Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-05-08
The Cincinnati Convention.

represented SIMPLY iracuons OF the people OF
any party in any State, aud represented even
these fractions in so strange way that it
cannot justly be called representation at all.
The first meeting was en- masss, consisting
for the most part Of persons who volunteered
attendance and this body chose the members
Of the Convention which nominated the can.
didates and adopted platform. This Con-
vention, therefore, represented the mass meet
ing in fact, and not the several States in
whose name they voted For example, we
find eight Nermonters were nominally mem
bers to wit Charles Clement, Major J. A.
Salisbury, lockwood Barrett and John Ian
don, all Of Rutland c. W Ballou Of Cas-
tleton } b. HOLSTER Of Manchester Jed
p. Ladd Of Alburgh and w. II. Heustis
whose residence we do not know The Rut-
land gentlemen, and Mr. IIollister also, rep.
resented a meeting Of about forty persons in
Rutland the Castleton gentleman another
small meeting and the remaining two gen.
temcn probably went "on their own hook, ="
as the fact happens to be that they we're once
officers Of the General Government and are
not officers now. These eight gentlemen
nominaLy represented the State Of Vermont
and cast the vote Of the State, whereas every
body knows the fact to be, that every vote Of
theirs was u misrepresentation Of the State.
As with Vermont, so was with every State :
the Convention represented the actual senti-
mcnt Of no State in the Union, and we think
not even an organization and recognized polit-
cal party in any State, unless it be the by
brid Republican and Democratic party in
Missouri, which elected Graft Brown as Gov
ernor, aud sent the pestilent Frank p. Blair
to the Senate In Missouri then, We fud the
only genuine constituency for the Cincinnati
Convention and the Convention itself rec.
ognized that fact practically, by nominating
the candidates selected by Blair and Brown,
the leaders of the coalition in Missouri, and &C.
lecting Missouri senator Carl Schurz as Pres.
ident Of the Convention.
The first ballot for candidate for Presi.
dent resulted in 203 for Charles Francis
Adams los for Lyman Trumbul, l47 for
Horace Greeley % for Gratz Brown, 92I
for Judge Davis, 81 for ex-Gov. Curtin, %
for Chief Justice Chase, and / for Charles
Sumner Thereupon Crate Brown withdrew
his name and asked his friends to support
Greeley. On the second ballot there were
243 for Adams, 239 for Greeley, l4S for
Trumbull and 81 for Davis o. the third
ballot there were 26I for Adams, 25S for
Greeley, 1876 for Trumbull, and 4G for Davis
Ca the the fourth ballot, 279 for Adams psi
for Greeley, and l4l for Trumbull On the
fifth ballot, there were 800 for Adams, 25s
for Greeley, and 81 for Trumbul On the
sixth ballot, Greeley had 4s2, and was nom.
mated. A motion was made to make this
nomination unanimous, but it failed On all
these ballotings except the fifth Vermout''
vote was for Greeley and for Adams; or
the fifth, it was for each.
For Vice President, b. Gratz Brown oil
Missouri was nominated, receiving SO ma.
jority.
1t will be seen that two really good men il
character talents and craftsmanship, were
put prominently into the field, CHARLIE,
FRAScIs ADAMS, of Massachusetts,, and LYMA,
TRuMBuL, Of Illinois; and were these to BE-
combined in one ticket for President anC
Vice President, the respect Of the Republ
cans would have been fairly challenged, and il
might be possible for the Democrats to elect
that ticket. But this was not the purpose Of
Frank Blair, who, on this occasion, was the
mouth piece of one Of the oldest and mos
wary Of politicians from the administration
Of Andrew Jackson to this day. We meal
Francis =. Blair, senior We believe tn,
real ends proposed were the defeat of Gran
and the Republican party, and the restoration
of the Bourbon Democracy and the election
Of its ticket. For these ends it would no
do to propose Republicans for whom thu
Democracy could vote with sef-respect, fo
the possible consequence would be the con
tinuance essentially of the Republican policy
But they must have a Republican for th,
Presidential chair nominally, into whose sup
port part of the Republicans may be en-
ticed, aud for whom Democrats will not vote
{ Horace Greeley met exactly this requirement
( and so Greeley was Blair'S candidate, foi
the purpose Of drawing of Republicans it
, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York
, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois
Indiana and Missouri, in numbers sufficient
10 gre the electoral rotes of these States Il
The Democrats Thus it was game to make
/ the Republicans in the close States neutraliz,
each other, and so give the Democratic mi
norlty in the country the power to elect the
Notwithstanding the Democratic prin.
ciple, that the majority should govern. II
was piece of strategy, based mainly upor
the assumed frailty of the Republicans in
those States; but it is subject to defeat
through the integrity Of the Republicans, and
the scorn which multitudes of War Demo,
Gratis will feel for this thimble-rigger's trick
to defeat the man who was ordained by Provi.
dence to save the country in the time of it,
greatest peril. We have faith in this Proyi-
Dental care of our country, against the
peris of political trcksters, as well as against
the perils of treason and civil war, and it
seems to as the dishonesty which has marked
the Convention betokens defeat of the
scheme. The Convention originated in an
organization Of Revenue Reformers" at
Cincinnati, of which Grants ex.Secretary
Cox was a prominent member, and it has
received the favor of the Free Traders, or
anti-Tarif men. They were induced by
Greeleys influence to dodge this question
in the platform, and then, presto! Horace
Greeley, the leading editor in advocacy of