The Portland daily press., 1872-05-01

Tho dalaoates continue TO arrive by every
train but as yet there is no eViuehce oi tle
as. ,,,Itituie which it has been announced
,d a ttend The few men OF political posi-
go Who have thus far made their appearance
are almost without exception unsuccessful office
seekers, or those who have been removed from
office under the present administration; but a
majority of the self-styled delegates are mere
political scrubs, who have nothing to lose, and
who have much to gain.
This irresponsible gathering of offce-seekers
and sore-heads actually makes the Andy John
son bread and butter convention at Phladel-
phia respectable, for that body met to elorify
the ex-Alderman, accomplished its purpose, !
and then decorously adjourned.
The assemblage on Wednesday will only be |
animated by desire, often based on revenge,
to beat Grant, and with the exception of the |
free traders, the delegates who have arrived
thus far have no other specific object in view.
They do not appear to be animated by any
principle, or to know what sort of a platform
they desire, or to be anxious for harmony and
united action. Indeed, many predict that the
whole affair will break up in a regular row.
s To- BITTER FEUD OVER THE spoILs.
And SO it has come about that the Cincinnati
Convention is as much a struggle of men and
their followers to seize the nomination, and is
as much mere scramble for office, as any old
party convention that ever assembled; indeed
there is veryIunusual amount of bitter person
al denunciation freely INDUCED in by the
frieuds of the rival candidates, which may ter
MR.. ADAMs's CHANCES NOT IMPROVING.
Mr. Adams has developed no new strength
to-day. There are not twenty delegates from
New England here all told, and not half doz-
en- of them are openly advocating his nominal
ton; while others oppose 1T. The Maine dele
gates are especially prejudiced against him, and
he has no organized force of friends from any
quarter to defend him. The few Irish Repub
licans here are especially bitter against him;
and talk loudly about him in the hotel halls
One of them, a Mr.. James W. fitzgerald,
who is the recognized leader of the Irish voters,
declared that he would bet a thousand dollars
that Adams, if nominated, would not get a
thousand Irish votes in the whole country. He
| said the Irish were about tired of the Demo-
cratic party, anyhow, and would like good
chance to leave it and never go back to it. They
would support Grant very heartily in prefer
ence to Adams, and he did not know but they
would support Grant even against any other
candidate likely to be nominated. 1T Adams
| is nominated Fitzgerald will take the stump
! for Grant and organize Irish Grant Clubs all
| over the country. lh.. u.
| Apart from this Fenian opposition, however,
| it is evident that Mr. Adams stands well with
the great mass of the delegates, and may be an
available second choice, should the differences
among the Illinois politicians not become rec
conciled and Mr.. Adams friends may hold the
balance of power between Trumbull and Davis.
THE DAVIS STOCK PIRM. 81
The Davis men are well organized, well Off
have more money and more Democratic infiu-
ence to back them than the friends of any 9TH
er candidate can muster. In fact, all the Dem
ocratic influence of the West is for Davis. He
seems to have been agreed upon at Washington
by the leaders there, and he will be vigorously
insisted upon here, but the indications are in .
favor of Kilkenny cat fight of a triangular
nature between Davis Trumbull and Palmer.
There is degree of bitterness between those
factions greater than between any one of
them and Grant, and as only one of them
can be nominated, Grant is likely to receive the
support of the remaining two. The Davis men
have formed an alliance with the Pennsylvania
interests, and offer to place Gov. Curtin on
their ticket as Vice President if they do not
have to conciliate Mr.. Greeley by offering it to
him, although his friends declare that he will
play second fiddle to no man. .t.r.ift
THE ILLINOIS FEUD. r, 4
There is a bitter feud between the partisans
of Trumbull Davis and Palmer. The Chicago
Tribune is strong for Trumbull and will, in
case of the success of Davis support the regu-
lar ticket, Palmer is dead weight, having
been too good Union General to secure the
support of the Kentucky and Tennessee rebels.
The Tribune is alss bitter on Palmer and says
he shall not have the second place on the
Adams ticket. 2 n9
DAVIS HAS THE INSIDE TRACK
This gives but faint idea of the bitterness
existing among the Illinois men, but the organ
ization and money of the friends of Davis give
him the inside track.
GOV. BENJAMIN GRAFT BROWN
is represented here by some five hundred dele
gates from Missouri, and by scores of Germans
from other Western States. He presents a happy
example of the working of a coalition of Lib
eral Republicans and the Democratic party in
placing the State in the hands of the Democrats
whose first fruit was the choice of Frank Blair
for Senator.
~ PLANS FOR ESCAPE IN CASE OF DEFEAT. I
While mentioning men, let me add that-while
the leaders here all apparently inspired by
desire to beat Grant, it is not unusual to hear
one of them finish an earnest argument in
favor of his favorite candidate by asserting
that should that favorite not be nominated, he
shall bolt the nomination and vote for Grant
This cautiousness is observable among some of
those who have been loudest in working up the
Cincinnati Convention, and in making it APP
pear to be popular movement.
These are not the leaders that burn their ships
to show their followers that there is no way but
to go forward and conquer, but each is hamper
ing himself with all sorts of contrivances to
make his escape Each is exhorting the rest
to go forward boldly to the interior, whils he
wants to keep near the beach, where he can
quietly slip in and swim off to the ship from
which they embarked. 1t is not by such timid
and cautious spirits that movement is to be
led to break the robust and confident Republic
can party. a aE. .-3a r r -.I
A PROMINENT DEMOCRATS OPINION
Judge Doolttle, who is the most prominent
member of the Democratic party in Cincinnati,
has been interviewed, and he declared that he
proposed to act with the Democratic party
Whether that party will make nomination at
the st. Louis Convention will, in his opinion de-
pend upon the action of this Convention. If they
made good nomination and good platform, he
would be infavor of indorsing both; if they in
sisted on Republican principles and Republican
candidates, he would ask for Democratic prin-
ciples and Democratic candidate. He said
he would not support either Trnmbull or
Adams for President. He was not so positive
as to Davis. After further talk Mr.. Doolittle
said he didn't believe in the Liberal Republican
movement very much. He thought war De-
mOcrat would do better than a Liberal Republi-
cen. The war Democrat he said, was man |
who differed from the Democracy only on sin |
gle question: which had long since been decid-
ed; whereas the Liberal Republican was a man
who was only opposed to Grant Now, said he,
Grant may be a weak man, as they saw but he
is nobody fool and it will take more strength
than anybody can bring to this Convention to
beat him. The Senator then went on to talk of
the relative numerical strength of the two par
ties, the Liberal and the Democratic He said
the Democrats had 100000 voters, solid and |
compact, ready to vote for any candidate prop
eerly put forth. The Liberals had only few
hundred thousand, at most and they were prn-
clpally scallawags and soreheads. |
Tuesdays advices from Cincinnati saw tina.
the expected crowd has arrived at last, and
every hotel is full to overlooking, while the
MONS siO hiicu WIN WHO nave eN1uenCly
passed the night in railroad cars, and have |
found no place in which to make their tolettes.
This morning the great plumber of the new
arrivals are for Davis, and I am credibly in
formed that his agent at his home residence,
Bloomington, Ill, was at his law office yester-
day issuing free tickets to all of his friends
This lavish expenditure of money is in |
creasing the number of Davisites |
THE TARIFF STUMBLING BLOCK |
Should the Davis faction succeed in nominate
ing him a bolt of tree traders to Mozart Hall is
confidently predicted. Indeed, the prospects
for harmony are growing worse, and it appears
almost impossible to engineer the movement
safely through the surrounding dangers The
free traders, headed by Wells, Atkinson, Gros-
venor and Cox, have the brains of the gather |
ing, and are not willing to permit the pig iron
protectionists to pull wool over their eyes,
The following resolution, drafted by Horace |
Greeley, is the last resort of the protectionists
and they hope to secure its insertion in the |
platform as a compromise, but may not sue
coed:
Resolued, That finding ourselves not full agreed
with respect to free trade as opposed to protec-
ton, we respectfully commend the grave issues
in that controversy to the careful study and I'M
biased adjudication of the people, urging them
to chooseImembers of Congress who truly en-.
body and will faithfully reflect their will on
that subject; pledging ourselves that that will,