The Portland daily press., 1872-05-15
THE PRESS
WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY Is, '7s.
A Confidence Game.

2 ~
IT ia not safe to put implicit confidence in
the assumption of the leaders OF the Democra-
cy. the Democratic National Committee and
the New York World that an Independent
Democratic ticket will be nominated at Balti-
more on the 9th of July. The World has
habit of thinking aloud which is of the great
est possible service in determining the real
purposes of the Democratic party. This soiii-
oquizing tendency on the part of the leading
Conservative journal in America is one OF the
most astonishing intellectual phenomena we
have ever noticed. Before the Cincinnati
Convention it openly bade its Democratic as
sociates, whom it acknowledged to be intense
ly interested in that conference" and to be
morally participating in it, to appear to be
unaware of its existence. 1t daily informed
its readers that if Democrats disclosed their
real interest and agency in the affair it would
create in Republican minds an unpleasant
prejudice against it. As if even the most stu
Did world couldn't guess riddle when the
whole 'iniquity' of it was voluntarily laid
bare to it! Now the World exhorts Demo-
crats not to seem to favor the adoption of the
Cincinnati ticket by the Baltimore Conven-
ton. 1t explains that prejudice against
Greeley and Brown will be created if they are
seen to be clasped to the Democratic bosom.
1t advises Democratic journals and speakers
to appear to ignore Horace at present alto
gether, and to say, if fanything, that they take
rather more interest in the trilobite and the
dodo than in Chappaqua's sage. Thus, rea-
sons the willy counselor, will many thousands
of genuine Republicans commit themselves to
the Cincinnati ticket before we meet at Balti-
more, and then we can endorse it and ensure
it success. II we give it premature approv-
al, it will obtain no apprecisble Republican
following, and it will be of no more use to us
than the Seymour and Blair ticket of 1858.
If there are intelligent men in Maine to
whom the principles of the Republican party
are dear, but to whom the Cincinnati nomin-
ations seem somewhat attractive, they will
certainly pause before they walk into trap
the existence, position and evil report of
which are fully explained to them. The De-
mocracy say to them plainly, eve look cold
ly on Greeley and Brown in order that they
may seem desirable to you; but when you
have given in your adhesion to them in suf-
ficent numbers we propose to swallow the
ticket and you with it." lodi .fs.a -sr.. 7 d
A moments reflection will show what an
advantage the Democrats possess in this
matter, and how much better it will be for
their purposes to adopt an available foreign
ticket than to nominate one of their own.
The author ofthe Broadhead letter and rad
ical Democrat is the man who really nomina-
ted Greeley and Brown, outwitting Grosven-
or, White, Schurz, David A. Wells and all
the real originators of the Convention. The
ticket is, therefore, satisfactory to them.
Gov. Brown, the friend and protege of Frank
Blair, would be the real head of the admins
tration over which an honest but capricicus
and easily manipulated Republican would
preside. Thus we should have once more a
government controlled by the Blairs, and the
days of Andre W johnson are not so remote
that anybody has forgotten what kind of
government that is. OF one thing we may
be entirely certain-it would be a government
in which both the brains and hands ,uld be
Democratic. But" says some one, ssthere
is the platform! They couldn't do anything
very bad, for they would be restrained by
thatP' Herein is great and dangerous
fallacy. What care they for the platform?
Such as it is, it is none of their making In
adopting the candidates they do not necessa-
rily adopt the platform precious bundle of
dull generafities and negations that it is /
They would, therefore, in case Mr.. Greeley
were elected, be left perfectly free to pursue
their own inclinations, having the power once
more TO do as they pleased. This is result
to which Tribune Republicans are invited to
contribute. sas. .- fs1..r- s-....- -rr