Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1875-12-25
Presidential Gossin

4
)ther candidates, whose claims have been
pressed before the public for two or three
years past, are now scarcely mentioned:
and If the talk an u Congressman and
other politicians h6-e represents the feel
lng throughout thezcOuntry, the chances
Of these eaucifdaTest very small. Sena-
tor Morton has sill few advocates in the
West, but they ares diminishing i'm num-
Der every day, and ne can scarcely lead
the delegation froV his own State into
the convention wish an unbroken front
Senator Conkiin is ia even worse plight
In fact his only resource. aside from his
own ambition, Is u band OF Oiiicrholders
in New York, who have uo popular sup I
port behind them. Gov. Hayes has a re- .
spectacle following IN Ohio, but the tide .
Of feeling in his favor, raised by his bril- I
liant campaign last fall, is rapidly subsi- 7
ding, aud he is not in a position to do I
an eXpedicHcy candidate he has still a
good deal of negative strength, and in
ease the two strong competitors for the
prize prove 50 evenly matched that neith- ,
er can win, he may be brought forwards a.
= compromise candidate. The other Viii
lom candidates are no longer worthy Of
serious me IIiOu.
The recent irresOlule, undecided c0Hdi-
ton of the public mind on the Prcsiden-
servers rs an indication 81 a scarcity Of
able public leaders, and OF a general de
cav i'm politics. In reality IL only showed
that the people have become unusually
cautious and critical. They are deter
mined that the next President shall have
intellectual ability srsl worth, and ex-
perience in public 4 -, and among the
men who have tl' rental qgsliIlea-
tions they meaA 10 @;yet the best- Per
haps the sitting process to which they
have been subiecting ambitious states
manship viii 90 on still further, with
new materials Ter them TO work upon,
but just now the only candidates are the
ex-Speakcr and the Secretary of the Urea
sury.
Mr. Blaine has one important adyan-
tage. but il il attended with great peril
Any day he chooses ne can speak to the
whole country. Whatever he may say in
his place in the House is certain TO be
printed and read the next morning thro'
out the country. During the entire pc
riOd which intoryenes before the national
convention assemblies be viii command
public attention. Ii lac uses his opportu-
nifty wisely he viii greatly improve his
prospects, but if he makes mistakes they
viii be likely, in the present temper OF
the people, to prove fatal. Mr.. Blaines
errors are always those of omission rath-
er than com missiOn. From excess Ofcau-
ton he has often let opportunities pass
by that holder man would have grasp
ed, but he has never made any serious
blunders. From the time that ne enter
ed the house in 1868, and was assigned to
a place almost at the foot of a secOnd-rate
committee, his growth has been rapid
and uninterrupted, until he is now the
recognized leader Of the republican par
| " in Congress. lie is a strict party
man. All his successes have been won
/ within the party lines. He is. however,
/ capable of bold and independent thought,
/ is free 10 criticise the errors of his par
/ ty in circles where there is no news
/ paper man present to take notes, and,
| although by no word spoken in public
/ has he ever condemned even the most
| gliring faults of the administration
/ his influence has always been exerted TO
prevent their repetition and to secure
/ their correction, and TO lift the Republi-
/ can organization above the low level
/ where the President has placed it. If he
/ had not been hampered by his ambition
+ To be President Grant successor he might
/ have stood beside Senators Sumner and
/ Shurz in the struggle for reform. The
| eX-Speaker has never done anything no.
( tably original in politics, with the single
I exception of the constitutional amend
[ mcnJ on the church question. He has
/ exhibited great shrewdness in fOrestall-
] ing those who were trying to make lever
I OF the question to lift Gen. Grant into 4
| third term, and he must be credited also
with staTssmanlike forethOught in seek
| ing to take the question out of politics
/ before 1t could become Il disturbing and
perhaps dangerous element. Mr.. Blaine
has strong personal magnetism, and nat
ural qualities of leadership. His strength
in the nominating convention will come
from California as well as from Maine.
Secretary BristOw, although talked OF
as presidential candidate ever since he
brought order OUT IS Are chaos left by
Mr.. Richardson in the Treasury Depart
msnt, owes his present prominence to his
( battle with the whisky ring. Ii is plain
that he has the stuff OF refOrmer in him
and that Is the Kind of man for whom
thousands Of Republicans have been look
/ ing for the past two or three years. There
! are only two important issues now before
the public-administrati reform and
/ specie payments. Mr.. BristoW stands in
the attitude of representative of both
/ these ideas-a position that he has fairly
earned. Furthermore, to have plucked
laurels from President Grants admins.
tration, lie distinction which argues an
I uncommon degree of merit. People NAV
well say that since the Secretary has ac-
cOmplished so much in the midst OF sC
many embarrassments, he would, were
1 the great powers OF the executive Ofiics
( placed IN his hands, reform the govern
ment in ali its branches. Ii would moi
be fair TO Mr.. Blaine TO say that all the
/ Republicans who desire to reform are
supporting the Secretary. 1t is, true
however, that the reform element
throughout the country, rs Il body, il
turning its eyes toward Mr.. BristOw Il,
the coming man, not from any distrust OF
! his rival, but from admiration of the
| Secretary S efforts TO bring thieves to JUS
| tice. Mr.. Bristow's way to the goal OF
/ the nomination is, however, as uncertain
as that of his competitors He comes from
a Southern State, and has not the adyan.
/ tage of years Of association in active pol
/ tiles with those who control the move
/ ments of the party in the North. Besides
! the President may yet stop him in his eff.
! forts to reform the revenue service, OF
/ the work may be completed, so far as il
/ lies in his power to push it, 50 long before
4 the convention meets as to give the pub
/ lie time to forget the courage and perse-
verance shown in its prosecution. The
/ conclusion is that neither OF the two can
/ didates has clearly the advantage, and
| that the issaIblican party is to be con
/ graduated on the probability of its max
/ ing a choice between two men SO well
qualified to fill the Presidential chair.