The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-22
Governor rild.n,s Presidential Chance.


Governor Tilden is making visible prog
ress toward success at st. Louis. He is al
ready MS good as certain of the delegation
from this great State, and is likely to get all
the New England delegations, although,
with the exception of Connecticut those
States can only assist in nominating but not
in electing him. Nebraska has just de-
clared in his favor, and her six votes
will be of as much service to him
at st. Louis as if she were not immov-
ably republican. Mr.. Tilden is ahead of his
rivals to-day both in the number of dele
gates of which he feels secure and also in
more desirable relation to the issues on
which the Presidential campaign seems
likely to be fought. The work of the inves-
tigating committees is bringing reform
more and more into the foreground as the
paramount question, and his friends claim
that he is the fittest representative
of reform among all the statesmen
of the democratic party. The efficient
part he took in the destruction of the Tam
many Ring and his equally unrelenting war
on the Canal Ring have given him reform
record which no other prominent democrat
has attempted to emulate. If the revolving
exposures at Washington continue all other
issues may be eclipsed by that of reform,
and the expectation that this will be the case
is what makes Governor Tilden's friends so
confident. On the currency issue he
stands no better than Senator Bayard,
and would be less available candi-
date than Senator Thurman. Both of
these gentlemen have an advantage over
Governor Tilden in their long experience at
the national capital and more intimate ac-
ouantance with federal affairs. Their in
tegrity is equally high and unsullied. but
they have never had opportunities for ex-
hibiting that unsparing vigor in chastising
corruption which is the peculiar distinction
of Governor Tilden. If some new and more
astounding exposure should so kindle public
Indignation as to make reform the only
watchword las seems quite possible), the
name of Tilden would be the rallying cry of
the assailants Of corruption.
But SO far as the exposures have yet gone
there are no symptoms that they will efface
party lines or that they will even force the
republicans to put forward a candidate of
the type Of Mr. Bristow. If there should be
some tremendous explosion previous to the
Cincinnati Convention the republicans
might be compelled to take up Bristow as
the only means Of holding the party to-
gether; but nothing Of this kind is ex-
pected, and no competent judge on either
side believes the nomination of Bris-
tow possible. This proves that the
politicians of neither party think,
as yet, that reform will become the
all-engrossing issue on which alone the
Presidential election will turn. The fact
that sagacious politicians, republican and
democratic alike, believe the nomination of
Bristow impossible at Cincinnati, shows that
the present drift of public sentiment is not
favorable to making reform the exclusive
nor even the predominant issue but unless
it should overshadow all others the nomina-
ton of Governor Tilden at st. Louis will be
no more party necessity for the democrats
than that of Secretary Bristow ut Cincinnati
will be for the republicans Governor
Tlden's friends are not warranted at the
present stage of the canvass IN predicting
his nomination on that part of his
record in which he resembles Mr.. Bris-
tow. If reform should overtop all other
questions the inevitable candidates
would be Bristow on one side and
issue is concerned Mr. Bristow's chances are
an exact measure of Mr.. Tilden's Now, as
the best judges on both sides think Mr..
Bristow has no chance at all, the political
aspect must undergo change before Mr..
Tilden can make his record as q reformer a
confident ground of hope. AS we have al
ready remarked, it is possible that some
sudden and astounding revelation may
dwarf all other issues than reform; but
neither party expects it at present, and so
Governor Tiden's real strength consists in
the number Of delegates on which he can
securely count. In this respect he has
clear advantage over his democratic COM
pettors according to present appearances.
But politics is not a one-stringed instru-
ment, and the present canvass has chords
on which other candidates can play as well
as Governor Tilden. The question of local
ity is destined to play an important part in
the national conventions Of both parties,
and especially the democratic. 1t will
trouble Senator Conkling, and may prove
fatal to Governor Tllden. The dark
horse which will be suddenly entered Tor
the Cincinnati race is more likely to come
from the West than the East, and Mr.. Tilden
has still more to fear from Western opposi-
ton. In tho first place, the Western demo-
Gratis do not accept his views on the cur
rency. In the next place, every democratic
candidate for the Presidency since the be-
ginning of the war has been New York
man, and, Us they have all been lament
able failures, the West will say that
the omens do not favor q repetition of the