The New York herald., 1879-12-18
The Locality or the Republican Com
ventiOn.


There were sufficient attractions to select
Chicago as the locality for the Republican
National Convention of 1880, aside from
purely political motives, as Mr.. Roots
proposal of the place to the Republican
National Committee eloquently sets forth.
Free beds and free board to the COM
mltteemen-free printing, free clerk
ing, a free hall and almost free
beer to the delegates were promised
by him with bewildering rapidity and
although the successive proposers of Gin
cinnati, Indianapolis, Saratoga and Phila-
delphia vainly strove to rival these induce
ments the committee never recovered from
Mr. Roots vigorous onset Chicago was
approved by large majority. So
far as this selection helps or harms
the prospects of General Grant, Senator
Blaine or Secretary Sherman, perhaps the
latter has some cause for chagrin. General
Grants friends can boast that Illinois is
the State where he nominally resides and
Chicago is the city where he was nominated
for his first term. Mr.. Blaine's can recall
with pride that the vote of Illinois was per-
sistently cast for him in the convention of
1876. But we perceive no special satisfac-
tion for Mr.. Sherman's friends save such
as may be derived from the belief that the
financial opinions of the chief business cir
cles of Chicago are pretty sound. Politically
the two theories on which the place for
national convention is deemed important
are that it necessarily helps the party vote in
a doubtful State, and that the local atmos-
phere is very influential in determining
the nomination. But the first theory is
liable to be unsound and the second
to be exaggerated. If a convention
is quarrelsome its acrimony may do
the party special harm where it is
exhibited; and we remember none in re-
cent years, save the Republican Ma
tional Convention at Chicago in 1860,
in which the place certainly had
much to do with tho choice between
candidates, unless we should allow that
Mr.. Hayes luck was assisted by the fact
that the Republican Convention of 1876
was held in the State of Ohio. So far as
the local atmosphere of Cincinnati had any
influence in the latter year, however, it
was unmistakably exerted for Mr.. Bristow
and without the slightest effect upon the
ultimate result SO far as he was concerned.
In the same year Mr.. Tilden gave a great
deal Of attent ton to working up local senti-
ment in st. Louis in his own behalf, but we
doubt whether he gained any benefit corre-
spending with the effort and the expendi-
ture it involved. If he had taken no care
and spent no money upon the populace of
St. Louis he would have secured a nomina-
ton by means of his other appliances just as
surely. The controlling members ofnational
conventions are resolute and self-suficient
men who assemble usually to execute pur-
poses and not to form them. The local at
mosphere seldom is OF much account in
warping delegates from pledges made or
instructions received at home, though it
may come actively into play after those
pledges and instructions are exhausted
and the Convention is confronted with an
unanticipated situation. Recurring again
to the Republican Convention of 1876,
q single delegate from adherence to Mr..
Blaine. though the Bristow demonstrations
greatly annoyed Mr.. Blaine's friends, as
Mr. Fryes speech in the republican COM
mittee acknowledges. AS between the two
parties in 1880 the contingencies which
may give the place OF the meeting q vital
influence upon the nominations are much
more liable to occur with the democrats than
with the republicans.