The New York herald., 1875-09-15
rhe Gathering at Syracuse.

since the war. 1t meets in a great crisis of
the democratic party, and it would not be
an exaggeration to say a great crisis in
national affairs. The democratic canvass in
Ohio and the democratic platform in Penn
sylvania are of deep interest outside that
party. They tend to general demoralization,
for there is also body of republican infla-
tionists, and the fear of losing their votes
would lower the tone of the republican
party if Governor Allen should be reelected
in Ohio. The national credit abroad and
at home is involved in this dangerous issue.
On the New York democracy is laid the
responsibility of closing this crevasse, which
threatens a desolating inundation of false
money. The democrats are likely enough TO
carry Ohio, and it is the duty of the Syracuse
Convention to take such action now as will
forestal the effect Of such a victory on the
November elections and on the politics of
the country. The dispatches from Syracuse
! which we print this morning give some rea-
son for hoping that Governor Tilden and his
supporters appreciate the gravity of the situ-
alton and will not shrink from their duty.
| The ticket is likely to be good one and we
need not discuss it at this stage. twill GER
tainly be good one if Mr. Bigelow and Mr..
! Lucius Robinson consent to be put upon it.
The point of supreme interest which fixes
the attention of both political PARTIES and of
the whole country on this Convention is the
stand it may take on the vital question of the
currency. The utterances Of Senator Herman
on this subject tend TO tighten the anxiety
which has for several days weighed heavily
on the public mind. Senator Herman is the
most intimate and the most trusted of Gov
ernor Tilden's political friends. His conf
dent prediction that the Convention will nail
the hard money flag to its mast is reassuring,
in spite of Judge Comstock's opinion
that the Convention ought to declare
against a contraction Of the currency as
tending TO general ruin. Judge Comstock is
an eminent and able man, but he is no expo
nent Of Governor Tilden's views, and will
have little influence in the Convention, even
if he should be elected its presiding officer.
Senator Herman is Governor Tilden's conf
Dental representative-we might almost say
his plenipotentiary-a Syracuse, and if Mr..
Tilden wants a hard money platform there
will be no serious opposition. But whether
it will be bold or a timid hard money plat
form remains to be seen. 1t will be worth
nothing unless it is vigorous and aggressive
There is not the slightest danger that the
New York democracy will plunge head and
ears, like their brethren of Pennsylvania,
into the pool of imitation. Our only fear is
that they may have recourse to trimming ex-
pedients and belittle the question. This
might be done on several pretexts which have
superficial air of plausibility. The Con-
vention might, for example, take the cue
given for several days by the Albany Argus
(but dropped in its issue of yesterday that
canal reform overshadows all other issues,
and that as none of the State officers to be
elected will have any control of the currency
it would be irrelevant TO make that prom
inent issue in the canvass This will
not pass muster. The question cannot be
ignored; even silence would be expressive
If the New York democracy should say moth
ing they would thereby strike the hard
money flag and make a virtual surrender to
the inAationists The whole country would
put this Interpretation on their silence.
Why did they speak out so boldly last year
if the topic is irrelevant in a State canvass?
Why did Governor Tilden devote to this
subject thrice the space he gave TO any other
in his annual Message2 This pretext of the
Argus is ''too thin" the country would laugh
it to scorn. We are pleased 10 see that the
Albany organ tacitly abandoned it yesterday,
and we would gladly believe it did so on an
admonition from the Governor.
Another trimming expedient, which would
expose the Convention 10 less derision,
would be to begin by saying that, "Reafirm-
ing the declaration Of principles made by
their Convention last year, the New York
democracy give their unequivocal support to
Governor Tilden," &C., &C., going on to COM
plete a platform on the reform question
while trying to satisfy the public on the hard
money question by mere reference 10 what
was done year ago. This would hardly an
swer, even if circumstances had not so greatly
changed. An old platform is like an old al
manac. There is a necessity for new and
vigorous declaration on the currency grow
ing out of the dangerous heresy which il 50
rapidly spreading in the democratic ranks.
exciting profound alarm. both in the party
and out of it. If the New York democrats
have no more shot in their locker, and are
obliged 70 pick up the spent missile dis
charged in last years campaign for reloading
their hard-money gun, the enemy will think
them reduced to the last extremity. What is
needed is increased strength of denunciation
proportioned to the new exigencies of the
situation. Anything short of this will be
fatal sign of political cowardice. If all the
defiant vigor is on the side of the advancing
inAationists it is easy to predict how the con-
test will end. Indeed, there will be no con-
fest at all if the New York dernocrocv rnolxos