bad. Next
however, equal and impartial suffrage IS
demanded in the South, regardless Of race
or color, which looks very much like the
as far as convenient Of tho
universal negro suffrage policy of recon
structlon. Next, every form ofrepudiation
OF the financial obligations of the govern
ment is denounced as erime-a decIara
ton which is broad enough TO meet nil
questioners, but still SO dubious as to signify
nothing. Next an equalization of taxes
economy in the administration. and AN
abatement of corruption in Office are
promised and as these things are sorelv
needed TO save us from wreck and ruin
these promises have pleasant sound }
Promises however, are one thing and per-
lormanees are another, as we see in the in :
equalities Of the taxations, the lavish cx- ..
penditures and the shocking corruptions in ,
office, for which this party IN power Is re. !
sponsible, So far, at all events. this new c
republican platform is broad enouob IN AL c
mt all the various shades of opinion in tho
party camp on this thing, that thing and =
nc other, without any promises of a def e
mite or satisfactory character on tho oreat il
issues Of the day, q
On the main question (Andrew Johnson 4
"o convention speaks with a boIder mani n
oStalion OIL earnestness and emphasis. He
denounced as worthy Of impeachment u
VI high crimes and misdemeanors. !,
hichi Oeing interpreted, means that whilo Il
nc convention could not undertake TO pass Of
N e. post yfacto party law against the re. "
publican Senators -Fessenden. TrumbnH Il
'rlmes, Henderson, Fowler, Van Winklo =
nd hoss-ior voting not guilty" on the Is
leyenth article OF impeachment against tho re
loresad Johnson he il ta be hauIed nm m
gam, aud then every republican senator fe
otlnC uul Egllty will know where he 81
eiohgs Thus Is The most significant faa- :,
lre 81 tins Chicago platform and We dare l.
Ay that q covers q deliberate understand o.
y between Washington and CHICAGO that
ndrew Johuson must be removed "a u.at m
ie immense patronage, which at best is h.
Uttered away IN his hands and lost 10 the As
'dical cause, may, in being turned over 10 col
distribution by Old Ben Wade he
lrned 10 a good account i 'a'
Inc plaiharn in question closes with q wa
y to our Hat uralized citizens in foutipg cor
c "i" european dogma that once a 'Ah
u@en a'"ays citizen, and in pronoun- ~,
ne ia L. Of the protection OF the ador,. H..
d citizen against all pre-emption claim {
It's. But 70 strikes US that if the admin 49,.
ration tunder Mr., Stewards advice) has X
lien short OF its duty on this subject, Con All
inds OF our adopted citizens touching ,
CIR security in the event Of a peaceable
SIT TO their native land. In truth. by the
DECISIONS of this Chicago Convention the Ito,
ople will not judge this radieaEized re- and