The Portland daily press., 1872-03-23
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH %, '7s
"BeneyOlent Neutrality"

Conservative party! Who that observes the
Democratic papers and Democratic leaders
saving openiy, in the hearing of all the
world. "Let us be cautious now,-be quiet
we must not seem to have anything to
do with the Cincinnati Convention, or to
have any special interest in its proceedings,
lest our visible participation should impair its
usefulness to us"-who that observes this,
we say, can fail to suspect that the mental
confusion alleged to be characteristic of the
Irish race and to be responsible for those
charmingly inconsequential declarations that
are as immortal as OtheIto or the IRad, has
pervaded the entire organization? To ''think
aloud" and then to ''play'' and finally to be-
lieve that no one hears; to contrive publicly
a plan for fraudulently deceiving the people
of the United States, and then to suppose
that they will be deceived-all this argues the
intellectual decay of party in its second
childhood. The Hibernicism can be almost
forgiven, its humor is so irresistible. Two
''cracksmen" say to the public.-"We are
about to make raid on your houses and car
nv off your effects, but we shall try to con-
ceal our direct agency so far as possible, and,
By trying cery hard, you may perhaps be able
to convince yourselves that it is not we, but
certain friends of ours in your own house
holds, that are despoiing YOU" And then
they expect fathers of families to go to bed
without locking the door!
There are children of very tender age
who, when they look with mingled emotions
of awe and pleasure on the scenic representa-
ton of that divine tragedy, Punch and Judy,
believe in the very depths of their unsophis-
ticated little hearts that the dramatis per-
some are real, automatic, flesh and blood per-
sonages, with brains, livers and circulating
fluids, who think, act and speak for them
selves, without the direct or indirect inter
vention of any concealed operator. But the
older children, especially if they have read
George Sands good story, The Saow Man, or
late number of Harper's Magazine, know
that the figures that strut their brief hour ON
the stage are little blocks of carved wood call
ed puppets, and that there is small, keen
witted fellow hidden behind the stage whose
def thumb and foreinger supply all the dra-
matte action, and conduct Mr.. Punch to the
triumphant close of his career, while his ven
triloquial art enables him to speak in the per-
son alike of judy, the hangman, the doctor
and-the Devil. These older children know
that the little man behind the scenes-who,
by the way, does not aid in the disenchant-
ment of his play by any superfuous confess
sions or by going publicly and visibly to his
works. the only real party in interest in the
whole affair. His is all the applause due to
the success of the representation, and his is
all the money taken at the door, All the
success is his success and all the failure is his
failure. And as for Punch, Judy, the doctor,
the sheriff, the baby, Mr.. Scaramouch and
the Devil aforesaid-why, the Snowman
throws all the little blockheads ignobly into
box as soon as the curtain falls, and there
they lie insensate, wooden things, until their
master has further use for them and animates
them with his flexible fingers
There is no grown man who does not know
that all the success that is possible for the
Convention of May LIST is Democratic success
Democrats are the real parties in interest, and
if the enterprise should result in gain it will
be their gain. 1t is their carelessly hidden
activity that alone, even now, gives vitality
to the movement, and it is their genius that
devises the means to make certain a result to
their sole advantage. The leading Democrat
ic paper in the country alleges that the atti-
tude of the Democracy toward the Conven-
ton is that of benevolent neutrality" The
phrase has fine humor about it, but the
World instantly dscloses its Intentionally
nature by proposing in all serious
ness plan by which everything like genuine
can be neatly eliminated from
the gathering. 1t will be remembered that
the call for the Cincinnati Convention was
issued by a gathering of the ''Liberal Repub-
licans" of Missouri, who invited "confer-
ence' of Republicans on matters of great mo-
ment. Prominent gentlemen in good stand
ing with the party having signifed their in
tention of accepting the invitation, great
cry is raised by the Democratic papers that
Grants office-holders are about to 'pack" the
Convention; whereupon..the World instantly
proposes plan, which it has elaborated down
to the smallest detail, by which the free con-
ference Of the Republican party which was
proposed, is to be packed with men who can
be relied upon to oppose, and, if possible, de-
feat it. The proposition is so important, and
the unintentional explanation of what 'sbe-
nevolent neutrality" really means is so inter-
o stipe hot rua ha 10 a. -.
full a l--1 .-- -. .-
The hall in which the Cincinnati Convention
is heldmust be engaged beforehand, and will be
under the control of those who become response
Bile for the rent. They can admto exclude whom
they please, and nobody can question their legal
right This rghtful control over the hall is a
guarantee against a convention pack
ed by Grants partisans, unless the anti-Grant
men are inexcusably stupid. Having engaged
the hall, and having thereby acquired the right
to admit or exclude whom they please, the Lib
eral Republicans can easily head off the plot to
pack the Convention with Grant friends The |
interest excited by the occasion will bring to-
gether ten times as many as could get inside of
any hall in Cincinnati, and it will accordingly |
be necessary to admit people only on tickets
II tickets are given to Grant men, it will be the
fault of the lessees of the hall. They will nat
lrally give, each day, tickets of three kinds;
delegates tickets for the members of the Con-
Venton, reporters tickets for members of the
press, and spectators tickets. Only those hold |
ing delegates tickets can participate in the pro-
and we do not see how partisans of |
Grant can get such tickets, if the affair is well
For example,: supposing Mr. Gree
ley and Mr. Fenton to be present at Cincinnati
q day or two in advance of the Convention.
they would know every person present from the
State OF New York, and could decide at once
whether he was.a reformer or a Grant man. No
tickets of admission would be given TO New
York delegates who were not Endorsed and
vouched for by Mr.. Greeley or his known
friends And the same respecting Missouri and
all the other States. If Messrs. Schurz and
Brown are present from Missouri, they can cas-
ny divide the sheep from the goats in pretend |
ed delegations from that State, and prevent the
admission to the Convention of men who are
not acting in good faith. The well-known and
leaders from each State can be trust
I'd to decide who are their friends; and tickets
Of admission should be given only to members
properly Endorsed by the anti-Grant chiefs of
their respective States. This simple and obvi-
Gus expedient will preclude all possibility of
packing the Convention with partisans of
Grant, and insure for its proceedings the re-
speet due to the deliberations of earnest, sin
cere men. t"fi %
The sobriety with which the World winds
up its suggestions for packing the conference
with the following declaration must establish
its reputation as the first humorous paper in
America:
The Cincinnati Convention CANNOT RE p.cx- /
ED; and Democrats look tor,oard to its proceed
ingS cih mingled Soticitude and hope.
Mr.. Seward.
No one disputes now that its dealings (those