Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-03-07
Political.
The Cincinnati Convention. Y

.2nlitifal. l.s5ss
Il The Cincinnati Convention.
e The convention of those who ca
J, themselves the Liberal Republicans {
), Missouri, and their call for nations
q tconyentipn of all who sympathize wit
4 Them, to meet at Cincinnati on the St
! of May, is the most significant Of recen
political events. That call does no
I propose any action for the convention
But as the resolutions. denOunce TIL
: growing enroachments Of the Execu
. tive power,n and are plainly pointed a
certain measures Of Republican polio,
: and at the President, and demand tina
! a class which the resolutions deseribt
/ be swept from power, there can be NJ
doubt whatever that the call to Gncin
natl Is q. warning served upon ths
Philadelphia convention, and that tht
Cincinnati assembly viii be an army O
observation. 1t is probably assumed
that by the 1st of May the results of the
Philadelphia convention can be forseen
The action at Cincinnati can then be
positive without being conclusive
Probably no nomination will be made
but the convention, having displayed
the strength, upon which it can rely,
will state its demands and expectations,
and adjourn to await the action, al
Philadelphia. 1t would then be an
army of menace as we'll as of obserya-
ton. FlsdI -s1 ass e..gts s.sr
The Republican leaders of this move
ment undoubtedly incur a very great
possibility. The convention at Gin
Ecinnati mustmake distinct declarations.
If they are not adopted in substance by
the regular Republican convention, the
Cincinnati assembly must either sur
render or bolt. That it will surrender
can hardly be be supposed. If it bolts
and nominates separate ticket, with a
fair prosPectofi seriously dividing the
Rapublican vote in the country, the
i5Denocrats viii probably nominate an
unconditional Democrat with good
chance OF success. If, on the other
hand, there is no promise ofa large se-
ceSsion from the regular Republ blican
camp, the Democrats viii incline to
spaSsiyityH and a silent coalition with
Cincinnati. 1fthe result were the de-
feat OF the regular Republican nomina-
fi0n; the Democrats, whether the e0ali-
tlon candidate was previously known
as Republican or not, would return to
power.ssIn any view, therefore, the
Ssourilmovemeat is full of danger for
the Republican party, and consequently
for the country.
|. a There are nnquestionably Republi-
cans who deplOre much that Congress
has done, and who are seriously OPP
posed to the denomination Of the Pfesi-
dent. The natural course for them
would seem to be to carry the National
Convention. that they might dictate the.
platform and nominate the candidates.
. But to summon an earlier convention
is to declare that they DO not believe
themselves to be a majority, or that
they fear the Phiiadelphia convention
viii not honestly represent the party.
If the former supposition be correct,
they assume what hey can not possibly
prove, and what is most improbable.
But if, Notwithstanding the improba-
.bility, such was confessedly the result,
it would be time enough when the fact
appeared to protest, and to withdraw
from the convention. Certainly gov
ernment by party can not be carried on
If the. will of the majority of the party
may not determine its general policy
and its Presidential candidates. .nois -
i. No man, indeed, is bound to be al
mere partisan, nor to surrender his in
his principles, or his views
ofa just and wise national policy. But
every man must decide in, politics
,When he values certain measures more
than the dominance of a party which |
Is not, indeed, hostile to those meas
1res, but which estimates their vital |
importance differently. In other words. !
be must decide when he thinks the l
time has come for. the dissolution or
defeat of the party. For if the friends
ofithe Cincinnati convention claim that |
they only mean to suggest, not to |
threaten, they must also say, whether |
they mean to acquiesce should their
suggestions not be adopted. If the, in-
tenIion is to propose terms upon which
they will support the PHILADELPHIA |
nominations, what are they but a mi
n0rity aiming to control q majority 'by,I
the. threat of detection? !? They are un- I
questionably as sincere as others, and /
their attitude shows plainly tha! they /
are disposed to think the adoption of /
their views more important than the |.
continued ascendency of the party. i
iYBht can7they sincerely, expect that
any of the evils (which their resolutions /
at Jefferson City denounee will be more
surely remedied by the Democratic par
ty3 or by any party in which the; Dem
0cratlc elemenfis. oyerPowering z For
what could IA Gnofnnati candidate bel
butla fgure=head :? 1f,sas the Chicago \
Times declares, nine-tenths ofthe Dem-ih
ocrats in the country expect to vote for
Republican candidate for President,
would that candidate, ifelected, expect
that the Democrats who had supported
him would reB0unce their political r
opinions and traditions? Would they
be lany the leSSi Democrats? ? Is the
0hicago Times {. ewspaper which such
aleandidate could regard as AM exposi-
tor OF hisopinions and purposes2 The
Liberals Repubii leans, we are told, car
ried Missouri. But their victory placed
the authorof the Brodhead letter in the
Senate, OF the United States, In the
same way they might carry the coun-
try, but it would give the government
70 the Demberats. Do the minority of
the Republican party-and if they are
not, the minority, why do they not
their. will 2 Insist that the InIajoritytl
shall accept their terms or submit to the !
return of the Demo oerats to power? |? "A nd d
4 so, are these the gentlemen who tells
rs that they are not permitted to hold +
and express their opinions and prefer
ences? ~ ..-.,..7 7o''i ~ ~ . 80 =, at
If, indeed, they think that the time 1
has come for a reconstruction of parties, Il
and that it is better the candidate Of
the Philadelphia convention should be
defeated if he be not their preference, I
pr If he. be the one Republican to whom
they are opposed, those of US who think ll
otherwise, and who feel that the defeat
Of the Philadelphia candidate. will be
the defeat of the hope of Republican
administration, can only, appeal to the
eandOf and intelligence of the country. 4