Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-07-07

OF THE rIREMEN-'BALTYs sowERs AND ''copEY
GREER"
Special Correspondence Of the Commercial.
| PHILADELPHIA, July /.
The Democrats have now had their little game
Of putting little men up for Office to be in due
| time knocked down by other little men with little
ballots. 1t is no more than fair to say for the
Great Unwashed that they have nominated as
decent men, all things considered, as were FEAST
ble The contrast between the ticket just chosen
and the outrageous joke of last year, when it
was attempted to put in Office as choice coterie
of Gamblers and Pimps, as New York herself
could produce-such contrast is indeed great.
But anyhow-whether it is, on the one hand like
| the 'spirt Of health mentioned by the Poet,
or whether upon the other part, it resembles "a
goblin damned" matters not just now. The
| Ticket is well enough doubtless, but my present
idea is to say something of the new Democratic
Rules for the election of Del kates, and holding
of Conventions Your readers NY or may not
know that the Democratic party HAS recently so
amended its election regulations as to materially
change the workings of its Conventions. The new
system was fiercely opposed but 1t has proved
so genuinely successful that we may assume 1t
now to be an accomplished fact. The idea, briefly,
| is this Each election division selects one dele
| gate to each of the conventions. Instead of all
| these parties meeting in grand body, however,
i as the Republicans do, the Democratic delegates
now assemble by wards, and each ward sends
three members, selected from the primary re-
| turns, to represent it in the nominating bodies.
| By this simple process the number Of delegates
| is reduced from nearly three hundred to some
| eighty odd, and the confusion and general TN
| manageableness of the conventions is raced in
| just the same proportion. 1t may be objected
that the new rule does not offer as fair popular
representation as the old. Republicans do, in
| fact, say 30. The total number of delegates to
| the Republican Conventions was over sixteen
/ hundred, or about fifteen citizens from every
precinct. This certainly seems very broad and
generous, for it gives every man interested in
politics at all, opportunity. to serve i'll some
| of the nominating bodies. But, on the other
hand, the objection noted is one OF theory rather
] than fact. The same primary delegates are
| chosen by the Democrats, but these delegates
proportion Of their number delegating
to them the powers and investing
| then with the responsibilities of the entire
body. great many thoughtful people consider
| the plan decided improvement upon the Re-
publican Rule. But many others are not so GER
tain that it would be satisfactory ruling for the
| dominant party These poor little Democrats,
you know, go into this fight but they put no
heart in it. They know they shan't win and the
| candidates are not particularly anxious how the
| thing is done. In the Republican camp nomi-
nation means election, hence the struggles in
| the convention, but the Democrats only keep
| their lines we'll dressed and preserve good
show, hoping for the good times coming. Now,
| this is the point. All flesh is grass and impecu-
nious politicians, it may be supposed, will go for
| fat offices as long as things stand The Sheriff.
atty is worth $50, 900 yeaf. man could well
afford to pay $40, 600 to secure that office. l
would for my own part give good deal more,
but name that figure for the convenience OF
| illustration With convention OF 80 delegates,
a supposed speculator could buy majority of
votes with the sum mentioned. giving each hon
est voter enough to set him up Ia a iirst-cass
rum mill. But make the body three or four
| times as large and the case is materially changed.
This may be taking rather long view Of politics.
| 1t is, and wish our local political machinery was
| beyond reproach but speak of things as l
| find them. And 80 1 am constrained to say that
although the smaller conventions are less cum
bersome do their business more expedltionsiy
and are withal as fairly representative as the
| larger bodes,-that still theymight not be found
| practicable for the dominant party. 1t is very
warm, but trust make myself understood.
1t would be paving the Republicans of the 4th
Congressional District a rather questionable
compliment to say that they repudiate the action
of Col. VIM. b. Thomas and his supporters.
What claim indeed Col. Thomas had to being
| called Republican at all, it would be hard to
say. The fact that what support he will receive
in the coming election will be obtained directly
| from Democrats should settle that question.
And yet Col. Thomas calls himself Republican
and terms Judge Kelley and those who act with
him imposters. 1t would seem TO the mere car
nal mind that man who had been 30 honored
by Party, as Col. Thomas has been by the Re-
publicans, would have hesitated long time be-
fore he gave his friends so decided cold shoud-
er as he has in this instance. 1t is hard to un-
derstand-but some pork DOES bile 80 OF any
man less respectable than Col. Thomas the man
| 9uvres used to place him in his present posi-
| tion would be termed simply dis2raceful. He
chose to assume that there was a great opposi-
ton to Judge Kelley in the 4th District and that
| the people were determined upon change. The
event proved this to be foolish error however,
and finding that he could get no support in the
party Col. Thomas courted the late action OF the
Democrats. or course the Unterriied knew
| they could not elect man OF their own they
| therefore did not nominate, understanding how
ever that they were to support Thomas, and
| trusting that enough disaiiected Republicans
could be found to join them to elect their man.
These Republicans you see would not be fright
ened off by the name of Democratic nomina-
| tion. It is weak game and will naturally play
out. 1t startled people just little at first, but
as soon as they fairly saw the drift Of it, it was
pooh-poohed. I speak with a fair understanding
I of the case when say that there is no consider
able opposition to Judge Kelley in his District.
| Our people know his value. He is not to be up
/ set at this time of day, and with such an amount
/ of work upon his shoulders, by political Hare-
| quin like Vim. b. Thomas.
| Are not Firemen almost the qneerest set of
men you know9 hope not to offend your con-
sttuents (writing SO much upon one theme gets
/ one into grooves) but must speak that which
is in me. According to my lights, therefore,
| Firemen (by which term l now mean the
chaps whose business, or rather whose
| pleasure it is to put out fires, not those who
| make them) are tile funniest people going. Ever
since the time of Balty Sewers and Gopay Greer,
| they have had place in my heart of hearts.
| These two wo1thies. we're the Sreat guns of our
Fire Department in old unes. ;. iialty." (shortt
/ for Baltimore l wonder! nobody knows how and
/ na aypr, "a raj ba ii
discreditaDly Emerged" into the altogether too
respectable philadelphia and Copey" be-
longed TO the Paramount. They were both ter
| rifle fighters. All how have sat on cellar
doors in the cleaning, listening to tales of
| their fearful prowess 1t is related that at
| meeting of the Moya," when the question of
opening the regular exercises by reading the
Scriptures, was discussed Balty said. Mr..
phasizing, you understand. AT meeting of the
+" Fairey" Copey Greer is reported to have said,
81 Mr.. PRESIDENT move that Com'tee of three
be appointed to call on Billy Woodside fur to
get q frontispiece painted fur the hind end of
the Ingine and to tell Billy that We want him to
paint the Goddess of Liberty chained to a Rock,
a pickin' her teeth wild Pitchfork." Many
other stories are told of them some Of them alto
gether to good to print. Undoubtedly, they were
the queerest fellows possible, and although the
old hand engines have gone out of fashion, the
scent of the roses hangs ronnd their somewhat
degenerate Sons in the steamer branch of the
|
me yesterday in seeing the whole blessed crowd
turn out in black cashmere pantaloons, the ira
ditional red Shirts and the famous cast iron
hats, and pull their apparatus about ten miles or
so through the dusty streets. For the weather.
well, you know what that was 1t is rather bet
ter now, but yesterday afternoon it was high up
in the nineties. 1t was perhaps the ghastliest
joke ever known. But they enjoyed it. That is
their idea of fun, and if a fire had broken out as
the procession was disbanding, and all hands
could have had fine breezy run to Bridesburg,
and worked half the night at some old mill that
would neither burn down nor go out their fell
city would have been complete. 1t is really,
somehow, too funny to laugh at INDEX.
severe storm passed over McConnellsburg,
Fulton county Pa, on Sunday afternoon Half
the roof of the Court House was blown away, and
the new Methodist Episcopal Church was much
injured, the end wallis being removed from the
foundation
On June 11th party of Indians approached
within fifteen miles of Austin, Texas, and sole
horses belonging to several parties. The wlers
started in pursuit of the Indians, and an they
have not yet returned, are supposed to have
been killed by the sayages.