Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-04-04
gonhfaaI.
IThe ,Cainpaign OF 1872.

L
We find in Harpe's Weekly for
March 23d an. editorial discussing the
prospects and probabilities Of the OPEN
M political campaign. The writer
speaks first of the so-called Liberal Re
publican Convention appointed to meet
at Cincinnati in. May. He says:a ~
+ Whether, howe yer, that ,cony ention
is to te inass-meeting merely, or an
assembly of q delegates of Organized
movements in the different States,
docs not clearly appear. But the NOM
inatiOn of Judge Davis by the Labor
I-4teiormers, ana the strenuous exhorta-
tiens TO passivity from many. OF the
chief Democratic Journals IN the coun-
try, show that there IS very lively
hope, should 6enerai Grant be re-noIn-
inated, OF concentrating every, element
OF opposition TO the Republican party
upon a Single candidate. Indeed, soine
oi the shrewdest political Observers IN
the country believe that the Democratic
parry as q Dody will sustain the CinciA-
matt candidate. And when told that
ifnba he a Republican such support
,.ons nS ID ~ - t,,a virtual disbanding Of the
M, s.o. "a "a; narty, the reply Is that it
,vo,,iJ ha 60 o,,ly piece of Strategy Well
!" nndarstnod iLsr ~ H Nv the democratic leaders
and by all who closely study political
affairs. us5ssi.,i.I. ili .iis.itgasfss y. n
= The Cincinnati Convention will, be
really. IMPORTANT should it make a
nomination which, would be, supported
by the entire opposition. II the He-
pub liean Convention at Phlladelpnla
should nominate the PRESIDENT as
lthereis now very little 6oubt that it
will-there will be q yigo.Qus effort TO
combine. the disafected Republicans
and the Democrats. ri Ii the effort does
not succeed, and q candidate is n0mlna-
ted at Cincinnati, the result will be a
small dilninutt0a OF the regular Re-
publican vote, but not the defeat of the
regular Republican candidate! II 1t
does succeed, the Presidential campaign
of 1872 will be the Republican party
against the tield,i. On the 0ne- side will
be host composed OF old COpperheadsy
of the Ku-Klux, of every man who IN
any degree hates the government, and
the Union, of Republicans selhshly es-
tranged from their party, and known
as "Sore heads,Y with sincere Demo-
crats and some Republicans who hen-
estly believe that the reelection of
General Grant would be Q greater mis-
fortune than the defeat of the Repuhli-
can party. On the other side VIII be the
great multitude Of the old Repaid blicans,,
with whom its principles are political
religion, who believe that it,, and 1t
alone, offers the surest guarantees ~ ma
stional peace, liberty. and prosperity;
and with them the Republicans whe
are selfshIy interested in the party
success, and some Democrats who
would rather vote for Grant than for
any other Republican. ~ a,,5 a3.,al'T W
In such campaign why should any.
sincere. .Republ lican, who, knows fhat1n
politics the, resolution only to be c0n-
tent with the ideally best so often. hlf-
fies the the practically better, support
the. supp0sed Cincinnati candidsta2 2
LET US Imagine him to be a Republican,
able and, honorable. j Let Us ceNede
that To- thesayeter el whom Va speak 3
Presidential Office than. the candidate
of the Republican Convention Yet
the necessities his, position, and the
conditions of his election, should he be
GitClcu, -NOulu uScCo9tlfiAy COItStthftA HIS
action. The great mass of his support-
erslwould be Democrats In . govern
mentlike ours, agovernment by party.
he could not escape his posittionI His
administration, call it what you VIII,
would, be a Democratic administration;
and it would be merely bridge, over
which the Democratic party, fully or;
ganized, with banners flying and bugles
blowing, with all its artillery, baggage
} wagons and hummers, would march
into power in 1873. ~ -idl nj .558sh -
Il This would not be true il the Gincin-
natl party were new party.Hs This
was not true in 1856, when the Repub-
lican party, composed of FreersOil DEM
Dcrats and aold Wings, poiled twelve
hundred Thousand votes for Fremont,
The Republican organization was, a
new party, formed upon great issues,
and declaring great principles. 1t WAS
not founded upon aspreferenee of candi-
dates on mere discomfort with Aadmin-
istration. 1t was not a prstest against
certain men and alleged evil practices
IN sOfnef details of fFadnahistration; Il
was a reconstruction OF parties upon
vital and fundamental questions.
There is no such situation now. The
old issues, indeed, are tending to settle-
ment. The ennhtry demands bonest
and efficient administration. But the
mistake of the Cincinnati leaders is in
supposing that the people believe hon
est and efficient administration to be
surer under Demeoratic than under Re
publican control Sof the government,
Gentlemen at Washington fix their
eyes upyn some abuses Of detail until
they see nothing else, and naturall be-
lieVe any thing desirable which In their
| Judgment promises ito remedy that.
they demand q kind ofisynfetry and
consistency of administration which are
impossible. There will be In every
Administration great omissions, serious
blunders, disheartening details of many
kinds. But the wise and patriotic man,
less anxious to find fault than to encour-
age and sustain every good ,endeavor,
Judging the whole by a general spirit
and purpose rather than captiously
challenging single acts, while he holds
the Administration justly responsible,
will never forget the terrible alterna-
tive offered by the defeat of the Repub-
lican party. ''' .,at
= s->'---- $50
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