The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-24
What will They do Now?

Lie 1luldlAdpOllS &COllVCl1IlOu VI
independents nominated the Hon.
Peter Cooper, of New York, for
President, and Hon. Newton K.
Booth, of California, for Vice Pres
ident. Were the leaders in that
convention serious in hoping, ex-
pecting, or intending that the ticket
they nominated could be elected?
Let us see. MIR. Cooper is noble
old gentleman, eighty-six years of
age and reasonably wealthy, but it
has been a rule of his life to decline
political honors, and he has only
been persuaded to infract it in a few
instances, and then to fill some local
position for which he was supposed
to be peculiarly fitted. His repug-
nance to political prominence has
been so often expressed that it is
generally known, and almost any
man acquainted slightly with his his
tory and character could have in
formed the convention that he would
be very unlikely, indeed, to accept
the nomination.
Mr.. Booth, too, has not been
backward in expressing himself on
the subject of running third party
ticket, in manner that ought to
have convinced reasonable men
that he could not consistently &C
cept nomination at the hands of
that convention. TO nominate these
two gentlemen without first consult
ing them was, therefore, only to call
forth their destinations, attract ridi-
Guile to the movement and weaken
the cause of reform. Yes, it must
have still more injurious influence.
1t must make future efforts at reform,
through the creation Of a third party,
more difficult and discourage those
who desire to effect reformations
from engaging in them. This is OBJ
vlous to every person Of ordinary
intelligence, who will give the mat
ter a few moments thought.
We may be told that the injury
resulting from the mistakes Of the
convention can be repaired by the
executive committee. That this
committee has the power to select
candidates in lieu of those injudi-
ciously nominated by the conven-
ton. 1t is plain that such substitu.
tons cannot do any good for two
reasons. First, no man suitable for
a nominee will be likely to accept
from the committee what another
has refused from the convention {;
and, secondly, there is no probable
ity that even the acknowledged
members of the party will generally
support candidates placed in the
field by the committee.
The old party politicians may now
select candidates with impunity, as
sured that the fight will necessarily
be narrowed down to a contest be-
tween republicans and democrats,
with the chances largely in favor Of
the former; and that the people will
be allowed no other alternative than
to choose between the two. And
who is responsible for this? Is it
not those unprincipled shysters who
assumed control of the reform move
ment for the purpose of advancing
their own political fortunes? Who
have sold the party out on every
occasion when an opportunity Offer
ed, and who will hereafter claim
their reward from the democratic or
republican organizations, on the
ground that their agency in killing
off the reform movement entities
them to consideration.
Let those who have censured us
for the course we have pursued in
regard to the anti-monopoly move
ment study we'll the existing political
condition and then reviee their