Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-05-21
IN A QUANDARY.
Wanted, a Radical Candidate for
| the Presidency.
- j. nrn Aha RAW Yo1l sun :

| F. ON the New York sun-
| As long as George IL. Thomas wa:
alive, the Republicans had sure candi
date for the election of 1872. No Other
| man could have beaten him. The masses
of the people were for him; the Radicals
honored and trusted him, and the Con
servatives would have rallied around him
with enthusiasm. His nomination would
have been equivalent to his election.
Since the death of this great man, the
bewildered leaders of the Republican par
ty have been vainly scanning the roll of
their Presidential aspifants for a name to
fill the place made void by the fall of
Thomas. The list has become haekneyed
and stale, and bears the name of no states
man who has any such hold upon the con-
fidence of the people as The crisis de-
mands. Some shallow politicians believe
that Grant will be taken, but no dIsinter-
ested person with sense ia his noddle sup
poses that Grant can be available. Gen
eral Grant himself, of course, does not
think anything is the matter with his pros
poets; and what dispenser of patronage
breathing the incense of adulation, ever
could be made to see that his role was
played out, till the fall of the remorseless
curtain shuts out all hope for the future
Franklin Pierce, rather shrewd politi-
clan, and not over sanguine, could not be
made to believe that the Democracy were
not going to renOminate him until the tel
egraph told him that his vote IN the Gin
cinnati Convention had dwindled down to
AZ. The tiattery of office-holders and
office-beggars had added brains great
deal larger aud cleaner than Grants.
In this condition of affairs, singular
change is coming over the minds of the
more intelligent and prudent members of
the Republican party. They are turning
their eyes back to their ancient champion,
Salmon p. Chasel For a year or two
past Chief Justice Chase has been count
ed as Democrat. In the impeachment
of Andrew johnson he broke with the ex-
IRENE Radicals, and thereby did the Re-
publican party a service which all sensible
men among them will now acknowledge.
But this docs not constitute the reason
why thoughtful Republicans are
led to inquire whether it would
not be better to make friends with
Judge Chase once again, with a view
of running him for President in 1872.
The fact is, that on the essential doctrine
of Republicanism, as it stands to-day,
there is no man in the country sounder
than Judge Chase. He is Republican,
and not Democrat. We mean, of
course, the great principle of universal
suffrage as set forth in the Fifteenth
Opposition to that principle
a considerable body of elamorous, stupid
cd Bourbons, who have nicknamed them
selves Democrats, propose to make the
main issue in the next Presidential cam
pain; and who so fit to lead the. Republi-
cans in such fight as Salmon P. Chase?
But even this does not constitute the
most powerful among the motives which
are leading so many intelligent Republi-
cans to look to the Chief Justice as a pos
sible candidate for 1872 The great rea-
son is that Judge Chase can certainly be
elected. This renders the movement we
are speaking of one of the most interest
ing ever developed in our political his
tory. 1t may not result in the actual
of the Chief Justice by the
party, because there are
plenty of Bourbons in that organization
as well as among the Democracy. But it
affords a most impressive illustration of
the present rather chaotic state of pelitics
among US, and of the scarcity of COM
talent and popular availability,
that any number of Republicans should
perceive that they can not possibly be so
safe with any other candidate as with the
Chief Justice