The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-14
THE NATION

| With the nomination of full State ticket
in Pennsylvania, the Nationalist, the long
| looked for third party, seem TO have stepped
boldly into the political field. The action Of
| the Pennsylvania National Convention caused
considerable surprise at the North, and there
is scarcely Northern paper that has not III
editorial on this subject. The convention
consisted of two distinct clements Green
hackers and Workingmen, with q slight
sprinkling Of Socialists and Communists
AS there was no bond of union between these
opposing elements, it was thought that a
split or difference Of some kind would Ger
tainly break out in the convention. In this
prediction the papers wore completely at
fault. 1t was also confidently expected that
if this split did not occur the Nationalist
would at least form an alliance of some kind
with one of the other older parties Acting
upon this theory, the Republicans offered
them very liberal terms. but the offer was
most emphatically refused.
In the matter Of nominations, also, the
Nationalists consistently refused all alliances
of any kind. There were three leading candi-
dates for Governor before tho convention a
Republican, q Democrat and a Greenbacker
The first two We're in strict accord with the
Nationalists In all of their ideas and principles.
and were perfectly willing to accept the plat
form which the convention framed, but decin-
ed to leave, nomnally at least, the old party
organizations to which they belonged. There
was no doubt that had the convention chosen
either of these candidates the Nationalist
would have obtained through them large and
respectable vote from the other parties. With
remarkable courage and Independence how
ever, for SO young party, they declined
tho tempting bats thus offered them, and in
sisted on minating q man who, though
much less influential than the other two was,
at least, not ashamed TO call himself Nation
aist. This action, while It undoubtedly
mpairs their chances of success, will help
to crysta)ize and unite tho discordant Gle
mcnts represented by the delegates to this
convention into a real party. 1t stands in
favorable contrast with the action of the older
parties in Pennsylvania which seem always
ready to form most dishonorable alliances
with any and all cliquet that show DISPOSE
tion to help the in their struggles for the
spoiIs. Tho conclusion reached by the North
crn press in its estimate of the work of the
convention Is that the Nationalists, while
throwing away all chances of success for the
present, have succeeded in organizing what
appears to be party with distinct purposes
and principles.
They themselves have generally given up
the hope which they once confidently en-
tortaned of carrying Pennsylvania; but
their chances of partial success elsewhere
are quite bright for SO young a party.
The executive committee OF the party, which
met in New York last week, has Just summed
up the expected Nationalist vote in various
sections of the country, and there seems to
be good reason to believe that most of these es-
Inmates are not far from the truth. The party
is already fairly organized in Maine. Con-
necticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana.
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and California.
In Connecticut the Nationalists expect to poll
$4,000 votes; In Maine 25,O00 in New York
100000, and in Pennsylvania 100000 They
already hold the balance of power in the
Legislature Of Wisconsin and expect to do as
well in Pennsylvania and Michigan this fall
In Illinois, also, they look forward to electing
large portion OF the Legislature. In Cali
fornia, where delegates to a constitutional
convention are to be elected they count. on
electing one-thrd Of the delegates and thus
partially controlling the action Of the con
yention.
"Our weakness" said the secretary of this
committee to q reporter, "is in the South,
where, with the exception of Missouri, there
is not single National club or organization
of any kind
The claims Of The Nationalist can scarcely
be considered as wild boasting since the
papers generally admit that they are not
much exaggerated. But, be that as it may
If this now party should succeed this year in
any one State. it will be able to boast of
greater success than has attended any party
in the first year of its political life.