The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-22

be substituted for Blair in order 10 carry Pennsyl-
vania which they assert Packers popularity and
greenbacks will do.
The Movemeut TO Set Aside Seymour and
BIair-The Gamblers Behind the scenes.
The puzzle of perpetual motion, the problem
OF squaring the circle or what became Of the
ten lost tribes of Israel are questions not more
difficult Of solution than the late factious move
ment in the democratic camp against Seymour
and Blair upon any presumption OF party eX-
pediency. The proposition was put forth stimuli
taneously from cOpperhead journal in New
York and copperhead journal in Washing
ton, and was so promptly responded to by sew
eral copperhead journals in New Orleans,
Richmond and elsewhere in the South and
West as to suggest common understanding
among them all. The reasons advanced for
the motion to cast Seymour and Blair over
board and to try new ticket headed by Chase
would have been somewhat plausible, with a
margin of two or three months Of time to work
upon; but coming forth within three short
weeks Of the Presidential election, the pr0po-
siton naturally excited among the honest
democratic masses suspicious of lunacy against
the guilty parties or OF treachery, bribery and
corruption.
The reasons assigned for this absurd and
suicidal movement were that General Blair's
Brodhead letter had ''played the very devil"
with the democratic party in the late Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Indiana elections; that but
for Blair and that fatal letter the democracy
Amight have carried ct least Pennsylvania and
Indiana; that Blair was the deadweight
that broke the party down in October,
and would certainly, unless removed, break
it up in November. 1t had therefore become
an imperative necessity to out OF Blair and
substitute man perfectly clear Of his damag
ing heresies. But to ''make assurance doubly
sure" in this change of front it was further
proposed to substitute Chase for Seymour in
order to gain over the conservative balance Of
power from the republican camp. In short,
some great event was needed to challenge at
once the public attention and divert the our
rent Of public condemnation from Blair and his
obnoxious letter to the shortcomings OF the
radicals, and nothing would suffice to do this
but the change Of the democratic ticket from
Seymour and Blair to Chase and Hancock, OF
Chase and Hendricks, or Chase and Johnson,
or Johnson aud Chase, or something of that
sort.
Such was the demand made upon the Ma
tonal Democratic Committee and such the
reasons submitted for it by the copperhead
organs concerned. A change of commanders
forthwith and change Of base were the only
things that could save the party from crush
ing defeat in November. Mr.. Belmont was
right when he said in reply that change Of
the ticket under the circumstances was imprac-
ticable-yea, impossible-and il made ''would
be equivalent to disbanding our forces" The
prime movers, however, involved in the
scheme, we may safely assume, cared nothing
for this. They doubtless expected that the
PRONUNCIATION Of the proposition from several
democratic papers at once, and from the ciiques
behind them, would create such CONSERVATION
in the general camp as to compel Mr.. Belmont
and his committee to change the ticket at all
IA yards. But why should these disturbing
cliaues be 40 desperate, clamOrous and per-
sistent in this project il they cared nothing tor
the consequences
We think we can answer this question.
These men were not bought to do this thing by
the ''bloated bondholders," nor by republican
money. The republicans all along felt too
sure of their game to waste their greenbacks In
any such useless investments. But we have
no doubt that the sporting circles, the ancient
cc.t - at
York, Washington, Cincinnati, Richmond and
New Orleans did this thing. How and why
We remember story OF the Baltimore Demo-
cratic Convention Of 1882. While the Conven-
ton was blndy hammcring away upon Cass,
| Buchanan, Douglas, Marcy, Houston, Lane,
| Dickinson and others. an outsider remarked to
= friend, ''it's no use, old fogies. All the
heavy gamblers OF the United States are in
| town, and they are all for Douglas hrst, aud
| second for any young man against any old
| fogy." And this is the power from which this
| anti-Seymour and Blair movement has ema-
uatcd-the democratic fraternity Of gamblers.
| They have their headquarters and their news
paper lacqueys In Washington, New York aud
i'm other places. They are in the whskey
| rings. the tobacco rings and all the other
rings They had made heavy bets upon these
late October elections, which they lost; but
they had heavier bets depending upon Scy
n,our and Blair, on the general result aud on
New York, Pennsylvania. Ohio and Indiana
in the grand November election. Their Ocio-
Der losses they might stand, but their bets for
November of The same character would swamp
them, and there was no help for them but IN
the withdrawal OF Seymour and Blair Hence
the movement 10 get this ticket get aside,
which would set aside oil bets made npon il or
| uton either M these candidates.