The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-04-11
A Candidate Wanted.

| We agree with the writer in Democratic
paper that law and the army should not
monopolize the honor of the candidacy
for all time" especially since the honor"
has so long been and so long promises to be
rather barren one. Setting up man as
the candidate of the Democrats for the Pres.
idency is too much like treating human
being as if he were nne.pin, and COM
mon regard for benevolence would seem to
! suggest the selection of a gentleman like
| some of our representative men who can
bear great deal of knocking down without
being particularly the worse for it, Now,
it is safe to assume that man who has been
dead for long period Of time, if he should
| be nominated and disastrously defeated,
would experience less agony than one sub
| ected to such torture while still in the flesh
and we therefore respectfully recommend
| our Democratic friends to rally under the
banner of somebody who is in his coffin, and
who cannot, therefore, write damaging let
| tiers nor make impoltic speeches. Why not
start "a ghost to scare the country as shadows
| brought terror to the soul of Richard? Why
not run Memory, and rally round
Shade? The party itself is nothing but
| tradition, myth, a Renaissance, q voice
from the tomb, an ancient and fish like
| smell; it is like the Humane Society, only
it dcvotcs itself to the vlndicatiOn of dead
issues and there is no reason why it should
| not nominate dead man, while there would
be an exquisite and logical propriety in such
| an experiment. 1t would be quite as ra-
tonal for the party to rush in solid phalanx
to the polls, then and there to vote for
Thomas Jefferson, as it is for the same party
to be constantly bewailing an utterly extinct
institution, and seduously seeking some
method of resuscitating it under new and
scarcely modified form. We could mention
twenty men, from fancy to Atherton, who,
being dead, might be made to speak, and
who, while the party remains in its present
aimless, purposeless, and simply hungry
condition, might do good service in keeping
the dry bones together until day of brighter
fortunes should dawn. 1t would be as easy
to vote a memory as to drink it; while here
and there, in closely contested districts,
some Democrat under the protection of a
great name, might slip into the House of
Representatives. We have somewhere read
of an Eastern king, who, dying upon the
eve of great battle, was shrouded in com,
pletc steel. placed all stark and stiff in his
war. chariot, and so driven at the head of
h., al ia I'm
victory. We do not deny that the Demo
cratic party have great names to conjure
with many potent skeletons, and many de-
fuuct heroes; and saving the embarrass'
ment which might ensue should they, by
chance. succeed in electing some resident Of
the shades, we are sure that our suggestion
is at once wise, humane, and practical.
Whatever may be thought Of our proposal,
we must protest against exciting an unrea
| souable ambition in the bosom of modest
and worthy man like Admiral Farragut. 1t
may be thought that so sensible and so an
cient mariner will hardly be upset by a
compliment so utterly empty; but we have
seen very good men in our day made most
lives by the injndicious use of their names, by
nominations which meant nothing, and were
intended to mean nothing, by the prattle of
politicians, and by paragraphs in the news.
papers. That the Democratic party is in
some need of a candidate, we are quite will
ling to admit; but that is no reason why an
Eonest Admiral should not be permitted,
after hard service, to enjoy the blessings of
peace, without being hailed before a National
Convention, or made the subject of lauda.
tory communications in a newspaper which
received the intelligence of his victories
with the most profound grief. The excel
lent sea. warrior probably does not thus far
care a single rope yarn for the Presidency;
but should the fires of ambition be kindled
in his breast, he will do we'll to remember
what happened to the dog who was careless
in the selection of his associates.
| N. y Tribune