The daily gazette., 1879-07-03

What ssThe NatiOn'' says Of Mr.
Bayard.
From tho N V WorId

What ''The Nation says Of Mr.
Bayard.
From the N. Y. World, yesterday.
There is, however, one point in regard
to which the Democratic party at this
opening OF new political chapter may
well take lesson from its enemy, and
that is the freedom, publicity and good
temper with which the Republicans COM
pare and balance the respective merits
of their aspirants for the Presidency. In
the Democratic party, if prominent
statesman like Mr.. Hendricks states
his mind plainly on that point promi-
nent Democratic journalist straightway
calls him ga fool" Republican journals,
on the contrary, like the Herald and
Hdyper's Weekly, offer their objections
to the candidacy of General Grant with
perfect civilty towards him, and Repub-
lican journals criticise the pretentions
without assailing the character of Sher-
man or Blaine or Conkling. In the
Democrat party disposition has been
growing up, which must be checked, to
look upon fair consideration of the
relative strength of different Democratic
candidates as kind OF treason to De-
mocracy.
AS matters now stand the South will
control the Democratic nomination in
1880 if it presents to the Northeast and
to the West popular statesman as q
candidate who is in the vigor of life, who
has been tried and tested in public af-
fairs, and who in his personal and pub
lie career has satisfied the critical judg-
ment Of those unattached voters who
occupy free zone between both parties
and who will decide the next Presiden-
tial struggle. This being the case, how
important it is that the South should be
enabled to form correct opinions as to
the kind OF Democratic candidate whom
snch voters will support in 1880. The
South ought not to be left, and will not
consent be left if it is fit for its high mis-
sion in 1880, to subterTanean opinions
whispered about by mere machine poll
ticians already pledged to the fortunes
Of wire-pul'ing principal. The "boys''
AS they are famIliarly called in party
lingo-will vote the regular ticket what
ever names are on it, but there are not
"boys' enough in either party to win.
| Who shall command converts from the
other party and recruits from votes who
swear fealty to no party? 1t is of these
that the South needs to inquire. Never
has the free zone OF voters been so full
now. Thousands upon thousands in
the East and West are literally son the
| fence.' With such voters the South is
on trial. They are waiting and watch
ing to see in what spirit the South is to
WELD in 1880 its tremendous power in
this nation.
Let clear-headed Southern men con-
slider what is said on this subject in a re-
cent paragraph about Mr.. Bayard in the
Nation a journal which speaks for large
bound to the chariot wheels of any par
ty:
''It probably makes more true than
ever the saying that of all the men now
in prominent life he would probably be
| the easiest to elect to the Presidency, but
that he would probably be the hardest OF
them all to nominate. No Democrat
would draw off so much of what is best
among the Democrats, and it is quite
certain that any candidate with whom
the managers ON either side are entirely
satisfied will win by so close vote as to
make the count a source of well-found-
ed anxiety"
Now if this be true how is it that the
candidate who would be ''easiest to elect"
is s'hardest to nominate? The Nation
intimates that the Democratic ''mana-
gers" are not satisfied" with him. But
on the theory of the party managers,
both Democratic and Republican, it is
the South that is to be satisfied. Mr..
Sherman is said to be using the Treasury
to manage in his own interest the South
ern Republican delegates to the next Re-
publican national convention, and rival
Northeastern and Western aspirants in
the Democratic party expect the South
ern delegates to shut their eyes and open
their mouths and take what may be sent
them. 1t will not be surprising if the
Southern delegates astonish both conven-
tions in 1880 by thinking for themselves,
as becomes men who have serious inter
ests to protect by the Presidential nomi-
nations of that year. Obviously what
Southern Democrats now need most of
all is the building up of Democratic
party in the North which shall commend
itself to all classes and all interests in
the North as the peer in character and
in capacity of the Republican party.
"Let the dead past of 1876, as of 1850,
bury its dead" should now be the motto
of Southern statesmen who would see
reviving business, reviving prosperity
and reviving fraternity. Let the South
inquire what the business men and the
educated classes of the North look for in
Presidential candidate, and not what
the party managers seek to bring about
for their own selfish purposes.