New-York tribune., 1876-07-08
T1IE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.
, prvIFW OF ITS WORK.

C.NVASS FOR TILDEN NOlfo-A N'''-DH'''S
FENDER BY TIE HARD-MoNEY MEN,
tr,ox THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TElBushI
'U,suIxGroy. July 5-The st. Louis Convention
o whole was a very respectable body OF men ana
81, ronrcsented the best elements iii the Demo
ratio Marty. Young men who have grown to man
hood since the close of the war; and who therefore,
oro not hound by ante-bellum traditions, seemed 10
hove COZ control of the party machinery, In many OF
h States and when they did not select as delegates
q, ,epresept them in the National Convention some OF
tbeirown number they did ut least send men OF high
nersonal character and respcctabillty, VINO nave
been identified with the liberal and progressive
ideas. winch, in 1872 ard since. have gained some
foothold in the Democratic party. The preponder-
ance of young blood in tie Convention was strik-
;nry shown by the selection Of Henry NJ. Wattersoh
of The Louisville Coarier-Journdl, a man who has
done moro than any other Southern editor 30 bFeah
down sectional prejudice in the South and 70 bring
his marty face To face with the living issues Oh tho
day 70 be temporary chairman. The defeat OF H. W.
Perrin who had served six consecutive DeihooI''io
Conventions as reading clerk, was also duc ~ hlu0h
20 a fixed determination on the part OF ,ho man
ayers 70 avoid repeating the blundoiS OF the party
in the past and to demonstrate not ohiy the WIN
but the ability of the reconstructed porloh oi 'io
party TO control its organization III INC iu'uio'
CHARACTER OF The DELEGATES.
&c familiar to the country as household words
onarter of a century ago. and who, like true bOur-
hons a they are neither forget nor learn anything
turned I'D at St. Louis as they have bcenwont to DO
at every National Democratic Convention since tbey
departed political fe but their familiar faces Were
less numerous, even, than they were at baithhoio
four wears ago. and their cracked and squeahihg
voices were drowned by those OF The younger men,
But it must not he supposed that the influence OIL al
those whose political career began before lSoo was
o,posed TO o wise and liberal policy. Tic louhg
Democracy which held the reins OF the convention
and cidcd it with great success until after the NOM
inaton of Gov. Tilden, bad the sympathy and sup
mort of many, especially from the South, who when
they were younger witnessed more than one triumph
of the Democratic party and shared IN the fruits OF
them
No one could study the personnel Of the Conyen-
fion without discovering that the Democratic party
has enlisted some recruits during the past four years
and that few of them have rapidly risen TO places
of great influence IN the party organization. Inc
,oaioritv of these men were Liberal Republicans III
1872 and like Lieut.-Gov. DOTsheimer have never
since been in accord with Gen. Grants Admlnistra-
tion but a few of them have since been driven from
tbe Republican ranks by the blunders and iniqutes
of Grantism The influence of this class III the Con
yention was almost without exception good. 1t IS
but Dorsheimer with even greater ability and
earnestness was the champion of those
who stood by the principles OF honest
currency. Those who were formerly Liberals, and
who at st. Louis appeared for the first time IN
National Democratic Convention, carried with them
the principles for which they cCntendcd III 1872
and if they did not fully succeed in committing the
Democracy to their support they did at least exert
avery strong influence both in the selection OF the
leading candidate and in securing the recognition OF
sound principles i'll the platform.
Respectable itself, both in character and ability
the surroundings of the Convention were not of
kind to bring dscredit upon the party. The Great
Unwashed Democracy" not numerOusly rep
resented either among the rel resentatives those
who went to st. Louis simply rs witnesses OF the
contest or as workers IN the interest of the
respective candidates. Some of the professional
politicians Of New-York, representing both
the Tilden and the anti-Tilden factions did
what they could to disgust people with
the cause they labOred for by their loud talking ana
Bowery manners; but taken rs a WHOLE the impress
sion they made was not unfavCrabe as that pro-
duced by the "Custom-house gang" which went to
Cincinnati in Senator Conklings interest. Some OF
the New-YOrk Aldermen who at st. Louis sus
tanned the unenyiabe reputation of that august
body by engaging in drunken fights and falling into
the hands Of the police, bat tie political managers
Oh each side did everything i'll their power to sup
press their own rowdes and the result was cOmpar-
atively little drunkenness and excellent order
throughout the city during the whole time of the
Convention. Political discussion at all times ran
high, and yet in very few instances only did men
come to blows. In single it reported
that a New-York Tammany man drew a pistol
upon a ST. Louis politician by way Of emphasis of
his point against the nomination of Gov. Tilden.
Although was "A witness OF the alteration I saw
no weapons and none certainly were used. When it
is remembered that there were in st. Louis during
the Convention at least ten Thousand Democratic
politicians, more than eleven hundred of them
being accommodated in one hotel, the Lindel tho
behavior of the crowds must be admitted to ave
been remarkably good.
THE CANVASS FOR Mr.. TILDEN.
Gov Tilens canvass was conducted mainly by
young men, and the perfect system with which they
went about their work, the skill they displayed
in performing It, proved that they had taken lessons
in political management from one who
compshcd master of the art. The opposition
prised some of the most experienced politicians in
their in any party, whom shrewd
political managers havo rarely dared to antagOnIze
and whose influence at st. Louis was the more
powerful and dsheartening because it demonstrated
the existence of a dangerous schism in tho Demo-
cratic party Of Ncw-York. and not only threw
doubt on the result of the election in that State in
the event of Mr. Tilden's nomination, but gave rise
10 suspicion that the tendency Of his policy is TO
divide rather than to unite the party at the head of
which ho stands. But the young mon who wont to
ST. Louis TO nominate Gov. Tilden met this oppOsi-
ton face to face Oh its own ground, and after a
battle which waged incessantly for five days,
during which every inch OF the ground fought over
was heTccly disputed, won a complete victory over