The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-07-20
The Baltimore Convention.

The surprise and hcwildcrmcnt incident to
the nomination Of Horace Greeley at Cnc'l-
natl for President of the United States over
and our equilibrium attained. we were pre-
m;rcd to receive almost arythin" anomalous
in uoIilcs and abnormal in convention lar-
tics. The same strange and unaccollitablc
imnr,,,S Given TO the public pulse which al
most startled popular contemplation at I'm
cinmnt seems TO have kept up its steady and
persistent throh until 1t shook in pieces line
framework Of parties ut Baltimore, ana III
Violation Of I'LL precedent and all party l""ic
the Democratic cavaliers deliberately selected
as their captain-kni"ht in the approaching
national tourney Il iuli-lledgcd rcprc>cnta-
tive of the Radical Puritan. The houses oi
Montague and CArlilrt, over The hl"odI
tomb of buried hopes, cEl"prd hands, ana
hrncciorward the high spirit and proud III
diydlmlity which distinguished the dilicr-
cu." between parties l. 10 he melted INTO Il
common sentiment of concern Tor our mi
uc,jlcd institutions. and resolve to save
them from further pcrvrr>lon ana dcStruc-
ton. With the same zeal hat has marked
thc adherence OF each TO the distinctive ica-
t,ircs of its or@anization--now that the ne
crssitv for The existence Of the two parties
has cca>cd--is the new formation and the
new crystaIiZation to be maintained.
We recognize the fact that both the Dem
orraticand Republican parties have lived out
their day. and that the purposes of their ere
alton have been conSunlnatcd. Indeed, SIX
months aro we maintained through these
columns That the Democratic party It's 1t once
cvi.trd was no more The vital elements
which gave it force and power had long since
died out. and that nothing remained but the
hollow and meaningless namc. We were
tllcn urlrli"ncd It's untrue to the Conservative
Democratic party. But carefully ana!yZln@
what Durported to be the Democratic party,
we could find none Of the old landmarks,
none Of the ideas which entered into its for
nation previous to the war. Whey had been
Joined in the issue of battle. submitted to The
arblrancnt Of the sword, and lost. There
WAS 10 enduring, substantial basis, 30 clearly
defined principle. to maintain the GfgallIZa-
tom 1t WAS i shadow without the substance,
4 framework without the 9irucrS ami braces
to keep it safe and steady.
The Republican party has accomplished
It's mission. Spriuging into existence IL the
antagonist Of the Democratic party on al
issue lrgitimatcly resulting from cardEu
feature of Democratic policy, State rights,
and therefore the defender Of the light OF
the States under the Federal Constitution 10
maintain slavery, il has accomplished its OBJ
icct, and there is nothing else for it to do, no
congenial food to keep it alive. Slavery has
bcen abolished, the negro invested with civil
and political equality, these rights fully
guaranteed by enactnicntS Incorporated into
and made part Of the fundamental law OF
the country--acquicsced i'll and recognized
Us solid and permanent by both parties and
all the States, with 10 disposition TO disturb
them, or change the relations the former
slave now holds to the political, civil systems.
The two great parties having clearly and
definitely finished their work, it was meet
that there should DE some broad, comprc-
hensive recognition of that fact and the
prominent declaration of the paramount
idea that the necessity for sectional parties,
or parties whose past history kept alive the
jeaousieS and passions of sections, had
ceased. No event could have more grindly
demonstrated the earnestneSS Of the men Of
the two parties than for the Democratic
purity to have nominated Horace Greeley and
for Horace Greeley to have accepted IL
nomination from the Democratic party.
1t was grp>pinS and solving the pro-
blem ut one swoop. 1t was the work
of half century compressed into twenty
four hours. Both OF the old parties may
be considered dead or moribund. If we are
not mistaken i'll the magnitude of the pre-
sent movement, it is destined to sweep down
all opposition, and carry its accepted leaders
into the Offices indicated in their nomna-
tons. New parties will necessarily spring
into existence. The safety of our Govern
mcnt rests upon the existence of parties, but
parties not formed out Of sectional hates and
preiudiceS, but created by reason of dissent
ing views OF government politics, with adj
hcrentS confined to no particular locall-
ties. The action Of the Baltimore Conyen-
ton is IN earnest that there must
and will be an end to sectional conflicts,
prosecutions. and dislikes. 1t is really
spanning the bloody chasm, by clasping
hands in friendship and brotherly love by
the extremes of the two great parties. These
certainly are strange things; they rppcar
like the titful flashes of a feyerish dream.
We fought for Democratic organization and
Democratic policy rs Ions, rs the semblance
of organization Was maintained. We refused
to follow or to be carried away with an eS-
element, meaningless spasm, because no
reason had been Youchsnted to justify 1t.
We protested against Horace Greeley as a
leader, because we could not recrsnIze bis
craftsmanship or indorse CD even tolerate