The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-09-03

the StnG Qui non of the success Of our
wishes, Of the yalue Of our movement,
was the disintegration and death Of the
Democratic party, and that he could nd.
wise no Republican 10 vote outside the
ranks Of his party until the Democracy
were willing TO join In such movement
as DO suggested, and as tho platform OF
the Republicans OF the Reunion and Re.
form clubs at Nashville and Cincinnati
indicated. We followed his advice. We
established In this city two Reunion and
Reform clubs, with numerous member.
ship-one German and one American
and when the call came from Missouri we
responded In the manner which our prin.
clples demanded.
The Missouri call was addressed 10 Re.
publicans alone. The Cincinnati response,
prepared by Judge Matthews and signed
by Gov Cox, Judge Stallo with myself,
urged all those tavoring the political 70.
forms proposed as the object OF this
movement to attend these meetings. Of
this call Col. Grosvernor told me that we
must circulate fifty thousand throughout
the United States.
Soon after the issue OF this call two
questions engaged the attention OF the
parties interested. The first had relation
TO participation Of Democrats, the sec
ond TO the participation Of protectionists
in the movement. Democratic leaders
feared movement irrespective OF their
organization and appealing 10 the people
upon the strength Of It's principles alone,
and they demanded as the condition Of
their support that the movement should
be exclusively Republican In It's charac.
ter, When we found the Democratic
people on the one hand willing to engage,
We found the Democratic leaders on the
other reluctant. They believed that by
running the Golfer into the Republican
party, as they expressed It, they could
divide the Republican party, and OF the
cheap price OF putting two Republicans
into high office and preserving their own
party or organization intact for better
times. On the other hand, Mr.. Greeley,
whose appetite for Office has always been
morbid, and his friends offered to bring to
the aid oil the movement the powerful
support OF the New York Tribune, a com.
pact and organized party in the State of
New York-the Tammany Republicans,
under the leadership Of Senator Fenton
and 0 powerful number Of prohibitionist
allies. These two questions were largely
debated mainly by correspondence mong
the parties interested. At Cincinnati we
held that the movement ought to be an
appeal to the people, without distinction
Of party, and believe as Senator Schurz
had told US in the fall, that the disinte.
grafton OF the Democratic party was
condition Of the success which should
have value, On the other hand we looked
upon Horace Greeley and Senator Fep-
ton, and their allies, as the foes OF all
reform. -, E'rt
The records Of this division Of opinion
may be found in the voluminous CORES.
pOndence, and in the interviews which
took place when Col. Grosvenor visited
Cincinnati to try and satisfy the demands
of those who have felt as / have express.
ed. So far did our feelings carry US that,
after it had been practically decided to
exclude Democrats from the Cincinnati
Convention, convention was called to
meet here at the same time in which Dem.
oCrats might be permitted to participate.
The convention actually met, and might,
under other circumstances, have been pro.
duCtve Of much good.
It iswell known how these two uues.
tons were decided. The Democrats were
excluded from the Cincinnati Convention.
Mr.. Greeley and his protectionist followers,
who were not within the terms of the in.
vitation, were admitted and gained the
control oil the Convention.
Against these results, while they were
still pending, Governor Cox and Judge
Stsllo, by correspondence, by personal re.
monstrance, together with Others of us
less influential in our way, demonstrated
in vain, and at meeting of gentlemen
interested in the success of the movement.
few days before the convention met,
Judge StallO informed us that he would
take no further part with us, regarding
the movement as having become part.
nership Of God, Devil s. Co., which would
surely come to grief. Others, including
myself Iagreeing entirely with him in sen.
timent, still adhered in the vain hope that
the issue Of the convention would be the
nomination Of candidates who would re.
deem the movement from these two
errors. To accomplish these results Mr..
Greeley had Inundated himself so far as
TO sign call for meeting in New York,
which was addressed by Mr.. schurz and
Judge Trumbull, in which he stated that
Federal taxation should be imposed for
revenue, and so adjusted as to make the
burden on the industry Of the people as
light as possible. A statement either in
direct contradiction to all his political
economyCor juggle.
The causes OF this diversion Of the Gin.
cinnati movement from what its friends
in Cincinnati contemplated are not tar 10
seek. The responsibility, in my judg.
mont, lies at the door of Carl Schurz and
VIM. NJ Grosvenor, and was caused BY
the fear that without the aid of Greeley
and Fenton the movement would be too
small TO be effective, and that the SUP.
port Of the Democratic leaders could not
be had except on their own conditions.
l had urged that the Cincinnati Conven.
ton, like the Pittsburgh Convention Of
go, should make no nomination, but lay
ing down the platform Of principles should
call delegate convention for the nomina.
ton OF candidates. TO this Mr.. Schurz
personally answered me, that it was too
late 10 form q new party, thus implying,
what events have since proved, that his
desire Tn beat Grant was sufficient to ena.
bic him to concede the proposition he
had made to US in Cincinnati in the fall
Of 1871, namely, that the continued exist.
ence Of the Democracy in an organized
form would be fatal 10 the value of any
success the movement should gain. In
other words, Mr. Schurz abandoned his
own wiser policy, that oil an appeal to the
people for the needed reform in govern.
ment, and substituted what Is known as
the "passiye policyn first nronosed hv the