The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-12-30

81 -
sosDAy S.. EaIBERs se 1875
Mr.. Thurman. ~ :sissss!
we have thought for aornc time, aud have
aasa more than once, that; Ms. THURMAN y Is
st,e MAJ, who will probably be tho nominee
"a s,,e nexts Democratic National ssenyesi-
J ton. He Is the most learned lawyer 10 tine
United States Senate, unless Mr. EDMuSps
NAV be his equal. He Is a man Of liberal
cn,tnre. He ID q statesman OF enlarged
Views and wide horizon. BE Is q man OF
exceeding great prude mot :" 9. rascaily
yirtne', ID his case. He Is not 3 S gold
bug y nor g greenback lunatic." He IS .
fair representative of the popular creed
upor, financial questions. He has consented
to tie idea that the Government rather
shan the banks should issue all the
currency OF the couDtry--an Idea which
has Vet to receive the popular sane
ton; bu. he placed bis acquiesence partly
upon the fact that the present system
could not be continued after the public debt
was all paid off, inasmuch as there would
then be no. Government bonds upon which
to base characterization; and partly upon
the assumption that the Government would
save money by the change. He also to9k
pains to let IL be known that ne was not
willing to do anything that would interfere
with the business interests Of the country,
but would favor very gradual substitu-
ton Of greenbacks. for bank notes, issuing
the former only in place OF the notes
OF banks whose charters had expired
BY limitation OF law. In fact, his
whole course during the Ohio campaign
OF 1878, as well as all his antecedenfs
as q Democrat, shows that so far Is ne from,
being greenback luuatic that he really
holds all advocates Of nat money in con-
tempt. Some people have thought that he
conceded too much to the greenbackers;
but we are inclined to say with one OF the
shreW dest Of our New York contempoFa-
ries, that he is entitled to the popular graft
tude for having switched off the peoples
train from dangerous track to track
which, il not the best, is at least one upon.
which the country may travel without peril
to its dearest interests. We know Mr.. THUg-
MAN to be sound on the financial question;
and we are ready and willing to trust him
in the presidential chair, though we may.
not approve all Of his recent utterances.
started out to introduce the following
paragraph, which is taken from the New
York Tribune: ..,.
WASHINGTON, December 26.-The Demo-
cratic party of Ohio is in bad quandary.
The best-informed politicians have come to-
the conclusion that no one Of their public
men, except Senator Thurman, can be-
elected to the governorship next year.-To
his refusal to allow his name to be used they
reply that IL he is unwilling to risk anything
for the party he cannot expect to have line
support o. Ohio Democrats in the next Ma
tional Convention. One Of the latest CON-
plications In the controversy seems to be
that the soft-mohey Democrats are
Joining in the demand that Senator
Thurman shall run, not because they
like him, but because they think his sudden
adoption OF the doctrines OF the greenback-
ers Just before the last campaign may en-
able him 10 run better on a moderate green
back platform, which it is their purpose to
insist upon in the State Convention, than
men who have been more radical in their
views. On the other hand, many OF Mr..
Thurman's friends declare that he cannot
afford to run on soft-money platform at all,
and shall not, since to do that in advance OF
the National Convention would turn the
eastern Democracy against him. Taking all
things into consideration, it now seems pro-
bable that Mr.. Thurman will have to yield;
to the pressure and to accept the nomination.
il the Democratic leaders decide that he is
their strongest candidate.
Mr.. THuRMAN's sagacity, it thus appears,
is evident even to the soft-money Demo
Gratis OF Ohio who now see That he was
wiser than EWING and VOORHEES, and the
rest Of the would-be leaders who had been
seized with tie greenback craze. Mr..
THURMAN ought, we are inclined to think,
to accept the nomination for the governor
ship OF Ohio. II he cannot be elected to
that Office, no Democrat can. Ii elected,
he would be as good as nominated for the
presidency. II weak man be nominated
and defeated, his defeat will as effectually
kill off THURMAN as would bis own defeat.
He cannot separate himself from his party
in respect Of this matter. The man who
can certainly carry Ohio Is the man who
can certainly carry the Democratic National
Convention. The failure Of any Democrat
to carry Ohio in 1870 will operate Just as
disastrously upon Mr.. THURMAN's fortunes |
in 1880 as il that failure had been made by
himself. .'i
Itwould seem to be pretty certain, there
fore, that Mr.. THURMAN will be the next
Democratic candidate for Governor OF Ohio.
He will run upon platform that the south
ern Democrats will be willing to stand upon
in 1880, and, if successful, will be the Demo-
cratic nominee for President that year.
! # $3.50
We beg leave to inform the Wing $50 that
1t may publish no more such libeIlous let
tiers as the one which appeared first on its
third page Saturday, that the Dispatch has
never in one single instance published a let |
ter which purported to be other than it was.
We have never published letter purport-
ing to be written by some one else which
was written by ourselves.
The letter alluded to by the Whig's cor
was written by CARTER NJ. LOU
THAN, Esq, formerly Of Clarke county, Va,
now residing in Missouri, and was signed