Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-05

The meeting called at the Arlington to-
night TO take measures to secure the holding
OF the National Republican convention In
this city mas a good object I'm view, and we
trust ft may be successful In its efforts. We
leg to submit. however, whether this action
should be limited TO the assemblage OF one
convention only. II occurs 10 us that the
meeting should be Invested of all semblance
Of political or partisan character or purpose,
and that its efforts should be directed to the
approaching conventions of both political
parties. The reasons existing In favor OF
Washington a. a place for such meetings
spply with equal force to both parties, and
the advantage to Washington would man
1festly he as great in one case as in the other.
In support of this view we republish below
some considerations on the subject which
We were led to present last summer, at a
time when the matter was agitated to some
extent in the interest of the democratic
party:
From The Erelsi,l0 SydT August "a 1874.
A strong point in favor of Washington as
the place of all others in the country for
holding rational political conventions il
mace in the following extract from q long
article on the subject in the Sunday Herald
.LoOkir 2 over the whole isId we believe Wash
inston, the capital % the country il the best and
most eligible city in the Union in which 20 hold the
neat democratic convention. 1t belongs TO no sec
ten i the CT mmon property Of the north and the
particular candidate. There is no political mob
here {. overcome ard carry by storm a convention
Is the New York convention was carried in 1861 rs
population IL cosmO pOlitan and all parties and all
candidates would stand sn equal chance aud no sec
tic would unduly pre- pOnderate over the Oih-rs All
in erests would be Teeonciled, and convention held
here w I'D leave behind IL less heartburnIg and
bftterBess snd personal animOsity than would in
eytsby be the Tesutf 1t shall be held in some other
What is said here OF the effects OF outside
pressure on the New York convention of 1861
can be said with equal truth of the demo-
cratic convention held in Cincinnati in 1856,
which nominated Buchanan and Breckin-
ridge, and Of the republican convention held
in Chicago in 1850, which placed Mr. Lincoln
in nomination for the Presidency. No person
who attended either of these meetings can
have any doubt that the result would have
been different in each case had they been held
in some other city than Cincinnati and Chi
cagO respectively.
Whether either OF them could have done
any better or as well under other surround
1ngs, has nothing TO do with the question TO
be considered now. 1t is clearly the interest
not less than the duty Of both political par
lies TO hold their national conventions In
some place where not only can the delegates
thereto be accommodated properly and rea-
sOnably, but also where the will of the whole
country can he fairly expressed aud the con-
clusiOns Of the convention be reached with
out that influence which organized local in
ferfeIence and systematic outside clamor
anc pressure are sure TO exercise. Any one
can see that the meeting of the democratic
convention In New York at this time would
be equivalent to the nomination OF Tilden,
while IL IL should be held in Cincinnati, St
Louis or Chicago the nomination Of a lien or
some other western man would be almost
equally certain TO follow, irrespective OF
" hat the wishes of the whole party through
out the country might be. And the same
hing Will hold true, though perhaps in less
degree, in regard to the deliberations of the
next republican convention.
In freedom from all such objections, TO say
nOthiDg o. other great and obvious advan-
tages which she possesses, there is no place
In the country that can be compared to
Washington for the meeting of national DO
the conclusion tina must be reached by every
intelligent fsir-minded person who will care
fully weigh all the considerations entering
into the case.