The New York herald., 1876-09-02
The Democratic Crisis.

the HERALD yesterday morning how It's State
Convention had been duped and the public
imposed upon by the deliberate falsehood
of the committee appointed to wait on
Mr. Seymour battles description The
first impulse of democrats was to
make q stout denial of the truth OF
our dispatches. and even republicans
received the news at first with more or less
incredulity, doubling whether fraud and
folly could reach so amazing pitch. But
as the day wore on denials were found to
be vain and doubts ridiculous in the face Of
the food Of contirmatory evidence that kept
pouring in from Utica, from Saratoga, from
Albany. and the inability of tho futtering
and panic-stricken democrats to procure
any contradiction of the news. Long be-
fore night the whole public had settled
down into n full belief that the reports were
true and that the democratic party lay gasp
ing in most alarming and critical condition.
During the day and evening every kind Of
influence and pressure was mainly brought
to bear on Mr.. Seymour to induce him to
change his determination. The authors of
these frantic efforts had 80 little expectation
of success that they avowed their purpose to
keep Mr.. Seymours name ut the head of
the ticket in any event-with his consent. if
it could be extorted, but in defiance of his
fat refusal if he should prove inexorable.
| If this wild resolution should be carried
out the success of tho democratic party would
be past praying for It would cover the
whole canvass with transparent garment of
fraud and trickery. Under the pretence of
running Seymour for the Governorship the
party would be really running Dorsheimer,
initiating the foolish ostrich, which
hides its head in the sand while
leaving its body exposed. If tho
ticket should be elected and the Cover
nor refuse to qualify the Lieutenant Cover
nor would, Of course, succeed to the Office.
Do the democratic leaders imagine that any
citizen Of the State is such an utter idiot rs
not to know that he would be really voting
to make Dorsheimer Governor when he de-
posted ballot for Seymour and Dorshei-
mer with the certainty that Seymour would
not serve if elected? If Dorsheimer is to
be the candidate for Governor let him be
made SO by the formal action of the democratic
| party. LII Is lupOSSlDlt tuut DOISAelMcH
should sneak into Office behind the garments
of bogus candidate. The people prefer
oponness and plain dealing; they would
resent as an insult to their understand
ings On attempt to trick them into voting for
| Dorsheimer under the shamming pretence
that they were voting for Seymour. '1n
vain is the net spread in the sight of every
| +: >:~J IN
place of Seymour the democratic ticket
will be covered with popular scorn
and hooted into deserved and disgrace
full defeat Gullible as some classes of
voters may be, they cannot be bamboozled
by so stupid o trick as that which is now
proposed. Seymour will be dead weight
in the canvass, fatally handicapping the
ming him against his absolute refusal. So
desperate and utterly ruinous policy will
be abandoned as soon as the party
leaders become capable of cool reflec-
ton and q calm survey of the stu
alton. But what will then be done?
1t is impossible to predict what
egregious new folly this demented and
demoralized party may be capable of perpe-
trating; but if the leaders recover their
senses sufficiently to act with any approach
to discretion they will nominate q new
candidate for Governor. Whether this
should be done by the State Committee or
by reassembling the State Convention is n
question not easily decided. If this we're o
mere ordinary or accidental vacancy in the
ticket it might be properly filled by the
State Committee, in accordance with party
usage But it differs from all ordinary cases
in the fact that the Convention was deceived
and was entnpped into adjourning without
making new nomination by false informa-
ton. If it had not been deliberately i'm
posed upon it might have saved the party
from the derision and humiliation into
which it has been plunged by dishonest
suppression Of facts which it was entitled to
know Honor and fairness require that
it should be put back into the
position in which it would have
stood on Thursday morning if it had
not been grossly deceived by deliberate
and unscrupulous false statements But,
on the other hand, the Convention could
not be reassembled without exciting bitter
controversies and angry recriminations, and
it might be fatally damaging to wash such
heap Of dirty linen in public. The most
quiet way to rectify this tremendous mis-
take would be by the action of the State
Committee, which might consult in secret
session and present new candidate with
out exciting passionate and demora-
izing controversies. The more quietly this
disgraceful scandal can be hushed up the
better for the democratic party, and for this
| raacon a new nomination by the State Com