New-York tribune., 1876-09-06
TEE POLITICAL FIELD.

TIE POLITICAL FIELD.
Two months more and the Presidential
election vii be held. Gov. Tilden was nonl-
mated on the 2Sth of June, more than two
months ago, so that the campaign Is more
than half over. In all the important States
the lines cf battle have been formed or would
be if the Democrats of this State could find n
candidate. Whatever may he done hereafter
their prcdicament is not likely to be greatly
improved all the odium which the nomina-
tion of Seymour could cause and all the bad
feeling which the fiascO aTOuses, will linger
without auy Of the benefits which so strong
party nomination would have secured. In In
diana, the most popular Republican III the
State is supported, apparently, with great
unanimity their opponents. though well
suited in their candidate for Governor, do
not seem equally united or enthusiastic III
respect to the Presidential canvass. In Ohio
tho personal strength of Gov. Hayes, and the
great unanimity and spirit with which he is
supported, make the contest an exceedingly
hopeful one for the Republicans. In Illinois
the Democrats have made peculiarly weak
nomination for Governor, and even in Mis-
souri, where Mr.. Fmkelnburg one OF the most
popular Liberals, has been induced to accept
the Republican nomination, the Democratic
candidate has been accused of personally dis
honorable conduct, and has thus far made no
satisfactory reply, so that some OF his party
friends refuse to support him. Thus i'll each
of the great central states the Republicans
now seem TO have gained important advan-
tages either through rare good sense in their
nominations, as in Ohio, Indiana, and New
York, or through the folly of their opponents.
In no State do these advantages seem to be
greater than in NewYork, without which the
Democrats cannot hope TO win.
Considering the tactics OF the campaign in
broader sense, the Republicans have immensely
improved their position since the nominations
were made. To degree at first deemed i'm
possible, they have separated Hayes and his
campaign from Grant and his administration
50 far, indeed, that it strikes no one with
/ asi1uishmcnt TO find Liberal journals and
orators coupling the most earnest support
| of Hayes with unsparing criticism OF the Adj
mu.;slatioa before o Republican audience.
! The nominations of ex-Secretary Cox and Rep
rcseptative Foster in Ohio, and of Mr.. Harrison
lin Indiana, and Gov. Morgan here, have
/ strongly increased the effect produced by the
| letter of Gov. Hayes. President Woolsey
was the chairman of the Independent
! Conference, and is now at the head of the Re-
publican electoral ticket in Connecticut his
course is warmly seconded by such men as
Presidents Hopkins and ChadbOuIne and Rep
lrsentatives Scclye and Pierce F.; all the pIomi-
pcpt independent journals, and such former
! Liberals as ex-senator Foster, ex-Spcaker
| Banks, ex-senator FentOn, and other men OF
influence. give hearty support to Gov. Hayes.
! These thngs show how great change has
bepr effected in the attitude of the Rcpnbli-
can party. On the other hand Gov. Tildcn
has been weakened very much by the nomiua-
top and the uttaIances of Hendricks, very much
by the passage of the bin to repeal the
Kcsunption act. much by his OWE delay and
arr.rent yielding in his letter of acceptance,
ard still more by the manifestation OF Demo
cratic Bourbonsm in this State. TO some ex-
tent this reaction against hm within his
party may I've attributed to the fact tlat the
| independent Republicans did not give HIM that
preference and support which many or his en-
thuslastic friends had expected aud promised.
But i. is chiefly due to tic ineraincd and ire
sistible proclf,ity of the Democratic voters to
a reactiOnary policy
In point of personal reputation. the first half
of the campaign has not been favorable to Mr..
Tilden. A great many things have been said
of him which have not been proved But some
things have been proved, of which as yet, he
has not made any satisfactory explanation.
In respect TO his income-tax returns, his sup
porters are still insisting that his sworn re-
turns truly stated his actual earnings during
the wears referred to therein. Bat they wholly
fail to meet the main charge, which goes home
very readily to the appreciation of the aver
age voter, that Gov. Tiden actually paid
taxes on an income not exceeding $150,000 in
ten years, whereas, during those same years, he
accumulated fortune generally supposed to
be several millions. AS long as this charge re-
mains virtually unanswered, it Injuries Gov.
Tlden the more because, if it could be denied,
men assume that it would be at once. Not