Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-07-13

whose names were before the Cincinna-
ii convention, men could be found who
II elected to the Presidency, would sub
ordinate, or desire to subordinate, civil
authority to military power in this
country II so the Senator would, to be
consistent, be obliged to bestow upon
those Democratic leaders few OF the
snathemas that he has with such ven
ON, been hurting at the Republican
party. Would not the Senator indig-
nantly deny, is there Democrat in
the land who would not deny, that any
Of the candidates before the Cincinnati
convention would, under any drcum-
stances, subordinate civil authority to
military powsrs Ifso what becomes OF
the reason assigned by the Senator
why General Hancock, out Of so many
aspirsnts, was selected as the candi-
date? Does II not fall to the ground
Can 1t be accepted by intelligent and
honest men3 is it not empty talk?
The task has been too great. The
Senator has failed to explain. We drop
the mastery presentation Of the is
sues Of the present campaign" and re-
luctantly agree with the Senator when
he says: "Fsllow citizens this has been
but lame address,
But, before Diminishing the subject, 1t
lie only fair that the Senator's attention
should he drawn TO what strikes the
average intellect as q little inconsistency
in his address. Perhaps future
explanation will remove it. Speaking
of the nomination of General Garfield
by the Chicago convention, the Senator
says: "Those Kings of the lobby,
the railway managers, the great
corporations, ..Subsidists, we're all
there, and thus between their quar-
rels they dropped upon a comparatively
unconspicuous delegate in the same
Convention" Subsequently, he refers
to General Garfield as having been "a
distinguished member" of the House
Of Representatives, "for he is man Of
fine abilities, he is an intellectual man.
q cultivated man. &C." And still later
he says Of General Garfield: "He is nc
unknown man he has had long and
brilliant Congressional career. He has
long been q leader in his party"
1t would be of interest to the public
to know how General Garfield, having
"long been leader in his party" and
having chad a long and brilliant Con-
gressional career, "who "is no unknown
man." but "a man OF fine Abilities
an intellectual man, a cultivated man"
could have been "a comparatively I'M
conspicuous delegate" in the Chicago
Convention. Ill.natured people might
say that the exigencies Of the subject
under discussion compelled the Senator
TO assert the insigniGcance Of General
Garfield, for the purpose Of belittling
the work of the Chicago Convention,
and to assert the brilliant party
leadership of General Garfield
for the purpose Of asssiling the
Republican parry for the measures
which received his support. Should
we not, in charity, prefer To treat the
Senator's little inconsistency as the
result of mental confusion, engendered
by the difficulties of the task to which
he had addressed himself We shall
cheerfully note any explanation which
the Senator may deem it proper tc
offer.
But Mr.. Bayard is not the only Dem
ocrat who has failed to satisfactorily
explain why General Hancock was
nominated. Many others have failed,
after assigning different and conflicting
reasons. For instance, Mr.. W. L.
Royal, one Of the Virginia delegates II
the Cincinnati Convention, in account
ing for the action Of that body, says Of
it: "The whole enormous mass Of
human beings was absolutely mad
There was no sense, no reason, nc
Judgment any where" This explana,
ton will, undoubtedly: strike many
minds as the correct one. But does il
not do violence to the spirit Of the
Senator's address 4?
One of the Lesser lights that shont
upon the ratification meeting, of which
we have spoken, partially illumined
the subject of inquiry. This speaker
referring to the Cincinnati Convention
said: "The delegates assembled there
for one purpose-to select the fittes
standard bearer to lead the party to ,
present victory" He also stated tina
he believed that "the heart Of the Con
vention beat most truly for Bayard.'
Why, then, did not the Convention
nominate the Senator! Is he not tn
man "whom not only Delaware, bu
the whole nation, delights to honor p
I, he not a "great states