Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-05-02
The davenport Convention.

The Convention at Davenport, or
the esd, to select delegates to the
Cincinnati Convention, occurred at
so late day that we were unable to
make any report of it last week.
By most reliable accounts, the at.
tendance was not much in excess OF a
hundred. A few counties were rep
resented by regularly appointed
delegates. 1t was essentially mass
and so called, most OF the attendants
being self ,delegatcd. D. G. Cloud
formerly Attorney General of the
State, was temporary Chairman, and
Gen. Fitz Henry Warren, permanent
President Speeches were made If
the course OF the session by y. G
Cloud, Fitz Henry Warren. j. b
Grinnell, Jacob Butler, G. +. Davis
3 Gratz Brown. A list Of 14O del
gates were chosen to attend the
Cincinnati Convention. A meeting
was announced for the, evening but
none was held. The Committee on
Resolutions reported a platform
which is as follows:
We. the Republicans Of Iowa, believing
that the present administration and the Of
fee holders throughout the country have as
sume.l unconstitutional authority, and al e
endeavoring to subvert the Republican
party to their own personal Interests, and
the retention of themselves, their relatives
and personal friends in Office, and make the
best interests of the country secondary and
subseryient to party; and believing 'fhat
the people Of the country are on the eve Of
demanding an honest government" and
sympathizing with the Liberal movement
throughout the country for reform, hereby
declare:
That we are opposed TO the denomination
of U. s Grant to the Presidency and will
on no account give him in our cordial sup
port,
;. That we will support any one OF the
many good and able men Of the party for
the first place in the gift of the people.
nominated upon platform of honesty,
economy, universal amnesty, thorough,
genuine reform and the one term principle
for the Presidency.
4 close reading of the resolutions
must fail to satisfy any one that there
was any great principle contended
for by this Convention. "The one
term principle tor the Presidency
and universal amnesty are the only
specific principles announced, and
they occupied but little of the time
of the speakers, and insignificant
corners in the platform. Wherefore
1t is safe to conclude that those prin-
ciples are not considered by their
Iowa advocates vital ones. The at
tempted arraignment o. the Repubh.
can party, in the first paragraph is
really no arraignment at all OF the
party as party. Whatever truth
there may be In the charge that the
Administration and the office hold
ers are cndeavoring to refrain them
selves ard their friends in power, i
is no more, while it is certainly less,
true than it was unIer former ad
ministrations and with other office
holders, and no more true than !
probably will be under any other adj
ministration and another set OF OF
ice holders The Convention should
have remembered that the time has
been when some of Its members en-
deavored, vainly, to retain them
selves in Office.
1t may be significant that the plat
form does not say that the Conven
ton will not support President
Grant, at all; 1t simply declines to
give h,m its cordial support" It is
very evident that the bridge IS not
on fire yet.
The platform Of honesty, econo-
my and thorough, genuine reform
may mean different things to differ
ent individuals. At best the terms
employed are high sounding general
tiles which all parties nse, and they
can hardly be considered as other
than buncombe speeches.
We have seen no list of delegates
in attendance, nor statement as TO
the attendance of Democrats, but W G
notice on the list Of delegates to
Cincinnati, several well known Dem
ocratic na,nes,-among them are
Porte g. WEIGH, Of Oskaloosa, and II
f. J. Bordman, Of Marshalltown.-
That all the Democrats of the State
heartily sympathlze with it, there is
abundant evidence.