Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1872-05-17
Montgomery Blair On the Situation.

The annexed letter from Hon. Montgomery
on the inside of politics in connection with
the Cincinnati convention, has been furnished
for publication, and will be read with interest:
WASHINGTON, May Z, 1879.
NJ Dear G,Rer1i-I have yours of 4th. We
viii have 10 take Greeley or Grant, and we
viii take Gre eey-rcluctani Of course, but
not the less certainly. And he will lie the
more certain Of election because the democrats
do not wish to embrace him AT first.
As for their running u candidate of their
own, that would be both disastrous and dis
graceful They al! gave in their adhesion TO
the Cincinnati conventions and the most OBJ
sirepcrous OF Greeley's opponents had their
candidate before that convention Voorhees,,
Tor example, was loud in his advocacy of Judge
| Davis, and the World was earnest in pressing
Adams. Now, there can certainly be no great
er departure from principle in supporting
Greeley than there would lie in supporting
| Davis or Adams, or are Other radical. There
can he, in fact, no motive assigned for the sup
port o. one OF these men and the refusal TO
support either OF the others but mere personal
preference. This is not stuiesmnnship. 1t is
mere caprice, il not something worse, which
no man can indulge in without the loss of
rubic confidence. For my own part
1 20 lOT Tue movement lnitlnlc1 At Cincinnati
TO arrest the further progress ofradicalism. IL
IL tue only practical way OF urrtsting it As
for running in siraiRht democratic ticket
between Greeley and Grant, that is dodge
that will not he allowed to succeed That can
be done only in the small field Of local politics
where The contest between rival aspirants is
personal, and has become cnbitered But the
contest betw cen he republican and democratic
parties has always been sectional contest,
Ia 81.
the South, and whilst the contest retains that
character the republican success is assured by
the census 1t is only by dividing the more
numerous North and wing itself with the
more liberal division that the democracy rep
senting the South, can hope for the recovery OF
the right of sef-governmeAt for its section
The moment that the democracy shall set up
for itself the North will close ills ranks again,
and the only effect would lie to sacrifice the
leaders in the liberal party who had attempted
TO help us. This would disgrace us and so
help 10 defeat US, not only now, but here
after. Or course there will be some honest
democrats who will not regard The subject in
this light, and who will prefer to stand by
their guns, &c. Bat the nUisest fellows will
be those who are in the pay Of the adnnistra-
ton. Chandler sud recently Il learn on good
authority that there would lie IA straight dem
ocratic ticket aud that he would give $25, eco
himself 10 start it. There arc a good MANY
democrats OF the Tweed order ready to take
his money aud help TO keep the stdtu quo, which
is profitable to them; fellows who understand
manipulating claims quietly, aud the admins
tration has the public purse at his disposal and
understands them, and how to make the most
of them.
There were over one hundred ofIiceholders
all Of them Grants emissarlcs, in Cincinnati
working Tor Adams. They were nearly all
from Washington | can furnish the names Of
about fifty Of them, The strategy of Grants
friends WAS to secure for him the Irish vote by
putting Adams on US, and 20 compensate for
the loss of the liberal republican vote, but he
was foiled, aud they are furious. The
great mnss of 4 damss supporters did not I'M
dersiand il. But the public mind is now tho
roughly aroused, and when this is the case the
power Of purchaselbe individuals and of the
venal press is uncomfortable.