The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-24

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under the broad national ensign Of Chief
Justice Chase as their candidate for the Presi-
dency, Is not new idea with the NEW
YORK HERALD. We urged this movement
upon the democrats in 1868, as their only hope
OF salvation from a crushing defeat in that
campaign. Some of the most sagacious
leaders of the party, accepting this view Of
the subject, undertook the task of securing
the nomination of the Chief Justice; but the
Tammany Hall National Convention. after
cOquetting with him as a doubling damsel
dallies with new lover, or as cat plays
with mouse, cruelty sacrificed him, and Mr..
Horatio Seymour and General Frank Blair
can tell what followed in the succeeding
October and November elections.
The time approaches when the democracy
will be called upon to define their position
and to declare their champion for the White
House in 1872 against General Grant, as the
republican candidate for the succession. We
have on several occasions undertaken to show
that Chief Justice Chase is still by all odds
the most available man for the democrats, and
that if any ticket can be named for them
which will carry with it any encouraging
hopes of success it will be the ticket of Chase
and Hancock Recently democratic conven-
ton at Parkersburg, West Virginia, struck
out in favor of Mr.. Chase, on the VAL
landigham new departure. Mr.. Chase, in the
name of the convention, being informed of
its proceedings, and the various resolutions of
its platform being thus laid before him, felt
called upon to respond; and in his response,
while cordially approving the platform
adopted in all other respects, submitted that
the resolution on the "new departure" instead
of being qualified and diluted with objections
touching the ways and means whereby the
thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth constitu-
tional amendments were carried through,
should be 80 framed as simply to declare that
said amendments, having been duly ratified
and accepted by all departments of the govern
ment and by the people, must be respected as
parts Of the supreme law of the land" In
other words, the Chief Justice proposes to the
democracy the acceptance Of the situation,
fairly and squarely, without mental evasion or
reservation, and upon this platform he is at
their service.
And now we have letter from Chief JUS
tiee A. o. p. Nicholson, of Tennessee (Which
the reader will find in another part of this
paper), strongly endorsing this Parkersburg
Chase movement. Referring to the resolu-
olson says that, ''relying upon my knowl-
edge of Southern character and sentiment,
have no doubt that the great body of the
Southern people would cordially support
Chief Justice Chase, or any honest statesman
standing upon this platform" He says, fur
thermore, 81 do not think that the Southern
democrats have any decided preference as to
the persons to be nominated for President and
Vice President" but that they look to the
national party convention to settle that matter
and that 81 think can safely add that Chief
Justice Chase, by his frmness, independence
and ability in the discharge of his judicial
duties, has secured the decided confidence of
the Southern democracy"
Now as Southern democrat, Judge Mich
olson speaks as one having authority. From
the letter introducing his letter it will be OBJ
served that he is an old Jacksonian in his
political antecedents; that he has never been
Southern fre-eater, and that from his liberal
course on the negro suffrage question in the
reconstruction Of Tennessee he received the
support of the great mass of the black voters
although democrat. We may infer from this
encouraging example that Chief Justice
Chase, as the democratic candidate for the
Presidency, would certainly command large
proportion of the black vote of the Southern
States, inasmuch as the whole record of bis
active political life down to the suppression of
our late gigantic Southern rebellion is
record of his efforts to right the wrongs
inflicted upon the African race in this country
under cover of the constitution, and inasmuch
as his recognition of these new amendments
is full, complete and without the shadow of
qualification.
But if the democratic party adopt Mr..
Chase upon this explicit and undiluted accept
ance of the "new departure" what is to be
done with such distinguished leaders of the
lOot Cduoc dS JcH DdFlS, "A. II.
Stephens, Toombs, Wade Hampton and their
unreconstructed followers? They declare
these new amendments outrageous, scandal
ous infamous, fraudulent and void, and that
they will never accept them-never, never;
but while the sun continues to rise and set
they will fight them, even to the extremity Of
abandoning the Northern democracy and their
Presidential ticket. Very well. If such is
the Southern ire-eaters' ultimatum-if they
will have nothing short of the suicidal demo-
cratic Wade Hampton platform of 1868, the
only alternative left to the national party
convention will be to let these Southern fire.
eaters depart in peace. Their loss, with the
democratic party under the standard Of Chase
and Hancock, or Chase and Nicholson, will be
a bagatele compared with the sure gain Of