The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-09

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About It.
The Democratic National Committee me
yesterday, at the residence of its chairman
August Belmont in this city, and issued {
call for the Democratic National Convention
which will be found in the HERALD to-day
The Convention is to be held at Baltimore on
Tuesday, July 8. There is nothing unusual
in the wording of the call and nothing
transpired at the meeting to indicate the
probable action of the Convention. The policy
of the democratic leaders in postponing their
nominations for the Presidency and Vice
Presidency until all the other candidates shall
have been selected indicates their willingness
overthrow of the republican party and o
change in the national administration may be
| rendered probable; but, aside from individual
| opinions and inclinations, it is not yet
known whether the action of the liberal repub-
licans will be approved by the democratic
party, and whether o union of all the anti
Grant elements is destined to take place on the
Cincinnati ticket. At present, although the
democratic masses are willing to accept
Greeley there is great deal of coyness and
hesitation on the part Of the democratic poll
ticians. They are weary of fighting for twelve
years on the outside of the federal offices, and
they scent the spoils from afar in the division
that has taken place in the republican organi-
zation. AS general rule they are practical
men, willing to admit the sound philosophy
of the adage which teaches that half loaf is
better than no bread They would regret any
action of their party that might destroy the
hope of at least partial restoration to power
and Office excited by the rebellion against
President Grant But they are considering
whether the opportunity does not offer to Sc
cure something more substantial than they
may expect from the endorsement of
the Cincinnati nominees, By striking
ont in an Independent direction themselves,
and either placing candidates from their own
ranks in the field or nominating third ticket
composed Of two compromise candidates, such
as Adams and Groesbeck, or General Cox, of
Ohio, and Hoffman, Of New York. To defeat
Z Grant and 10 secure for their own friends a
fair share Of the federal patronage are, of
course, the real objects they have in view.
There are no issues involved in the contest;
no principles at stake. The only question,
therefore, that agitates the minds Of the demo-
cratic politicians at the present moment is,
Can we secure the whole loaf in place of the
half by making a ticket of our own instead Of
accepting the ticket offered us by the Cincinnati
Convention? The very idea is concession
of the strength of the Cincinnati nominations,
for it is suggested by the belief that Greeley
will so nearly divide the republican vote as to
enable the democrats to elect candidates of
their own, as the wings did in 1S4S and the re-
pubhcans in 1860.
We regard the nomination of General Grant
at Philadelphia as a matter of certainty. The
absurd rumor Of an opposition to his candi-
dacy has been set at rest, and was never en-
titled to a moments serious consideration. To
fail to nominate Grant would be to give up the
contest and to abandon the republican organ
ization. His name alone ward off the
blow that has fallen upon that party in the de-
lection Of some of its strongest and most
active adherents and of many Of its original
founders. With Grant and Greeley in the
field three courses are open to the democracy
first to nominate distinct party candidates Of
their own taken from the regular copperhead
school; secondly to nominate Adams and
Groesbeck, or some other compromise sand
witch ticket thirdly, to endorse Greeley and
Brown and to accept the platform laid down
at Cincinnati. The first of these PROPOSE
tions-the nomination of distinct democratic
ticket-would of course be impracticable if
the aim of the democrats is success in the
present election. Greeley has already an
nounced that he will retire from the field and
choose the least of two evils if the copperhead
spirit should insist upon reviving the dead
issues of the past and should seek to take
advantage of the republican division
only to restore the Bourbon democracy
his word, for in such an event all
the politicians in existence could not prevent
his following the course he has marked out
both before and since his nomination. A
democratic ticket would, therefore, be igno-
miniously defeated, and the organization,
stripped of power in nearly all the States as
wen as in the nation for another four years,
would go to pieces. No such hari-kari policy
will prevail in the Baltimore Convention.
The second proposition-the nomination
of Adams and Grocsbeck- be met
at the outset by grave difficulty.
Mr.. Adams was candidate before the Cincin-
matt Convention, and having been fairly beaten
there by Mr.. Greeley he could not in honor
accept democratic nomination against Gree
ley. Nor could any liberal republican afford
to become candidate in democratic conven-
ton against the Cincinnati nominee. Besides,
if Adams could be induced to run, it is well
known that an influential portion Of the demo-
cratic party would refuse to support him, and
his name would fail to create any emo
ton or excitement and would fall as