The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-20
The Canvass for the st. Louis Nom-
inntiOn.

ernor Tilden, if the reports in his organs are
to be trusted. 1t is in his power, if he
should think it expedient, to have the New
York delegation to st. Louis pledged TO fight
his battle and to insist on his nomination.
1t is understood, however, that he will ad-
wise his friends to refrain from exerting
their full strength, and that the New York
delegation will go to the National Conyen-
ton unfettered by instructions. Mr.. Tilden
evinces his wonted caution and astuteness in
counselling this moderation he has deeper
interest in having the Syracuse Convention
run smoothly than in triumph won at the
cost of democratic harmony in his own
State. An attempt to pledge the delegation
would be resisted, and the quarrel and scan
dial would hurt Governor Tilden's chances
more than instructions would help them. He
can use his majority at Syracuse to better adj
vantage than in forcing pledge which would
cause angry debate and sharp thrusts which
his enemies would circulate to his injury in
other States. 1t has been the usage of the
democratic delegation from New York to
vote as a unit in the national conventions,
and if this usage is continued every advan-
| tage of a pledge will be secured if Governor
! Tilden gets a majority of the delegates; and
on this point he seems secure. He is there
fore wise in advising his friends not to incur
the risk of an open mutiny, however conf
dent he may be of triumph over the mutt
neers He can rely as fully on an unpledged
as on pledged delegation if its majority
consists of answering adherents.
This much being assured it remains to be
seen what the effect will be in other States.
1t will, of course, be considerable, for it is
great feather in the cap Of any candidate
that he has secure hold on the seventy
votes of New York. We have seen how
potent and fruitful such an advantage is on
the republican side in the case of Senator
Conkling. AS soon rs he was made the cam
didate of his party in the great State of New
York, and the support of its delegates be-
came certain, a host of supporters began to
appear elsewhere, and he now looms up as
the foremost of the republican candidates.
Governor Tilden may expect similar
additions to his great New York nest
egg but he must not begin to count his
chickens before the eggs are laid. Mr.. Til
den lacks one Of Mr., Conkling's sources of
strength-he is not favored and supported
by any such powerful influence as that
which stands behind Senator Conkling in
the Executive Mansion. Outside of New
York Governor Tilden has no active, trained
and interested body of agents exerting them
selves in his favor and directed by single
will, as Mr.. Conkling has by the favor and
partiality of the President. Moreover, Gov
ernor Tilden is confronted with pecu-
| liar obstacle which does not lie in
Senator Conkling's way we mean the
absurd two-thirds rule Mr.. Conkling
needs only bare majority to succeed
at Cincinnati; but Mr.. Tilden cannot
be nominated at ST. Louis without clear
two-thirds of the Convention. But it is
nevertheless true that the certainty of the
New York votes puts him ahead Of every
other democratic candidate so far as the
canvass can be judged from present aspects.
But since it is in the power Of rivals who
can, either jointly or severally, control one
third of the Convention to defeat him, he
needs to be very wary against giving offence
to any section Of the party.
There are several mistakes into which
Governor Tilden may be tempted, any one
| of which would be fatal. One of these
besetting temptations is to assert his claims
as the candidate of the East. Western pride
would be offended by attempts to push q
distinction by Eastern candidates. The
young and rising West is not untinctured
with the kind of jealousy felt by colonists
toward their mother country. The West is
impatient of any assumption or airs of
superiority by the East founded on wealth,
culture or social refinement. We have wit
messed symptoms of this feeling in jibes
against Eastern bondholders, in complaints
that the East has an undue share
of bank circulation, in the marked
antagonism between the Eastern and West
ern democrats on the question of the cur
rency. The West abounds in resources, is
full of hope, has just pride in its rising
importance and expects on good grounds to
be the controlling force in our politics.
There can be no doubt that the broad fer
tile and magnificent valley of the Aissis-
sippi will soon contain majority of our
population and control every department of
the federal government in NIL questions on
which its views differ from those of the rest
Of the country. 1t will not do for any Prcsi-
Dental candidate to affront this Western
sense of importance, and least of all for n
| democratic candidate to make this mis-
take at time when Eastern and West
ern sentiment is in sharp conflict on
one of the most important questions
of the period. Governor Tilden will forfeit
his bright prospects if he allows himself to
be paraded rs the Eastern candidate An
ostentation of Eastern strength is precisely
what the Western democrats will no. stand,
especially from State which has had the
three last democratic candidates and been