New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-03
yesterdays CONVENTIONS.

The Peoples Party in Missouri has made
fair beginning. The Convention which
assembled yesterday at Jefferson City was
what political conventions very rarely are,
a representative assembly. 1t spoke for
the best people of the State,-the
honest, disinterested, independent voters who
have proved on many former occasion that
the political destinies of Missouri are in their
hands whenever they choose to put forth
their strength. The professional place
hunters and party managers had no part
in this gathering. None of the usual
devices of the hack politician were perceptible
in the proceedings. The Convention went
about its business deliberately but resolutely,
and accomplished upon the whole very
creditable days work On the question OF
the finances we should have been glad
of something different from the curt de-
claration against any further contraction,
but perhaps that was the mildest form of her.
esy we had any right to expect from Mis-
souri, convention in the present temper of the
public mind in that State. In many other re-
spects, however, the resolutions were excel
lent, being marked by liberality and sound
common sense; and as the ticket is
strong one, the new movement seems
to begin with every augury of success
Parties are not made by Conventions, and
we must wait little while before we venture
any predictions upon the issue of this latest
instruction against the tyrannies and hum
bugs of the old organizations; but there can
be little doubt that Missouri is ripe for revolt,
even if revolt has not already made substantial
Roadway.
The Republicans of Ohio had their platform
Almost every mischevous doctrine in the whole
range of American politics was formulated
in the Bourbon declaration of principles
drawn up at Columbus on the 26th of
last month, aud if the Republicans yesterday
had simply denied every one of them they
would have done the best thing possible.
We do, indeed, find In the two plat
forms frankness of contradiction not
often to be discovered in the utter
ances of ~ rival parties in the / same
State, and there will be this comfort at least
for the voters of Ohio that up to a certain
point the issues in their State campaign are
perfectly distinct. The Democrats declared
against the protective tariff; the Republicans
payment of the bonds in greenbacks;
the Republicans insist upon gold. :. The
Democrats call for O license Flaw; the
Republicans pronounce in favor of prohibition.
The Democrats condemn the Civil Rights bill
the Republicans emphatically favor it, : But
when it comes to the greenback question, the
lines of division grow hazy and indirect. On
the one side we Z had last month an
unequivocal demand for rag-money, and
more of il, and when the Republicans came to
face this resolution they wavered, giving us
one of those wretched commonplaces which
every man will interpret according to his own
fancy. Recommending that the National
Government shall =" gradually but GER
tainly restore our paper money. to a
specie standard without shock to , the
"business interests of the country" means
lust nothing. 6 Incessant initiation, how
ever, is 30 much worse than nothing
that there should be no difficulty in
making choice between the two, The plat
form contains a few preposterous passages
which we should think must have raised
smile when they were proposed in the Com
mittee; and it declines to follow the Demo-
Gratis on the question of a third term. Gov.
Moves protested in his speech that he believed
the President would set the peoples hearts at
rest cat the proper time" 1t has seemed to
many people that "the proper time" arrived
long ago.