The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-27
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL oPTEIoEs or THB LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToP1Os-COMPILED EVERY
DAY FOB THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
The Political Situation.
From, The ". Y. Nation.

now formed their platforms ana sslooteu Gnelr
candidates, the political campaign is formally
opened; and although the extreme heat OF the
weather prevents an active canvass at present,
there is no reason to doubt that il will soon
commence with great vigor on both sides, nor
is there any great difficulty in foretelling the
result. The malignant elements of the De-
mocratic party have been too strong for its
shrewdest leaders, and have doomed it TO an
other defeat. But the Eastern managers have
been too shrewd for the fanatics of the party,
and have driven the latter into corner from
which they could not escape otherwise than
by a surrender in the nominations OF all that
they had gained in the platform On the
other hand, the defeated faction manifested
unusual wit and sagacity in adopting a way
of escape from their dilemma, which gave
their favorite candidate all the honors of mag
nanimity now, and claim of inestimable
value upon the party in the future.
Some of our readers know how this was
done, but many do not, and to them brief
account of the inside working of the Conven-
ton will be interesting. On the morning of
the nomination the New York delegation had
agreed to present the name of Chief Justice
Chase as soon as the vote for Mr.. Hendricks
should fall off. But, contrary to their eX-
pectation, the vote for Hendricks did not
Decline and he regained all that he had lost
the day before. This arose in part from the
willingness of many delegates to vote for any
evident that Hancock had no chance, and
bargain was struck between his friends and
those of Hendricks, to combine on the latter
for President and the former for ViCe-Presl-
dent. While arrangements were being made
to secure two-thirds vote for this combiua-
tion, the Pendleton men hastily resolved to
do anything which would prevent its
success, partly from indignation with the
betrayal of Pendleton by the friends of Hen
bricks, and partly to keep the field clear for
Pendleton in 1872 by the nomination of an
Eastern man at this time. Obviously, there
was only one name with which this could be
successfully done and although it was bitter
pill to nominate the one man who
had made Pendleton's nomination impos-
sible, yet common sense pointed out
the necessity of such a course, and
perhaps comforted the Ohio delegation with
the thought that the honor was after all, a
barren one. At any rate, the nomination was
resolved upon, and the fact was privately
communicated to Governor Seymour by Val
landigham. Governor Seymour resisted to the
utmost, but in vain. He was assured that his
remonstrances would be disregarded, as they
were and no one who witnessed the
uproar of enthusiasm with which the
Convention received the nomination, and
the terrific clamor with which it drowned the
candidates objections could wonder that he
lost courage to resist it, We have ourselves
Ao uouDI vi Ills SluCeIlIy III ueCllulER Jue uOIlt-
nation. He is sagacious enough to know that
he cannot be elected, and yet he will be tor
mented for months by natural hope that
some lucky chance will give him success-a
hope which his reason will always condemn,
but cannot Danish. The canvass will wear
upon his mind, therefore, just much as if
he were ultimately elected, yet will end in
disappointment and comparative obscurity.
It is no kindness to HOratio Seymour to make
him a Presidential candidate, and he knows
this as we'll as we do.
Mr.. Seymour cannot be elected, for the SIM
pie reason that he will get no votes worth
mentioning, except from the regular Demo
cratic party; and the next election is nOto-
riously to be decided by the votes of luke
warm Republicans. But if other reasons were
necessary for his defeat, they may be found in
the fact (highly creditable to him) that he
cannot arouse the enthusiasm of the Western
Democracy, who are more interested in effect
ing covert repudiatOn of the national debt
than in any other issue of the day. He is the
chief of that wing of the party which has all
along opposed such schemes. He is we'll
known to be in favor of return to specie
payments. He lives in the midst of a COM
munity which would be ruined by national
reputation. The savings banks of this State
are alone a guarantee that Horatio Seymour
can never consent to breach of the public
faith. His assent to the platform makes no
feels that he can receive no practical aid from
the favorite of New York bankers, the intimate
friend of Belmont, the relentless opponent of
Pendleton.
The nomination of Frank Blair for Vice
President is one of those singular freaks into
which the necessities of party sometimes
lead it. A western soldier was wanted for the
place; and almost every prominent soldier at
the West is in favor of Grant. The ridiculous
names of McClernand and Ewing, the only
ones mentioned besides that of Blair, show the
straits to which the party was reduced. Cen
eral Blair's military record is respectable, but
his political vagaries have made him one of
the most unintiuential men in the country.
He brings no popular strength whatever to
the support of the ticket, and will repel many
votes from it.
But although the Democratic ticket is not
one that can be elected without some eXtraor-
dinary change in public sentiment, it does not
follow that the Convention has acted very un-
wisely in its choice at least so far as the chief
nomination is concerned. 1t is very doubtful
whether any other nominee would have come
nearer to an election. The Western radical
Democrats were in earnest in their threats OF
opposition to Judge Chase, if nominated. Mr..
Pendleton would have lost nearly everything
at the East. Mr.. Hendricks would not have
aroused enthusiasm anywhere. Governor Sey-
mour will have the unanimous and hearty
support of his party in the East; he will almost
certainly carry New York, New Jersey, and
Connecticut; and it is not impossible that he
may carry Pennsylvania, though we think he
will not. The party will come out of the CON
test unbrolen and well organized, with a fail
prospect for substantial triumphs in the