The Portland daily press., 1872-07-12
FOR GOVERNOR,
SIDNEY PERHAM.
The Baltimore Convention.

Several weeks ago the result of the Balti-
more Convention was as well known as now.
We were among those who thought in the
early days of May that the Democratic party
could not be brought to such straits as to
nominate Mr.. Greeley. We also thought that
Mr.. Greeley could not 60 back on the record
and labors of his life-that man who has
spurned the Democratic party-hurled at it
the most abusive epithets-charged it with
nurturing every crime and vice known to
every species of depravity-could so change
as to accept Democratic nomination. But
the Democratic leaders know themselves bet
ter than we, and Mr.. Greeley present keep
crs also well know to what extent his vanity
would lead him to betray his life long princi-
pies.
The contract between the anti-Grant lead
ers that triumphed at Cincinnati and the
Democratic leaders that controlled the meet
ing at Baltimore was made long before the
Cincinnati Convention. The Fentons, the
Cochranes, the McClures and like elements
of the Republican soreheads struck hands
with the worst elements of the Democratic
party, the Blairs, the Hoffmans and ultra
Southern leaders TO place ticket in nomin-
alton. The former were to seize and turn TO
their purposes the Cincinnati Convention;
the latter through thousands of starving Office
seekers were to control the Democratic organ
ization in the interest of Mr.. Greeley. The
former having accomplished their part of the
fraud, it only remained for the Democratic
leaders to make the action their own by put
ting Mr.. Greeley and his platform through by
putting gag upon all discussion.
Whatever may be said, the whole move
ment has been instigated and accomplished
under Democratic leadership and will enure
to the benefit of the worst elements in it.
As the New York Herald remarks, the only
elements prominent and aggressive in the
Convention were the South and New York.
Of the former, it is noticeable fact that the
politicians who have most fiercely resisted re-
construction and been most prominent in
bringing upon the South all of her terrible
woes the past ten years, were in that Conyen-
ton. 'Dixie," the 'tBonnie Blue Flag and
''My Maryland" constituted the only music
whose memories stirred the emotions of
large part of the Convention. The other in
fuential element was the Tammany Democ-
racy of New York, the leaders of which es-
cape the penitentiary by the aid of the Gree
ley faction. This was really the power that
first nominated Mr.. Greeley at Cincinnati and
carried him through the Baltimore Conven
ton. 1t will be the power that, should he be
elected, will manage him.
Outside of these two potential elements,
the other delegations were either dazed at the
strangeness of the procedure, or like our
Maine representatives, were ready to applaud
Dixie, JEFF Davis, Horace Greeley, or any
thing else that would give them the least hope
of once more holding offices.
This is the light in which sensible Republic
cans will see the whole movement. In vain
will the disgruntled and noisy place seekers
talk and shout, the party that has defeated
the old Democracy and elected President
Grant clearly see the power that has brought
Mr.. Greeley forward and will shrink from it
with disgust. Thousands who have believed
in Horace Greeley and would have voted for
him as a Republican, will not vote for him as
the candidate of the worst elements of the
South and the Tammany Democracy. Re-
publicans who, when they heard of the NOM
nation of Mr.. Greeley in May, declared then
that they would vote for him are now with
drawing their hasty declarations. There
were more Greeley Republicans in May than
in June, and the number will be very small
when they realize that Mr.. Greeley is the
of the worst elements of the most
infamous party known in the history of
American politics.