Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-16
oo,rnrv CONVENTIONS.

II is all important that the Democratic
and Conservative voters of Tennessee,
who have been requested to send delegates
to the State Convention, to be held in this
city on the 18th of September, should at
tend their county conventions and see
that representative men are sent as dele
gates. They should see that delegates are
sent who stand with the National Democ-
racy upon all the great questions which
divide that party in the Northern States
from Radicalism. We are pointed to
South Carolina, where, under the stress of
an overwhelming Republican majority,
the Democracy andmoderate Republicans
have united upon State ticket with
Republican as candidate for Governor.
We are pointed to Virginia, where,
under like circumstances, it is
probable that the present Republican
Governor will be supported by all the op-
ponents of extreme Radicalism, just as
Gov. Senter was supported by the same
elements in our last Gubernatorial can
vass. The same course of reasoning,
which would lead us to follow the example
of Virginia or South Carolina now, would
also induce us to support Gov. Senter for
reelection. Circumstances alter cases.
While it was the height of policy in us to
support Gov. Senter in 1868, it would
have been the extreme of folly in the
Democracy of California to have aban-
doned their organization and taken up as
their candidate a Republican. While it
may be policy, which we doubt in the
Conservatives of Virginia to openly pro-
claim that they will not unite with
any national party, but look only
to the redemption of Virginia, it
would be in Tennessee political dlsorgani-
cation and ruin. Tennessee has been re-
deemed from Radicalism. She now owes
it to herself and to that great party which
has struggled for the rights of the States
30 calamity for five years against over
whelming odds, to proclaim that we sym
pathize with 1t, and that we will, in the
approaching national contest fall into
ranks and march with it in one great
army against common foe. Let US not
encourage Rsdicalism by announcing that
we will not now join with the National
Democracy, and thus leave our enemy the
hope that in the next national contest we
may join with the opponents of the
Northern Democracy. Let it be remen-
bered that in this fall campaign, we are
but in training for the great struggle of
1872. The candidates whom we elect
now will be in Office in 1872. Let
them all, Governor, members of Con-
gress and members of the Legisla
ture, be elected with the distinct,
unequivocal and emphatic understanding
that they are from beginning to the
end of their term of.off1ce to support the
principles ayowed and maintained by the
National Democracy.
The delegates selected by the County
Conventions should be men of intelligence
and decision of character; men who are
for principle and who cannot be swerved
therefrom by party maneuverers or mani
pulators; men who recognize and sppre-
ciate the present situation !; not political
ghouls, who would visit our battle fields
and search among the mutilated forms for
Wings and Democrats" but men, who,
looking only to the present and the future,
"csnnot distinguish the features of Wing
and Democrat through the battle smoke
of four years of strife.n Such men are
needed to represent the Democratic and
Conservative party of Tennessee in the
next State Convention.