Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-12-24
STRONG MEN.

General Garfield is reported to have
recently sad; "Bayard is strong
man, and one who would bring out
certain strength that no other Demo
crat could reach. He is too much of
man all around for the Democrats.
He is not the kind of man they gen.
orally nominate for tho great Offices in
theirparty." II General Garfield really
did give utterance TO the language
here attributed to him, General Gar.
field insulted the good sense of the
American people. Bayard certainly
is strong man. He is undoubtedly, |
both mentally and morally, the super
Tor of any Republican whose name has
been mentioned in connection with the
Presidency, with any prospect Of him
achieving it, during at least twelve
years. The four foremost Republicans
of the hour are Grant, Conkling, Blaine
and Sherman. With either of this
quartettc Bayard is far beyond com
parison. But Bayard's nomination
would for that very reason be pro.
cedure exactly consistent with all
Democratic precedents 1t is the habit
of the Democrats to nominate "ior the
great Offices" just that kind of strong
men. No better material for Presi.
dental duties and responsibilities has
been offered the porple since the cen
tury began, than is that of which
Horatio Seymour is made. Mcclellan
has, and GreelY e % more of the es-
sential qualit sg 80 es55r & Sesrnanship than
could be Gre 'sinto dozen such
heads and hearts as Grants. And
Tilden, with all his faults, is vastly
more the man in every respect than
Hayes.
But to more fully determine the
question as TO which of the two parties
is most disposed to go TO its best men
for candidates for high offices, let US
look back few years, and consider
the nominations that have been re-
spectively made for the Governorship
Of Pennsylvania. There was no better
man in the State, measured as to his
mental stature, or by the most rigid
code of moral ethics, than was Hon.
George W. Woodward, who was An
drew Curtins opponent in 1863. In
1866 the candidates were John W.
Geary and Hester Clymer-the former
a mediocre man in all things--to put
it mildly, seeing that he has passed
from earth, and that we are hidden to
speak kindly of the dead--in compari.
son with whom Mr.. Clymer was an
intellectual giant. Gcary's opponent
in 1889 was Asa Packer. Where could
his party have gone for citizen dc.
serving more of this State, or OF whom
more could with reason have been ex-
pected, had he been chosen its Chief
Magistrate. Yet Geary beat them
both. IN 1872 Charles r. Buckalew
was pitted by tho Democrats against
John +. Hartranft. Buckalew is known
personally to many Of our readers a
learned man, learned in statecrait, "a
man with mind OF his own aud capa.
BILE OF acceptably acquitting himself Of
the highest responsibilities man of
unsmirched honor. Yet Hartranft an
accident Of the war, lawyer in name
only, wanting even the faculty of
being sociable, was elected over him
by nearly $4,000 majority. Three
years later Cyrus l.. Persbing was the
Democratcstandar bearer--an homes;
man, an upright judge, broad.guaged
citizen in every particular-but he was
almost as badly worsted Us was Bucka-
low, and by the same opponent And
who will say that in the last contest
the Democratic candidate was in any
moral or mental sense the inferior OF
the Republican candidate7 Henry NJ.
Hoyt stands head and shoulders above
either of his two predecessors in the
Governorship but Andrew IL. Dill is
at least his peer in all things needed
to constitute faithful and safe Gov
ernor, and it is not at all disparaging
to Mr.. Hoyt TO add that in some of
those things, Dill IS very much his
superior.
Certainly in Pennsylvania the kind
OF men the Democrats generally nom
mate for the great Offices are ''strong
men" and such will be found to be the
rule in all tho States. Now and then
weak men are foisted upon its conven.
tions, but that misfortune is not visited
upon the party at all frequently.
And strong man" will be the
Presidential nominee OF the Democrats
in 1880, whether it be Bayard, sey-
nour, Hancock, Thurman, Parker,
Davis, Palmer, Field or Church. They
are oil strong men-big brMned, ex-
perienced, patriotic and clean handed.
There is no popinjay among them like
Conkling. None have ever been &C
cusod of selling their official influence
to corporations for gain, as has Blaine.
Mono are guilty of having become
enormously rich from years service
in Congress at 5000 per year, or Of
having been at different times on all
sides Of the great political question Of
the day, as Sherman has. And we
are safe in sayNxc haSno one of them,
if elected, would Tor the a himself with
Babcocks, aid Belkuaps, and Robe
sons, and Landaulot Willis -, and
corrupt whiskcy and Indian and army
Rings, as did Grant Some Of them
are not strong, perhaps, in the politi-
clans meaning of the word, but they
arc strong in all the elements that
combine to make men good and great.
JVRkes Barre Leader.