The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-10-20
THE DEMOCRACY.
SHALL THEY NOMINATE?

the democratic presidential nomination
IN 1872 that took place prior to the cleo
lions in California ana Maine, has been
followed by more careful reflection on
tue whole subject, and one startling result
of this reconsideration is suggestion Of
the question whether there ought TO be a
nomination at all. The idea
IS startling, because ii is without prece-
dent in our national politics, and Is pro.
foundry interesting as furnishing a prece-
cedenl ltselt. The present theory of party
politics is that in important contests both
parties must place tickets in the field,
even although one Of them goes through
tue forinul,ty with the consciousness that
ITS ticSet will be certainly defeated. The
new theory, on the contrary, assumes the
possible existence Of conditions in which
it is better for one party not to make a
nomination ut all, but leave the field to its
antagonists, in the almost absolute cer;.ln-
" that ITS antagonists will then divide
aud present two tickets.
While, however, there is no national
precedent for such course, the experl-
ment is not an untried one the campai On
of last fall in Missouri furnished thor
ough example of the new idea, and il is
the very beneficient and generally salts
factory results of that example that have
suggested repetition of it on "A national
scale in the presidential contest of next
year. 1t is asked: why should 10, an
experiment that proved so successful IN
breaking the power Of radicalsm in Mis-.
souri, be employed to break the power o.
radcalism IN the union? Why shoulc
not the whole country find d"liveranLt
| from party that is essentially prOscript.
| i've, oppressive, unconstitutional, and vic.
ent in It's policy and practice, in the SANE
effective way IN which single state found
such deliverance - The result of the
Missouri election of 1870 WAS not, indeed.
Il democratic victory but it certainly was
L, radical defeat; and the abolition of
Acknowledgement, the subsistence OF
,ninosltes, the restoration of concord
and good will among the people, and the
revival of II cheerful interest in public
affairs and III local enterprises which fol-
lowed that defeat, are consequences which
vindicate the wisdom of the experiment
m Missouri, and, ut least, suggest its repe-
.ition in larger field. The contradictory
and discordant nature of the several state
platforms both democratic and republican,
that have been presented to Us within the
last few months, show that both par,ie.
nave losttheir reckoning, and are beating
ABOUT somewhat wildly. The constitution
al amendments and the legislation Of con-
grcss since the war have eliminated sever
Il important subjects Of difference and
dispute from our national policies, and
he result Is vacuum which confuses
Doth parties. The only common con.
riction in the republican party is that it
.ught 10 be kept IN power, 10 give us
'ucn partisan legislation as II has gwen Us
i late years and the pre-emnent con-
'IctioD in tue democratic party, TO which
at questions OF tariff, finance, uDnexation,
nd foreign relations are subordinate, is
hit the republican party ought to be over
brown, and II genter policy substituted
or the force which it has given us. The
Virginia conservatives, In their late
tate convention, declined To
adopt the usupl resolutions,
md contented themsevs with proclalmlng
as their sole platform, opposition to rud-
iahsm.' The fact expresses common
democratic instinct, md expresses, too, IA
ceiling which all the liberal and rejecting
cement Of the republican party shares,
But how is this opposition to be success
iul How Is the republican party to be
displaced How is such contamination
to be effected III the teeth of the rigorous
'elnl-mlllary laws winch il has devised
expressly to enable it to carry elections,
aud protect Itself from defeat How IS
Tue administration party to be beaten in
Ioiz, Wnen The people half believe that i,
WI n" submit 10 defeat, and will u, hole
President Grant in any measure he ma,
| 'aNr uv"Id ~ Or, even If we coulC
nave perfectly free election in all the
STATES, without executive Interference, AM
without the certainty that the party il
pr"er would cheertuIly submit to the re
sul', what assurance have the democrat
that they can carry the country with an,
nominee OF their party, in the lace Of tn,
uriests ihey have recently encountered il
California, Pennsylvania and Ohio?
These are the questions which the nd
vocates Of the denomination policy AS
themselves; and even if they are not con
elusive OF the merits Of that policy, the
are weighty, and deserve TO be thorough
p"ndered. tbs urged with much reason
mat the country can i'll afford another fou
years on radical rule with the uhion main
'sined IN its present abnormal unrestore,
: I"hutloh, ku-klux disorders and ku-klu
Jaws continued, executive interference
y fsMlea IN and the process Of centralzr
!, ,hi IN naue complete and that if the.
v ".e' are 70 be arrested ut MI the rudics
!, pa,'y must be unseated at Washington
yust Us u was unseated in Missouri, by an
d democrats abStaining from PRESIDENT,
n nomination, and lesv,ng the nominate
!. OF ticket which they may support to ii
= literal element Of the other party. Eve
!. ifthe democrats could hope TO nomina,
q pres ldential ticket and elect il, wi,
!. Groesbcck, or Hancock, or Hendricks
!. Chase, or any oae else at the hned wou