Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-07-17
THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET.

fcrcs with American politics, may find a
perfect parallel for the hardening of Pha-
roah's heart in the action Of the National
Democratic Convention. Nothing, seems,
can teach the professional politician to un-
derstand the spirit Of the people The
men who governed the New York Conyen-
ton are the ablost and shrewdest Of schem-
ers: there is no trick that they do not under
stand, no wire that they cannot pull; they
have raised political intrigue to the dignity
Of fixed science Yet these unsurpassed
managers of the masses. whose highest OBJ
jcct is success, have this week deliberately
determined upon their own ruin They
have made a Presidential ticket which the
people viii not only refuse to accept, bat
which they viii throw aside with indigna-
ton. Victory was perhaps not to be by any
means achieved by the Democracy but they
have spurned even the chance of obtain
ing 1t.
The history Of that Great Convention is
one of utter indecison and incapacity. Not
withstanding its assumption of courage, the
Convention stood paralyzed by that grand
popular uprising which placed Grant at the
head Of the Republican party From the
first it was evident that II did not know
where it should find the David to send forth
against the giant. Every State had its can
didate. Connecticut proposed English;
New jersey, Parker, New York, Church;
Ohio, Pendleton, Pennsylvania, Packer;
Tennessee, Andrew Johnson Wisconsin,
Doolittle; Missouri, Blair; Indiana Hen
dricks; Maine, Hancock; Michigan, Reverdy
johnson; and besides these were Ewing.
Hoffman, Frank Pierce, Mcclellan, Chase,
Seymour, of Connecticut, and Adams. The
Convention required FIVE days to finish its
work; it did not even adopt platform till
the third day, and ballotted two days more
Before it could make its ticket The events
Of the struggle We need not review. It is
enough that Pendlctous slow rise and swift
decline, the quick jump Of Hancock to the
front from 80 votes to IA, Hendricks $ adj
vance from TO S. and the numberless
changes and countcr-changes attending,
showing that the Democratic party was
without a candidate, and scarcely dared to
make one As we anticipated, Pendleton
could not nominate himself but in the end
his friends decided the question. The West
has reyenged itself for the defeat of its "a
yodte, by offering up Horatio Seymour as a
sacrifice in November And when Ohio
gave It's unanimous vote for Seymour, the
whole Convention, wcaricd and bewildered,
followed rell-mel, in despair of obtaining
any better solution Of It's difficulties His
nomination proves the entire subiugation Of
the Democracy TO a few masters Of political
strategy. Horatio Seymour is neither the
choice of his party, nor was he the real
choice Of the Convention. His nomination
Is the result Of one Of the neatest bits of
strategy known in American politics After
the lions had fought till they were crippled
and exhausted, the fox, who presided over
the contest and awarded to each fair play,
descended into the arena and appropriated
She spoils, 4 VIII not be your candidate,
sad Nh. Seymour: | dare not, must not,
cannot, WON'T" But he Is the Democratic
candidate; and, interesting as the singular
changes of the Convention are, we viii pass
them by and briefly give our opinions of the
issues his nomination presents.
Above all things, this is apparent-that
the opposition Of Seymour to Grant makes
all compromise between the two great parties
impossible. They stand apart ike Calpe
and Abyla, trowning acress the gulf, IN abb
solute separation, antagonistie and irrecon-
cllable forever. Daring the war Democracy
was not more opposed to Repubhcanism
than this nomination has made it now, and
aS 'aen there were no third party in which
'ile doubtful or indifferent could take refuge,
no" every voter must make positive
Tlioiee' by this act Of the Convention the
democracy have lost that which of all things
.iiey most dreaded new battlefield, new
ieaaef' new banner, and another eause
strategy they boast of? 1t IS not strategy
70 choose the position tho anemv ,rorI5
nave ma dietated-to go as Mcclellan did from
-1''lii0'l0 OacA TO HaTison's Landing, or
. retreat as Pemberton did into Vieksburg
"here the entertainments that keep the
eielnS oat arc the prison bars behind which
an army staryes We're not the living issues
Of the day sufficiently unfortunate for tbe
Democracy? Would it not have hard work
enough to oxtenuate and defend its course
since the close Of the war, Andrew John
sons policy Of usurpation, and all those
crimes for which he was righteousIy I'M
peached and wickedly acquitted? Because
these issues can by neither party bo put
aside, and because the welfare Of the country