Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-05-26
ORR CANDIDATE FOR PRESI.

DIR CANDIDATE FOR PRESI.
DENT.
We are for the strongest man. we
care not what he may be called, wheth-
er Tilden or Hendricks or Bayard or
Thurman or any other name that gives
assurance of true man and a good
Democrat. In the coming presidential
campaign we desire first of all to pro-
mote our own good. Success is what
we seek, because success means saliva
ton. The great question then is who
is the strongest man and as they de-
eide this question, Southern delegates
will vote at st. Louis.
Western men, soft money men, say
a western man IS sure of election.
Hendricks is the representative man
of this class. Eastern men, hard
money men, say that none but an east
ern and hard money man can be
elected. Bayard and Tilden represent
this class. Thurman's friends claim that
being a western man he has strength
in the soft money section, and that be-
ing hard money man he has strength
in the east, in other words that he has
the advantage of being a western man
with eastern principles. There is still
another element that favo1s the nomina-
ton of Gen. Hancock.
The vigor and energy of the canvass
just now, however, is expended in the
effort to advance the interests of Mr..
Tilden and indeed the situation cannot
be better described than by saying it is
Tilden against the field. His friends
assert most formally and most posi-
lively that he and he alone can be
elected, for the reason that he and he
alone can carry the State of New York.
But this is a position that challenges
enquiry in several particulars.
Is it perfectly certain that, as goes
New York so goes the election? Is it
perfectly certain that we can carry
New York with Tilden? LIS it
perfectly certain that we can not carry
New York with some other man? The
assertion that Tilden is the only man
who can be elected assumes all of these
points in his favor. But Southern
delegates, representing people who
have as much at stake as we have,
will hesitate before casting their votes
upon the bare assumption of the per-
sonal partizans of any candidate.
There must be proof.
Other States than New York must
be carried to win the next election.
Seymour carried New York in 1868
yet Grant was elected. It is not alb
solutely certain then that, AS goes New
York so goes the election. Nor can it be
said that New York will certainly vote
for any Democrat for President. Since
1852 with one single exception she has
steadily voted for the Abolition and
Radical candidates. It is true that
in 1874 Mr.. Tilden was elected Gov
ernor of New York but even then
he received near three thousand votes
less than the smallest vote Grant ever
received in that State. Had Sey-
mour received 10 more votes
in 1868 than Hlden got in
1874 Grant would have carried the
State. We see no proof here that
Tilden can carry New York. 1t must
be remembered too that now Tammany
is opposed to Tilden and that the
Canal ring is also opposed to him; nor
must it be forgotten that during his
administration the Democratic party
has lost heavily in members of the
Legislature. Nor do the utterances of
the press of that State afford any ev-
idence to sustain the statement that he
certainly can carry the State As
suredly there is no proof that he is
!. the only man who can carry it. If
the facts show anything they show
that Seymour is the strongest
man in New York, for he carried
it under adverse circumstances at an
election in which was cast the biggest
vote ever given in that State. Tilden's
vote lacked only eight of being
thirteen thousand less than Seymour's,
which certainly does not prove that
Tilden is stronger than Seymour.
While, therefore, we are for the
strongest man, we are willing to take
no mans assumptions for strength.
We want more proof and less asser-
tion. Our delegates do not propose
to go to st. Louis to be mere puppets
in the hands OF either Eastern or
Western wire-workers.
We do not wish to be understood as
opposing Mr.. Tilden or any other man.
Ali that we desire to do is to put our
friends on their guard against accept
ing the assertions of MIR. Tilden's
friends without due examination into
the grounds upon which they are
based. We are for the strongest man,
whoever he may be.