Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-20
The Condition of the Presidential
Campaign

The election IN New Hampshire has made
sure, If there was before any doub, Of il,
that Gen. Grant will be nominated for Presi-
dent by the National Convention to be held
ar Philadelphia in June 1t has also made
it tolerably certain that the Democracy will,
unless something Dot looked FOR shout d
occur, support IN the next presidential cleo
JiOn a candIilte who will also command the
support Of some or al Of what are called
Liberal Republicans l. now looks as
though, 50 far as defeating the Republican
candidate Is concerned, it would make but
little difference what course the d en- )cratic
party may take, as it see ms problbie that
straight Democratic ticket would secure as
many votes a. liberal Republican ticket,
since the latter would undoubtedly repe a,
m.ny Democratic a. it would gam Repu5li.
en- voters In other words, there hardly
remains a DO Ibt that the candidate of the
Philadelphia Convention will be elected by
a triumphant majority.
IL would be grea. mistake, however, if
Gen. Grant, or the active leaders Of the
/ Republican party should accept this as evil
dence that the people are in all respects
satisfied with the alministratIJ But it Is
evidence that the people have NJ intelti1n
just at present Of trying the experiment Of a
| Democratic administration The New York
/ World welcomed the defeat Of its party in
| New Hampshire because it found in it the
certainty that no Dem )cratic National Con-
vention can hereafter revive dead issues, or
attempt to keep alive as political questions
che problems solved AMI settled by the war.
But if defeat in a State election was neccs-
sary in order ID chastse the Democracy into
r limo 1ishment Of the avowIl Of its purpose
- use success t. overturn what the war has
rsta biizhed, it is apparent that the country
:annot safely be put 10 charge of he De
nOcracy at present. IJ Sometimes seems
possible to secure freei1m and Justice to
the freedmen at the SOUTH while any Of the
generation Of slave owners rem tin; and it
seems equally impossible To make the De-
nIcracy that survived the war anything
iHerent from the freed jm- hating and negro
mating party which it was while, according
g it's creed. liberty was sectional and slavery
Ilouse Of Representatives vote} the other
DAY that the 18Th, I45h and Is ID amend
ments u the constitution were not valid
partF OF that instrument, and many more
would have avowed the same opinion but for
the fear that such an avowal would be fatal
to all hope Of success 10 the coming presi-
Dental campaign. The old poison is not yet
out of the Democratic system, and it prObI-
bly, never will leave it aud it is quite evil
dent that the people have no thought of
a gain pouring that poison into the admins
tration of national afIns
We now can see only two parties really in
the next presidential campaign, the Re
publican party supporting the ticket to be
n minated at Philadel phia, and the Demo.
cratic party supporting a ticket to be nomi-
mated at Cincinnati or somewhere else. 1t
is not impossible that the Cincinnati Con
vention may put in nomination ticket per-
sonally as worthy of support as the one to
be announced at Philadelphia, but we can
not yet believe that such a ticket can com
mand Democratic support. The Democratic
party cares nothing about defeating Gen.
Grant unless through that defeat the party
can come into power, and it can have no ex-
peetation of accomplishing that with Trum
bull, or Sumner, or Greeley, or Judge Davis
as president A president without party
in Congress and the country TO support bim
can be of little service to the cause of re-
form; and Democrats will support no presi-
dent who does not give them the patronage
and the spoils. Under whatever dlsg use of
leadership the battle may be fought, we
believe the real issue of the campaign will
whether the Republican party or the