The New York herald., 1872-07-08

racy AZ BaltimOre ana Thelr Fest
Conventions.
The reconstructed democracy, on their "new
departure" are gathering at Baltimore by
scores, by hundreds and by thousands. They
meet in National Convention tomorrow for
the purpose of nominating their Presiden-
tial standard bearers and proclaiming their
principles in this national contest, and
our exhaustive and interesting letters and
dispatches, published this morning, give
graphic description of the scenes, incl
dents, doings and predictions. All the indi-
cations are that the Cincinnati liberal repub-
lcan ticket and platform will be adopted with
unparalleled harmony and enthusiasm that
Mr.. Greeley on the first trial, will be
overwhelmingly, if not unanimously, NOM
mated, and that with his nomination all the
democratic boilers, inside and outside, will
fall into line Heretofore the two-thirds rule
has been the great stumbling block to party
favorites in these democratic conventions
but it is evident that this rule will be no i'm
pediment to the nomination Of Mr.. Greeley,
who will walk through the Convention with
the victorious stride of General Andrew
jackson.
In this respect, as in other respects, this
democratic convention Of 1872 will be new
thing under the sun. Under the leadership Of
"Old Hickory" while his will was the law to
the party, it was plain sailing with them down
to the overwhelming defeat Of Van Buren,, in
1910. But against that defeat even the will of
"Old Hickory failed in the Baltimore Con-
venton of 1874. The southern slaveholding
oligarchy had had enough Of the regular jack
sonian line Of succession, enough of the ex-
pertinent of two terms to Van Buren, enough Of
Van Buren,; and they wanted Texas. There
fore "Little Van," who went into this conven-
ton with handsome majority at his back,
came out superseded by Polk under the pres
sure of the two-thirds rule. This astonishing
nomination fell like wet blanket upon the
masses of the party throughout the country;
but quickly recovering from their surprise,
they rallied to the cry of ''Polk and Dallas
Texas and Oregon" and by an unexpected
lift from some bolting whig abolitionists Of
New York, they carried the election, and the
great Harry Clay was left high and dry.
| So much for the two-thirds rule in 1874. In
the Baltimore Convention of 1848 General Cass
ran this gauntlet, but it did not work so well
as for Polk, for Van Buren bolted and, as the
independent free-soil candidate he carried of
which left Cass, in his turn, high and dry, and
elected General Taylor. In 1852 baker s
dozen of mighty men came before the Balti-
more Convention, each backed by q hopeful
posse of his friends more or less Among
these candidates were Cass, Douglas, Marcy,
Dickinson, Buchanan Woodbury. and Sam
Houston; but they were all swamped by the
two-thirds rule, and "Poor Pierce was
lugged in at the eleventh hour Of the last day
of the week, and carried through, like Polk as
q compromise, some of the Southern managers
from the beginning having held Pierce in
reserve for this purpose, for they had sounded
him and they knew their man. Pierce was
triumphantly elected, too, as o compromise
man on the slavery question; but as compro.
mise he proved a bad bargain to all concerned,
and terrible failure as peace-maker.
In 1856 the Southern pro-slavery dictatorial
league under the two-thirds rule, finding that
they could not do without Pennsylvania, and
| finding Buchanan subject to their good will
and pleasure on slavery, or 'sound on the
goose,' as they called it, they carried him
through the Cincinnati Convention as 'Penn-
sylvania's favorite son." though not without
hard fight from the Western men in behalf
of Douglas. Next, Buchanan, through O
lucky division of the opposition forces be-
tween Fremont and Fillmore, slipped through in
the election; but this was the last Presidential
nomination forced upon the Northern ant
Western democrats by the Southern slavehold
ing oigarchy. Douglas broke their power il
breaking up the democratic party with thu
Charleston Convention of 1860, under the two
thirds rule, and thus he opened the way
whereby Lincoln was elected President
pledged to the suppression Of 'those twin
relics of barbarism, slavery and polygamy;'
and we know what followed.
The democrats at Chicago did well enough
in choosing General Mcclellan as their candi
date; but in tying him down to an anti-wa
platform they only brought him out to b.
defeated So it was with the operation o
their two-thirds rule in 1868, whereby Mr.
Seymour was nominated with the condition
precedent that he represented the issues set
tied by the war as null and void. Seymour
like Mcclellan, was thus saddled with loa,
which he could not carry, and broke down il
the race, whereas, had the Tammany Conyen
ton followed our advice By By taking up Chic
justice Chase, they would have saved at loas
the four years on their new departure, whicl
they lost.
Now, having accepted the constitution as
is, and the situation as il iS, and having raj
lied upon Mr.. Greeley as their champion il