The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-24
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY MORNING, FEB. "a, 1872.
Presidential Nominations.

Four nominations for the Presidency have
already been made Four antagonists already
confront General Grant, and dispute his
claim to reelection. George Francis Train,
Mrs. Woodhull,-yes, and Daniel Pratt, who
makes five with those to be named hereafter
have nominated themselves for the Chief
Magistracy. General Thomas A. Davies of
of New York Cityis another of those self
nominated disputants, who trust to take the
White House by the force of their own right
arm-just as the redoubtable Squirting some
times carries off political prizes in Hancock
county. This eccentric individual has been
laying the foundation for his pronunciamento
by distributing through the mails large
number of cartoons illustrative of the great
fact that things are at present as they ought
not to be, and that they may be wholly
righted and reformed by the simple virtues OF
the candidates oath and pledges" formula
for which he is so good as TO give. The oath
abounds in ''bad language" OF both kinds.
The candidate swears that he will be honest
and take no presents, if elected to Office, and
that he will make all his subordinates take
the candidates oath. At length, on the
22d of February, General Davies favored the
expectant world with full-sze portrait Ct
himself, uniform with his cartoons. His
leonine features are those of man who is
capable Of the terrific swearing he recon-
mends as a cure for existing evils. But for
our part we should have about as much con-
fidence in the efficacy of profane swearing as
in that which General Davies recommends.
The whole system of official and judicial
oaths really belongs to the mental infancy of
the race. 1t is a system which confuses and
weakens the moral sense by recognizing two
kinds of truth, and apparently making the
offence of simple lying venial one. Among
unintelgent people this confusion is often
exhibited. 1t is not uncommon for men to
excuse their want Of truthfulness by the tri-
mmphant declaration-'I wasn't on oathr
So General Davies, whose bold, full eye,
heavy mustache, highly electrified hair,
broad shoulders and manly port-as per por-
trait the receipt whereof is hereby gratefully
acknowledged not our candidate.
But there is another Davies i'm the field
not nominated by himself, but by the Nation
al Labor Convention which met at Columbus,
Ohio, on Thursday. The following report of
the proceedings of this important gathering
deserves attention:
The Convention, after a long discussion,
admitted James Kilgore as representative of
the International section 26 of Pennsylvania.
A platform was reported, and the financial
plank debated at some length.
At the afternoon session a platform was
adopted. The first resolution declares that
it is duty to establish a just standard of
distribution of capitol and labor by providing
purely national circulating medium, based
on the faith and resources of the nation, is
sued directly to the people, without the inter-
vention of any banking corporation, which
money shall be legal tender in payment of all
debts, public and private, interchangeable at
the option of the holder for Government
bonds, bearing small rate of interest, not
exceeding 65-100 per cent, subject to future
legislation by Congress. e
The second resolution favors the payment
of the National debt according to the original
contract. The third declares the exemption
of Government bonds from taxation viola
ton of all just principles of the revenue laws.
The fourth opposes the sale of public lands to
individuals or corporations, and the holding
of them for the benefit of landless settlers.
The fifth favors the admission free of duty of
articles in common use not produced here,
and a revenue upon articles of luxury, and
also such duty upon such articles of manu-
facture, as we have the raw materials in
abundance that will assist in the further de-
veloping the resources of the country. The
sixth advocates the prohibition of the impOr-
tation of Chinese by legislation. The seventh
favors the eight hour law. The eighth de-
mands the abolition of contract labor in
prisons.
The ninth favors assessing and collecting of
war taxes during the progress of war in
stead of leaving the debt to posterity.
The tenth calls for Congressional legislation
to prevent exorbitant charges by railroads
and telegraphs.
The eleventh favors the one term principle
The twelfth favors general amnesty and
equality of rights and privileges to all.
The committee OH the platform reported
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., the first of which de-
mands the subsection of the military to the
civil powers and the confinement of its opera
tons to national purposes alone; the second
asks for revision of the patent laws to give
labor more fully the benefit of its own ideas
on inventions; the third, that the fitness and
not the political or personal consideration
should be the only recommendation to any
public Office Adopted
David Davis of Illinois was nominated for
President ON the third ballot, the vote stand
ing-David Davis, pol ; Joel Parker of New
Jersey, Z; Horace III. Day of New York, 3.
Daviss nomination was made unanimous.
Joel Parker was nominated for Vice Presi-
dent on the first formal ballot, the vote
standing as follows: Parker, 112; E. NJ.
Chamberlin of Massachusetts, 81; Thomas FL. |
Ewing of Ohio, %. Parkers nomin alton
was made unanimous. After appointing
Committees to wait on the nominees an ex-
ecutive committee of one member from each |
State was appointed and the Convention adj
journed subject to the call of the National
Executive Committee.
1t is too bad that so just and necessary
movement as that for labor reform, should
have so obviously fallen into the hands of
demagogues and political intriguers. The |
resolutions tell the whole story. Not word |
about edacation-the lever which the labor
ing man must use in overturning the existing
monstrous injustice in the distribution of
wealth. Not word about coOperdtion-the
first and only practical method of effecting a
more just distribution which has yet been
suggested. Not word about the Commits
mission for the investigation of the labor |
question, which earnest and honest friends of
reform, like Mr.. Hoar, are successfully advo- |
eating in Congress. Instead of these essen
tial matters we have recommendation that |
laboring men, who have lost so many millions
by reason of the depreciation of the currency,
be relieved" by the adoption of promises to
pay as a permanent currency. We have
further recommendation that the government
bonds be taxed, thus impairing the credit of
the government-an evil result that must in
the nature of things affect most seriously the
very men who passed this resolution. Of
course these empirical remedies are supple
mented by eight hour laws, prohibition of
Chinese labor and other follies of the same
kind. Can the nominee of the Columbus
Convention stand on such platform as
that? Id. .fta. ...t..t
THE Washington correspondent of the
american seems to think it proba-
BILE that Col. r. J. Hinton, of Washington,
the correspondent of large number of news
papers and radical of radicals, will be ap-
pointed member of the Labor Commission,
in case Mr.. Hoar's bill passes. Col. Hinton
has made the investigation of the labor ques-
ton and the condition of the working classes
a speciality.
THE result of the Republican Convention
in Missouri is held to indicate that there is no
serious detection in the Republican ranks in