The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-13


had gathered to do their sovereign honor
after which he entered the car and proceeded
on his journey to join the Empress in the
Crimea The HERALD correspondent accom-.
panying the Americans refers, in the letter
y published elsewhere to-day, to the GOODNESS Of
3 the Emperor's reception of Lieu tenant Grant,
and argues from it that Alexis reception in
: Washington by the President is not yet for
: gotten by the imperial master of Russia.
q ing to Greeley and Brown-Thc Two
Thirds Rulo.
There can DO no longer any doubt that the
great democratic party is drifting to the indie
pendent liberal republican Presidential ticket
of Greeley and Brown. Following the exam
pie of their brethren of the Empire State on
their new departure, the democracy of each Of
the States of Kansas, Iowa, South Carolina
= and Florida, in State Convention assembled
on Tuesday last declared for the Cincinnati
candidates in their delegates or in their in
structions to their delegates to Baltimore. It
where the old democratic hard-shells have not
! yet heard of the Deluge, that they protested
against this new departure and pro-
nounced in favor of a straight dem
ocratic Presidential ticket and plat
form, ''sink or swim. survive or perish.
Yesterday the party State Conventions in Mis-
souri,, Indiana and Vermont indicated their
LII -
Greeley and Brown; and from these results,
so far, we consider it morally certain that
Greeley and Brown, on the first ballot, will
be supported by large majority of the
Democratic National Convention.
1t is possible that the Greeley and Brown
men may number two-thirds of the Copven-
ton. If so, even under that rule there will be
no difficulty in the nomination of this ticket
But if they should number, all that can be
mustered, less than two-thirds of the Conven-
ton, what will be the upshot under this ''time-
honored democratic two-thirds rule" This
is the all-important question, and before wei
answer it we will explain to the reader why wei
consider it the all-important question. Sincei
the year 1874 a two-thirds vote has been the
infexible rule of the democrats in their Presi-
dental nominations and we are free to say
that the enforcement of this rule has been ex-
ceedingly fruitful in democratic quarrels, splits
and defeats-that it is rule, in fact from
which the greatest successes of the party have
led to its heaviest disasters, beginning with
the Baltimore Convention of 1874.
In that Convention Martin Van Buren, had
secured majority Of the delegates; but the
Northern attitude on the Texas annexation
question, and they determined to head him off,
and they did head him off and cut him out
under the two-thirds rule and Polk, South
|ern man, ''sound on Texas" was nominated,
and under certain promises, being cordially
supported by the New York Van Buren, men,
he was by close vote elected. In 1848 how
again set aside the claims and expectations of
Van Buren, and nominated General Cass, the dis
appointed man, Van Buren,, bolted, and taking
strong anti-slavery ground on the Independent
free-soil ticket of Van Buren, and Charles
Francis Adams, he carried off the balance of
power in New York from General Cass, and
turned over the Presidency to the wing candi-
date, General Taylor. So much for the two
thirds rule and its rigorous Southern
enforcement against Van Buren, in 1874
Van Buren, not only had his ample
revenge in IS4S but he opened wide
the doors in that campaign to the great
|anti-slavery revolution and for all the terrible
4.
misguided democracy.
Again, in the Baltimore Convention of 1852,
all the regular party candidates and expect
ants, such as Cass, Marcy, Buchanan, Douglas,
Houston and others, were by the two-thirds
rule cut of, and as the last resort, Pierce,
who stood in nobodys way, was taken up.
Better STILL on Henry Clays slavery COM
promises he was, against General Scott, over
whelmingly elected, and almost exactly accord
\ ing to the HERALD's predictions. But Pierce's
overwhelming success was followed by deser-
: ton of Clay's slavery compromises, which
brought into the field the present republican
party, full-armed, like Minerva from the brain
) of Jove. In 1856 the nomination of Buchanan
was enforced at Cincinnati as peace offering
to Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania saved him
by s'the skin of his teeth" in her following
critical October election. But Douglas, who
had been remorselessly pursued by the South
ern oligarchy, like Van Buren,, had a rod in
pickle for them and their two-thirds rule, and
he brought it into play at the never-to-be-for-
gotten Charleston Convention of 1860.
Douglas and his Northern friends went
down to that Convention with the fixed re-
solve of settlement with the Southern pro-
slavery fre-eaters, and they held their ground
under the advantages of the two-thirds
rule, to the disruption Of the Conven-
2 A;nt, and Tho dornnornfin r,artr Ard xuhat