The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-05-27
REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION

erS, ii. -. BAKER, Of Alton, was ii""N Tvs
dent of the conve ntion, fanked by dozen
two of vice presidents and secretaries.
j, The conyep,ion was another beautiful illu
, tratIon of G. W. Curtlss machine politics.
T, Every thing was crtand.dried, fixed up,
ranged and placed in order in the caucu
room by the leaders before the conventlo
} met ana then, gathered and properly set u
in the hall, the machine" moved nix
clock work" at the bidding Of half doze
"wirc.pullers." However hot the outsld
fight may have been between Cullom an
Beveridge, Harlow and Scroggs, Lipplncot
and Needles, &c, there was not ripple OF
seen in the convention. Baker took the chat
and made his little speech; then the delegate
TO the national convention were appointed
then the presidential electors nominated
then governor, secretary OF state, auditor, &c
All had been so beautifully arranged in eau
Gus by the leaders that there was but on
ballot in each case, and when any uninitiatet
delegate IN naming his candidate, undertook
to support HIM by Il short speech, he was i'm
medlately choked down. The ticket thu
nominated is as follows:
Governor-Shelby NJ. CullJm.
Lieut.. Governor-Andrew Shuman
Sec of State-Geo. II. Harlow
Auditor of State-Thomas Needles
state Treasurer Ruiz.
Attorney General-Jas. X. Edsall
The defeat of Beverage was signal ant
overwhelming. His vote was but 1872 TO Cul
Ions 800 and Ridgcway's IS. He took II
good naturally, however, after his detea
walking arm In arm into the convention will
Cullom, and making cheerful speech, il
which he said he felt happier than he had
felt at any other time in the last six months
Franklin COrwin is the presidential electol
for this district and j. Evarts and &. n
ChiteDden whoever they may be- are the
convention.
The nominations we're succeeded by the
adoption of platform, and 1t is doing ii but
half justice to say that Of all state platforms
thus far adopted by any party, this was the
most scnselcss, pointless and discreditable.
One resolution compliments the President on
his earnest and successful efforts to purify
the public service" In the light of the
White House efforts to screen Belknap, Bah.
cock Shepherd, Schcnck, &c, and the recent
appointment of Cameron, this sounds like
1 49, 1ni
manly declaration on the currency question,
the resolve adopted drools out a sobbery eX.
preston in favor of "such a solution OF the
currency question as shall keep the credit of
the nation untarnished" Then the bloody
shirt Is raised and the shameless fasehoOd is
asserted that the leniency and forbearance
of the republican party has resulted in the
murder of 5000 good republican voters at the
south since the era Of reconstruction; and
then the no less mcndacious and disgraceful
assertion Is added, that "the election this fall
will determine the question of the continued
preservation (by the success of the repub
licans) or possible overthrow (by the success
of their opponents) of constitutional liberty"
The ticket nominated is not o strong one
Cullom at best is a "trickey little cuss," and
then there are ugly rumors of his connection
with the Harper deialcation and Pekin whis
ring which may crystallze into sold evi-
dence during the campaign and blow HIM up
like an explosion of giant powder
ohuman, of the Chicago JOurndl tor Lieu.
tenant Governor, is as good a nomination as
could have been made; and the ticket is
by the denomination of Harlow
for Secretary of State. He is a GENIAL pleas
ant gentleman and discharged his duties so
uprightly and acceptably during his first
term as TO deserve the compliment of re.
though the disappointment of
ScroggS and his friends, who labored SO hard
to defeat him, may lose Harlow many votes
Edsall made a very respectable attorney
general, though the people of Ottawa will re.
member him for his shabby action in the
matter of locating the idiot asylum at Lincoln,
and will be apt to scratch his name pretty
freely
The balance of the candidates are of very
little account. Ruiz and Needles were put
on solely To appease the German vote, with.
out any special reference to their qualfica.
tons, which are conceded to be Indifferent
Having lodged the revenue, financial, civil
service reform, and other live issues In their
platform, the convention also played hide and
seek on the presidential question, sending
their delegates 10 Cincinnati without Instruc.
tions, though it is understood the delegates
stand for Blame on the first ballot TO a man,
unless, before the convention, somebody else
can make higher bid for their support, for
it must be understood as constitutional
Characteristic OF the party that it is always
ION the make
Either Marshal Campbell is the champion
political greenhorn of the day, or he must