The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-09-06
The Republican state Convention.

The Republican state Convention.
This body will organize at Saratoga on
Wednesday. The delegates are already as
sembling, and the intervening two days will
be spent in consultations. There will be no
great difficulty in agreeing upon ticket, the
chances of electing it being so slender that
candidates will not press eagerly for a
nomination The only person on whom
there is yet any concentration of party senti-
ment is Mr.. Frederick w. Seward for Secre-
tary of State-an excellent nomination, which
is likely to be made by reclamation. We see
no reason to doubt that the other candidates
will be equally respectable and equally UNI
Objectionable both to the Morgan faction and
the Conkling faction. With the odds so
greatly against them the party cannot afford
to put forward candidates who are personally
weak or whose political affiliations would dis
turb harmony.
The construction of a platform is q more
difficult problem. There are two points
which it will tax all the dexterity
of the party leaders to namely,
the reform question and the third
term question. The Incorporating vigor of
Governor TildNns war on the Canal Ring
makes it difficult for the Republican Conven-
ton to take high ground on this question
without indorsing him and seeming to follow
in his wake. He has made it impossible for
them to ignore this question, but there is no
obvious way of dealing with it which will
not inure to his advantage. If they declare
that reform is the paramount issue they will
merely echo his views and celebrate his
praise. In canvass conducted on the reform
issue the supporters of Governor Tilden Will
claim the advantage which performance
always has over profession. They will ask
why none of Governor Tilden's republican
predecessors took the Canal Ring by the
throat. The democratic battle cry of "Tilden
and Reform" will have a significance which
cannot be infused into an imitation re-
form cry taken up by cumpulsion to serve
an electioneering purpose. To construct a
platform which shall put reform in the fore
ground without virtually indorsing Governor
Tilden is task which the Saratoga Conven-
ton will attempt, but the prospect of success
is not brilliant. 1t is certain the subject will
not be ignored.
On the other difficult question, that of the
third term, it is possible for the republicans
to take refuge in silence. The Times, which
has never been very subservient to President
Grant, gave the Convention broad hint q
few days since by saying that there might be
worse evils than third term. There is a
strong motive for silence in the fact that the
federal patronage is greater in this State than
in any other, and that the party cannot come
within hailing distance of success without
the vigorous cooperation of the federal
office holders On the other hand, the be-
lief that General Grant will again be can
didate was never so widespread or so firmly
rooted as it is to-day, and if the Saratoga
Convention does not speak out its silence
will betoken consent, and the democratic
press and speakers will so construe it. The
New York republicans might set this ques-
ton at rest by an unequivocal declaration
that, under no circumstances, will they ever
assist in electing any citizen to the Presi-
dency for third time. They would thus
disarm the democrats of formidable weapon
and remove chief obstacle to success in the
Presidential campaign.