New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-06-15
GRANTS CONVENTION.
A pIsPAssIoNATE ESTIMATE


CALM SURVEY OF THE WORK, AND OF THE WAY
1T WAS DoNE-CRITICAL BUT NOT PARTISAN.
From The Hartford Post -
i would like to look over the Philadelphia
Convention its history its deliberations and results
did the lately held at Cincinnati without pre-
Judice. l am certain shall do y without passion !;
whether not shall shake of entirely my precOncep
tiOns OF It and estimate 1t with Judicial imparalty will
De f0r the reader TO Judge Tor me enoGg 70 ss
always present TO unbiased Judgment lean foresee
that shall In any event dspease very sincere and
partsans who firmly rooted in their polti
cal convictions and associations as not TO be able 10 COM
prehend how any change OF party tendencies naotS ana
editor OF newspaper in qualifying his support or mod
yng IN any way ms reiations oI party auV t an1
desperate political adventurers intrguers and dema-
gogues, men with whom nave no p9iItlSai anna
shall say OF this Convention in the way OF criticism or
shall not seek TO conciate the offend the other
But there Is a class, weightier In numbers and IN
corresponding period in political history which be-
tween these two extremes Is hanging in thOughtiul
aTs 0 SC anG S6e ceps 4
their party reations-no In their political beliefs but IN
day-the men who Haven't made up their minds"
This not because they careless OF the political future
or have lost all interest in politics" but because they
conscious than ever before OF the country's
peril and the citizens responsibility The cOuntrys peril
say advisedy; for compared with the Of maladmin
istratiOn and personal government, all the belching
batteries and hostile works from Sumter 10 Apo
mattox Courthouse, were but whisting wind. The
dangers OF the gale we knew master and pilot and pas
sengers and crew, could read them in the sky; the
power and peril OF the worm and rot we only know nom
hulks that lie along the shores 1t is TO the judgment OF
the larger class to which have reerred-the men VINO,
like myself have not decided how VOTE but pro-
posing to themselves to view the field calmly and dis
passionatey before deciding, that submit few con-
sderatiOns regarding this Convention.
1t cannot be denied that IL success; in some
senses great success. The scenic snd spectacular
perfect-there little friction to make the
snOOthness of its operation almost objection the at
tendance was large the speeches il not profoundly able
quite rhetorical the enthusiasm well ordered
and fitted to the occasion and, 70 crown all the Con-
poses Of the OF the party and expressed their
will in the denomination Of the distributor OF patronage,
and the rotation out OF office OF the who having
patronage to bestow, had made friends but holding
an office himself had excited the envy OF his fellows.
Let us look at it little in detail
The Convention slow in coming together. On the
Saturday before the day Of meeting-the day when
least the most prominent and influential Of them begin
TO assemble at the place OF meeting for purposes OF
sutation and arrangement of pansso few persons OF
prominence, and indeed few delegates Of any sort,
were In Philadelphia that 1t was the subject OF general
remark and apprehensons began to be felt by the Phil
adephians that it was not TO be so great source OF
pecunary profit as they had hoped and expected Ex-
cept Gen. Hawey. who had been in the city week
the business of the centennial commission, do
not recall any politician OF national prominence who had
at that time made an appearance. Perhaps should
s. Spencer, New York criminal lawyer OF some noto
riety aspred lead the delegation from his State,
and who distributed quite freely the Information that
he expected 200 Of 1.-The boys" known as "the
Spencer Legion" early In the week, whose ex-
penses he paid and who were to stand by him in case
he should get into difficulty did not learn that his
apprehensiOns OF difficulty" were realized upon
what they were based but "the boys" there and
contributed largely TO the enthusiasm OF the COnven
ton and the discomfort Of their passengers
their return The colOred delegates from Virginia and
Louisiana appeared quite early Eated by their honors
and by the novelty Of their new relations representa-
tive men, they early and stayed late, and made the
of their opportunities. 1t must be said for them
that they only furnished the Conventions principal
sensatOn but they brought it the most Of its enthus
asm They gushed with frequency and at length, and
cheered upon the slightest occasion. The other deega
tons, like ours from Connecticut, made no haste
to arrive; they seemed 10 have made up their
minds that as the programme was al ar,
necessary, they did not need to put in an appear
ance much before the voting should Degin Inc slg1n
nomination of President had been made already, but
also that little OF No Tis these e deesae we're nc
overoyed with the pleasing duty before them they
And when they did arrive and began 10 mix in con-
situations and gossip as they did only about "a hours be-
fore the opening there nothing talk about dis
euss and very little arrange Except for the raid OF
the newspaper men on Cofax, when made vey squirt
level OF the whole affair From beginning 10 end was
tame unenthusiastic, feess am IN no danger OF con-
of the organ nearest the President, when l say
there was no genuine enthusiasm no warmth or spon-
tanety in the whole Presidential denomination per-
formance say this in face of the fact and without
dIsputing it, that the Convention cheered some OF the
sneakers bosterously and went wild for moment when
tte nomination was made and the picture Of Grant
horseback epauleed booted and spurred was lowered
Rn the 6osterous demonstrations were mostly by the
coored delegates, who cheered not because Grant was
whrl of excitement at lowering Of the picture
too plainly manufactured to deceive any one IL lasted
but moment and when little later the vote was an
nounced with rhetorical bid for further applause by
the Chairman. it was impossible to repeat IT. u was
he momentary sparkle OF dead champagne that had been
recorked and shaken vigorously In the bottle 1t was no
such grand spontaneous outourst as raised the roof
OF the Chicago wtgwam when Lincoln was nominated
in 1860 nor there auy such heariness III 1t as when
the Cincinnati 0se 70 m ieef W made w
national convention OF any party on the subject OF inc
IL was machine made, mechanical ror e Pretrea nM.
The black swung their hats and nanuKercneis the
spencer legion" howled, and the galleries gushed IN
sympathy; but down by the stage IN 'front.' where sat
the steady New-England men ana the cear-neaded
no uproar or any indecorum You could READ IN thelr
faces no glow OF satisfaction at their work. ana scarcely
anything more than lo3S OF az tnn vas
SO little enthusiasm for the nOmnee anu Only passive
posed of delegates free to choose make such
and without a dissenting voice Inc
answer it, only the facts and do not undertake
10 reconcile them with consistency or common sense
characteristcs were mutual dstrust and tmidity OF
power without offering this as solution OF lie aeuon
IN tbe rooms of the Connecticut delegation, early In
the week. before the delegates had all arrived III the
course Of general conversation on convention topics
II was suggested by person not delegatethat IL might
be possible to oyerturn the programme ana nominate
new man. The discussion that followed was wholly IN.
formal and with scarcely any reierehee 70 PrOpOsea
action by the delegation but snail Voiate no conn
that the
In the light Its possibility the desirabeness OF such
was not denied by any one ny some
means the news Of this informal talk leaked into the
halls OF the hotel, and very shortly the rumor went
nation of Grant. Twelve votes out OF 764; and only
rafting rumor at that but you should have seen the
effect OF It, Why, men seemed startled by ~
On every face you could read amazementi and
the wonder everywhere seemed to be what Con-
necticut was the Convention for II not 10 vote or
Grant What are these men thinking OIL what were
they sent here fort the questions yon eoud READ
IN me staring countenances OF who believed the in
credible report the feature OF II was that
all the delegates held. and many OF them