New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-07
PRESIDENT-MAKING.
PENNSYLVANIA AT THE CONVENTIONS

= - ,,,re,nrNT-GOv. TILDENs NUM-
NATION STRONGLY OPPOsED-bLAiNN NM
TOW THE REPUBLICAN CANDipAIES'
,xnou ,rAyF coRRssPoSDEST OF THE Tribune
-,,.nn,sn,,,o Penn. Jan. 6.-Five months oerore
,bo National Conventions are heid J.. ouEn' y,
go, 20 ascertain from the members OF q o.a" i
,.Ia,ure fresh from their homes the drft OF opiio"
.non0 the people Of State as to PresiuenI'di 0a"
d;dates. If the members have positive Pioh',
.,ces il is fair to suppose that 'no P0oP
generally have made up ther hInu' -
tbox have none, and say they iednS ~
Nv who would be the best man. OF
"ho,,or,t Thought much about the matter one
nov copcude that public opinion has not yet tlKen
51snito shane Among the Democratic members
- Iecislature of this State there is mo UNITY Oh
s1.',i.,out On the question: and not much positive
o,vict ion EXPRESSED in favor OF any mih dr. .no
,,os+ desirable candidate. pretty strong negative
sr.s.r;nat;op EXISTS however. They do not know
- .hoy are for, but they know whom
thev are against. They are opposed 10 "o''
Tldon This feeling is almost universal III pTooapy
"a not 40 noticeable in the tier OF counties porueIlns
unop New-York; but those counties are all hepuoh-
Fan. and Of course have no one mere W sPo"A ioi
nta;, democratic citizens. Among the members
from west of the mountains and from the Du'ch
.onnties in the East the hostility is particularly
80 II is CHARGED that Gov. Tilden and his
t.onds connassed the defeat of the Democrats IN
Ohio and Pennsylvania last FAN, and that the party
in those two States would be justified in taking Its
,o,enoe nv slaugbtering him in the Convention. IL
10 M wonder that the soft money men, who have not
vet recovered from their anger and morthcatloh,
sbould cherish such feelings; but when We. nhu
Tho bard-money Democrats. who cursed the folly OF
their Marty last Fall, and mdJrsed fully the plat
form of their brethren i'll New-Iork, unwllhhg 10
support Tilden we must look for some explanation
81 their attitude outside of the currency question 1t
rrobably is occa.oned by n rooted distrust OF the
New-Yorb Democrats and remembrance of the de-
fests that have followed whenever they have swayed
q National Convention. The Democratic parties in
the two great States of the Union have seldom been
In accord as TO either platform candidates They
will NOT mil together in the convention this year
unless considerations Of expediency lead the Penn
sylvanians to cease their opposition TO Gov llden'
The prevailing sentiment among Eastern members
favors Senator Bayard, but all hands doubts are
expressed of his availability. " He has two small
constituency at his back" remarked one member;
"He comes from the wrong side of Mason ana
Dixon's line" said another. These two objections
are the only ones urged. Except for them he would
possess it is admitted every qualification desirable
In a candidate. The members from beyond the
Alleghenies and from the lumber regions are almost
unanimous in their preference for Gov
Hendricks. They are much more positive
In expressing their preference than are the
Bayard men, Hendricks represents their views on the
money question perfectly. They do not want an
out-and-out indatonist like Gov. William Allen, be-
cause they fear that bugaboo, tho money-power of
the East" candidate who is usually on the fence,
but occasionally puts leg down on the soft-money
side suits them exactly II the Pennsylvania dele
Gates 10 the Democratic National Convention were
TO be elected at once, have no doubt that ma
iortv of them would be for Hendricks, and 1t would
surprise me if Tilden had single supporter There
might De two OF three delegates with leanings
toward him. but they would be controlled by the
Others
To test the tenacity of the opposition to Coy Til
den sometimes ask men who have been expressing
themselves very strongly against hun whether they
Think they can elect Democratic President without
New-YOrk. If they know much about national poll
tics they usually concede that New-York is the Key
to the position. Do you think Hendricks OF Bay
ard could carry the statei" The reply always ex-
presses doubt.
"Well suppose you were convinced that Tilden Is
the only candidate named who would be certain to
carry it-what then ~
1--WE should have to support him" is the reluctant
answer.
This, then, is the attitude of the Pennsylva-
MA Democrats: They are for Hendricks Bay
ard, Thurman, Gen. Hancock, or almost any
body in preference to Ilden, but they will give up
their prejudice rather than clear hazard of de-
feat Satisfy them that without New-York they
lose the battle and that without Tilden they lose
New-York, and they are for Tilden. What have
said above applies to the general run of Democratic
members who have not thought seriously on the
ouestion and have NOT therefore enlisted under the
banner of any particular candidate definite pro-
gramme has been mapped out by the leaders of the
Wallace wing of the party, but it has not yet been
communicated to the rank and file. The plan is to
throw the vote of Pennsylvania in the Convention
for Gov Hendricks in return for the Western vote
for ex-Gov. Curtin for Vce-President. 1t is
shrewd and carefully-laid scheme and is worthy
of the anxious consideration of Gov Tilden's friends
1t contemplates shifting the battle-ground from
New-York to Pennsylvania, carrying the latter
State by the "Old War Governors" popularity, risk
ing the loss of the former insurng Indiana, and
making push for Ohio and Wisconsin. The lllden
slate figures ont victory by the union of the South
the East, and the Pacific coast: the Hendricks and
Curtin slate arrives at the result by adding to
the vote of the South that of Pennsylvania aud In
diana and taking the chances of carrying one OF two
Of the close Western States. There is good reason
for stating that Senator Wallace is using his great
talent for organizing political movements to forward
this scheme, and for believing that Gov. Curtin had
1t in view when he surprised his friends by taking
the stump for Allen last October.
Among the Republicans there begin to be strong
preferences shown, but preindices. Il is Blaine
or BristOw with them. A few months ago Mr.. Blame
was almost without rival in the affections of the
Pennsylvania Republicans. but now the Secretary
Treasury has a iued