Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-11-07
Ceneider.sIe Trush In ID.

opinions and control conventions, put IL
was such a right as might we'll have been
waived when itsexereise defeated the very
object its movers had in view. Such South.
ern opinions had been better uuspoken than
their utterance should have been construed
as an acceptation by tue. Democracy OF
those men as leaders against whom the
Northern people, as a body, entertain a
strong prejudice. 1tcould be said of them,.
{ ie blood of "a wounded nationality were
they undertook to control its Government
or dictate its policy. We had no share in
this sentiment, and willingly accepted sug-5
gestiOns from any source, ana their opinion
efiwhat was needed in the South bad the
merit Of coming from those qualified to
know. The voice of the South in the true
spirit of our institutions, 10 essentialuto a
Republican Union; but better that voice
had been unheafu, far better it had been
expressed by men not repugnant to the
Northernu people than its expression by
such men should have deafened the Ter
alike to the cause of the South aud the true
interests of the North. We repeat our re-
gret that the prominence and activity Of
these distinguished and able Southern lead
ers in arousing relentless prejudice
should have worked to the injury OF their
own cause, and the great cause Of the
Southern people entrusted to- the Demo
cratic party. Let us take the lesson and
profit by i5. The country is not yet pre-
pared to take lessons In Government from
distinguished Southern leaders, even
though the lessons be good!' i7oi no
q When the prepriety of the South taking
part in the nomination Of the Democratic
Presidential and Vice Presidential candi-
dates was discussed, we advised against It,
as calculated neediessly' 10 play into the
hands Of the. Republicans, just as they
played into their hands In attending The
Philadelphia, Convention, in 1856. ,s We
know that the Southern people were ami
mated by the best of Intentions in attend
ing the New York Convention. We know
that theyyby their attendance, wished to
testify to- the Northern, people their
|thoroagR acceptance of the situation that
wasthe resuIt1of the war; and right hand
somely did they do this; but yet their pres
ence in the Convention was an impediment
to success at this time. That there is a
deep ~rooted prejndice5in IN The minds Of
many of our people against the people Of
the South, growing out of the War, Is iIl-
true; and It. can not be got i'd
of instaptaneousiy. True, it should not
exist anyCionzer; but it does exist, and
existing facts must be treated as existing
facts. This prejadiee is 30 strong in the
minds of many, that to punish the South
-ern people, they would sapction Negro SUI
FpremacyI in the South, even tthough such
supremacy worked injury to their own ma
teriaI interests. a'itss,-.5al ,S.easDeild
i Theleading objection urged at New York
to the nomination of Mr.. PENDLEToN was,
that there was an uhdefned something
about his War record that would render
him unpopular as a candidate, notwith-
standing he had sendeared himself to the
people by the early and 1nceasing adyo--
cacy of measures that would lift from their
shoulders oppressive taxation and set all
the wheels of prosperity in rapid motion
again. This objection to Mr.. PENDLEToNf
penetrated Southern delegates, and made
them look upon him distrustfuily. They,
wanted success.r Tothemsuceess was more
vital than to the North. Natural enough
it was that they should desire the nomina-
tion of q candidate who gave. promise of
success; ana while they professedly prefer 4
red Mr.. PENDLEroN, they lent ready ear to
those who insinaated doubts touching his
and helped swell the, chorus
that we must have a popular candidate. |
3 They evidently overlooked the import
ord might have been tortured to his dis
advantage by unscrupulous Republican
politicians, the presence OF Southern men
in the Convention who occupy in the pub
lie mind North a conspicuous notoriety,
would be, used by them with infinitely
more powerful effect against the, Demo-
cratic party.sq Had they been. polite
enough not to have attended the New York
the Republican politicians
would have been deprived of one weapon
that they used increasingly during the cam
paign. fsoH sdi . fegla
Another circumstance contributed to de-
feat. For more than six months before the
of the New York Convention,
the Western people, without regard to
party considerations, had become firm be-
levers in the policy advocated by Mr.. PEN
DLEToN !; and they stood ready to receive
his nomination in q spirit of enthusiasm
that would have given him success in at
least some of the Western States. AS the
b ,llOting proceeded, the bulletin boards of
the Western newspaper offices were be-
,ieged with hundreds OF eager enquirers,
and when the eintefligence ewascommunica-i
led that Mr.. PENDLEToN could not be
q sullen, dissatisfied feeling
look hold upon almost every Democrat
An impression that the West had been
tricked or overreached took so strong hold !
upon the Western Democracy, that con-
time had tobe consumed in re-
them to the nominations.
In the outset of the campaign, there was
10 enthusiasm. 1t was not satisfactory to
say that the Platform embodied Mr.. Pm
DLETos's financial ideas, and that Mr.. SEY-
MoUR gave hearty Endorsement to- the
Platform. They pointed to Mr.. SEYMoUR's
speech, delivered but a few days before
the assembling of the Convention, wherein
he purposely and distinctly took issue
with Mr.. PENDLEroN. They admitted that
Mr.. SEYMoUR's conversion might have
been thorough /; but they invariably
coupled the admission with doubt, and
this doubt threw chill over the whole
that could not be dispelled.
These two causes of themselves were
sufficient to work our defeat, without tax
ing into account more trivial causes that
were damaging. 4a as.ga
By .adroit management-by the exercise
of tact similar to that which wins success
In all undertakings-we might, perchance,
have been successful. Copgress-the Rad
,ooI ,,,-+;o, ~ ;t-hod c;eonotod tho ra,l