The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-18
The Party Conventions and Their Homi'
nations for State and Local OMccs-
What the People Will Require.

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| What the People Will Require.
Although the time has not yet arrived for
the return of the political leaders to the city
and the commencement Of the actual business OF
the campaign. great deal of quiet work Is
being done by those who have interests at
stake in the election. The call for the State
Conventions of the democrats and liberal re-
publicans has revived that interest in the local
issues to be decided next November which has
seemed to flag during the warm weather, and
people are beginning to look about them to
ascertain in what position they stand and to
sec what sort of prospect lies before them.
The breach in the republican party in this
State is wide and serious, and imparts new
feature to our local canvass. It splits the
State representation in the United States
Senate in two; takes large enough slice off
the republican side of the House of Represcn-
tatives to throw majority of the New York
delegation into tho Greeley scale; makes an
inroad in the State Senate; carries off the best
part of the State Assembly, and brings over to
liberalism some twenty-four journals in
various parts of the State hitherto
avowed republican organs or leaning
towards that organization. To set off
against this, there arc the disafected
democrats who profess to be SO sternly demo-
cratic that they can support neither Greeley
nor Grant, and who demand third candidate
of the thorough copperhead faith but their
number in New York is not large, and to be
consistent with their professions they cannot
well oppose the democratic State nominees
without fguratively turning their pockets in
side out and showing exactly how much they
favor straight OUT democracy We hear all
sorts of reports from correspondents and in
dividual politicians of the prospects in this
town and in that county of democrat here
who avows himself for Grant before Greeley
and of localities there in which O reward is
offered for the discovery of single Greeley
republican. One correspondent is startled to
find in one place democrats forming Grant
Club, and another is surprised to hit upon an
other spot where the regular republican
strength is shown by careful canvass to have
increased since last election. But all these
discoveries, predictions and surmises amount
to nothing, and would prove unsafe guides to
follow in calculating upon results. The main
features of the State canvass are distinct enough
and can alone be relied upon as indications of
the respective prospects of the contending
parties. The vote of New York in the Balti-
more Convention was cast solidly for Greeley,
and nearly every district in the State in the
election of delegates to that Convention
favored q union with the liberal republicans on
Presidential candidates. At present scarcely
democrat of standing and influence has
refused to abide by the decision of the Demo-
cratic National Convention, and hence it is
fair to conclude that in New York there will be
but triAing detection from the Baltimore
ticket, unless through some political combina-
ton in this city. On the other hand, the
secession of such men as Greeley, Fenton,
Alvord, Littlcjohn, Judge Harris, Waldo
Hutchins, Judge Selden and other prominent
leaders from the Republican ranks is open and
avowed, and they must carry with them more
or less of the rank and file of the party. It
would, therefore, seem that the political
chances in New York strongly favor the
Democratic and Liberal union movement and
that whatever may be the general result
Greeleys own State must be conceded to his
side of the list if the politicians are to decide
the election.
But it is by no means certain that the poll
ticians will have things all their own way in
this contest, and they may find their calcula-
tons OF fault when tho votes are counted on
the evening of tho 9Th of November, as they
did at the close of tho polls last year The
been forgotten by the people, and the fact that
the victory they then won has been stripped of
it's fruit through the faithlcssness of the poll
ticians who used that movement for their own
purposes has not changed the popular determi-
nation to carry reform into every department
Of the public service. Last year a Senate of
reformers was sent to Albany, only to be
covered with disgrace in the early part of the
session by the discovery of improper practices
| on the part of its clerk, and of corruption on
the part of one Of its members. One of the
most notorious leaders of the old Tammany
ring was chosen to seat in its body and the
4 reform Senators stood pledged to expel him;
yet the session closed without movement
toward such action, and it is notorious
that the threat of an exposure Of their
own past conceptions tied the hands of
these model rcformers. Now the people
will be careful not to elect such men again to
Office, and the lesson of last year will teach
them to scrutinize closely and jealously the
names of oil candidates who may be put for
ward for positions of public trust. Hence if
either political party in the present election
should venture to place undesirable nomina-
lions before the voters, it is probable that its
ticket will be defeated by the same element
which swept the old Tammany regime out of