The New York herald., 1874-08-25
The Approsching state CANVAS In
New York.

|
!, nominate candidates for State oficers, has
betrayed symptoms of conscious party weak
ness which contradict the boasts and vaporing
predictions Of its newspaper organs. 1t is
the customary tactics of all political parties
to affect an assurance of triumph but this
kind Of swagger has long ceased to have the
weight of feather. The Democratic State
Committee have done one thing which bears
the seal Of sincerity and attests their opinion
Npf the doubtful chances of their party. We
refer to their open appeal to the handful OF
liberal republicans to come to their rescue.
party which publicly leans for support on
so slender staff has no real confidence in its
own strength, If the democratic leaders be-
lieved the assertions of their journals that
their ranks are daily swelled by recruits which
render the organization invincible they would
never consent to sdultsrats their organization
by an amalgamation with 80 small body of
voters as the liberal republicans. 10 - p
Last year the New York democrats poured
scorn on the liberal republicans, whose aid
they now invoke. The votes of this small fac
ton do not amount to more than six or seven
thousand in voting population of between
four hundred and five hundred thousand
Last year it happened to hold the balance Of
power between the two regular parties,
and the democracy virtually confess that
they are not perceptibly stronger than they
were last year by inviting this Insignificant
faction to come to their rescue In 1873 the
liberal republicans voted for Wilers, the
democratic candidate for Secretary of State,
and for Hopkins the republican candidate
for Comptroller, and secured the election of
both. The democratic candidate (Willers),
supported by the liberals, received S41.0O1
votes and the democratic candidate (Nichols),
opposed by the liberals, received 33S, ,927 votes,
difference Of 7,074 due to the liberal vote.
So, on the other hand, the republican candidate
(HopHns), supported by the liberals, received
337, 1872 votes, and the republican candidate
(Thayer), opposed by. the liberals, received
only S31, 128, making difference Of
1884 due to the liberal vote. It
thus appears that the liberal repub-
licans controlled last year about seven
thousand votes, and the democratic party is
this year so doubtful of success that 1t vir-
tually confesses its chances to be staked on
the action of this small body of voters. If
| the republicans had courted them in this
! public and official manner they would have
been thought 10 hang out . tag of distress,
and would have been SO represented in all the
democratic organs. The canvass of the New
York democracy thus opens with confession
which contradicts all their professions of
triumphant strength. According to present
indications they are likely to perpetrate
| blunder in their selection Of candidate to
run against Governor Dix. Judge Church,
by far their strongest man, is understood to
be inHexibly out of the field, which, consider
ing the splendid political future which would
open before him if he were to be elected, is q
pretty conclusive proof that he has no conf
dence in the success of the party. The very
talk about risking the Chief Judgeship of the
Court Of Appeals is symptom of weakness,
for if the party is strong enough to elect a
Governor 1t could also elect with certainty q
new democratic Chief Judge. All of which
shows that the democratic professions Of con-
fdence are buncombe. Judge Church hav-
ing taken himself peremptorily out Of
this canvass, it seems to be conceded in dem
oeratic circles that Mr.. SamuelJ. Tilden viii be
the democratic nominee for the Governorship.
Against Mr. Tilden's character as o private
gentleman there is nothing to be soid. He is
one Of our first citizens and shrewdest busi-
ness men, and his standing in the democratic
party in the State entities him to aspire to this
or any other honor it can confer. Bnt he
should not covet the idle compliment Of a
nomination which is certain to result
in defeat Against Governor Dix his defeat
would be as certain as Horatio Seymours was
from the day he was nominated to run against
General Grant. Mr. Tilden is not popular
with the democratic masses, and he never had
the slightest hold on popular favor outside oi
his own party. His zeal against the old Tam
many Ring did no more to make him an lido
Of the multitude than it did to make his able1
and equally upright associate, Mr.. o. Conor
such an idol If Mr.. OConor were taken as thu
democratic candi date for Governor everybody
sees that, in spite Of pre-eminent abilities
spotless purity and the lustre of his privat'
men that ever ran for a public of
flee in this State. His passionate
hostility to the old Tammany Ring, which wa
even more Hery, resolute and d,sinterestet
than Mr.. Tlden's, would not give him {
single vote. There are men, whom everybod,
pronounces estimable so long as they keep il
their own sphere. who could never be elected
to contested Office by popular vote, ant
Mr.. Tilden belongs as clearly to this class q
Mr.. Conor. Mr.. Tildsn has been active il
politics ever since the administration of Pres
ident Van Buren,, but the only politica
, Office to which he was ever elected was that O
Member Of Assembly two years ago, not by hi
own party, but by the reformers. After Deal