The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-05-13

lovcrs believe that the South Is soho pe-
rause tbe negro Is not allowed to vote.
How TO ouiet these ungroundeu ieafs,
non, 10 nierce the dark cloud oil lying ana
mIsrenresen,ation with which the myriad
Radical nresses will obscure the truth
this is The alLcontrollng question Tor
Tho south 10 solve at Cincinnati. Can
e. no solved efiectually In aay otner
wav than By the nomination OF the
most distinguished Democratic Union
soldier we bayey The nomination OF Han
cock would be peculiarly appropriate rs
AGAINST that OF Grant, because while Crant
ia the soldier who carried elections ana up
set STATE governments with the bayonet,
Hancock Is the solitary one OF all VINO neld
HIGH commands In the South during tue
dark period OF reconstruction VINO pro-
claimed that "the great principles OF Ame-
rican liberty are still The lawful inheritancs
of this ycople.v This makes IT question
not Of the most renowned soldier, but OF
uroyed fitness for civil administration. anu
emphasizes in the person OF the candidate
the real issues before the people, WINE az
the same time sileucinC cayii az to loyalty
and spiking the whole park OF Radical artl''
| ery.
But yet we do not admit General han
cocks inferior popularity or strength WIN
the soldier element. The facts are Just t,it
reverse Of what Mr.. Washington "ouio
have rs believe. The surviving Union sol
diers whose votes will be potent inns yen
are those of the States east OF the Ale
gtanies. Nine ienths OF the veterans o'
| New York. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Con-
nscticut, etc, were in the Army OF the Po-
tomac. Hancock was identified from FIRST
TO last with that army, just as Stonewall
jackson was with the Army OF Northern
Virginia. Hancock was near the soldiers.
In every battle they saw him in their midst,
sharing their dangers and their WOUNDS,
while no soldier Of that army ever saw
Grant in danger. except perhaps The remote
danger of long-range artillery fire. They
knew nothing Of Grant until he came 10
them toward the close OF the war and gave
them the horrible butcheries OF the Wilder
ness summer. That the old soldiers OF this
army love Grant is q monstrous deluslon.
Hancock is beyond comparison the fayorite
soldier OF the entire Union army.
But the letter to which we nave been re-
ferring is written in behalf OF the candi-
dacy OF Mr.. Justice Field. Ii is only fair
that some OF the arguments setting forth
Judge Fields availability should be exam
med. They are based upon the assump-
ton that his nomination would secure the
electoral votes OF the Pacifc-COast States.
This is pure assumption, and is unsupport-
ed BY a shadow OF evidence that Judge
Field would get any more votes there than
any other Democrat. No reason is given for
his assumed popularity in region where
he has not resided for nearly twenty years.
He is known as the friend OF the Central
Pacific Railway monopoly. That road has
been peculiarly obnoxious in California; ;
and what assurance have we that its iDflu-
ence would carry our candidate through,
even il it should be eXerted in his favor !
Judge Field is on record against the c0nst-
tutionality OF the Thurman acts TO compel
the subsidized railways to pay their debts
TO the United States. Even those who agree
with him in opposition to these acts may pro-
perly doubt whether their most conspicuous
opponent would be an available candidate
for the presidency. Such record would not
suit the grangers, who are naturally hostile
TO the present tendency Of the great rail-
ways toward cancellations and pooling
arrangements, which operate to strip the
farmer of all possible profits and prevent
any such thing as competition in the trans
portation of farm products to market. BY
means of the organized oranges this class
OF voters could be easily reached, and we
may be sure that any railroad candidate
would be effectively attacked.
Then, Judge Field is OH record against
the conslitutionalty OF the greeDback. All
parties may be agreed that specie-payments
should be maintained, but there is great
body Of voters. as you know in Virginia.
who are strongly attached to q Government
currency Of legal tender as opposed to bank
paper. Such candidate would give a great
opportunity to the Nationals to draw off the
large mass OF voters who have been voting
third ticket, and whose detection would
be sufficient 10 defeat the Democratic candi-
date. The Nationals have poled 10000 in
New York and $4,000 in Pennsylvania.
This class OF voters would have no difficulty
in accepting a ticket headed by Seymour
or Hancock, but it would be az least inn
prudent to excite their hostility by Offering
them candidate who had been conspicuous
for unrelenting hostility to even the most
moderate form OF their currency theories.
Ii the true Democratic position is opposi-
ton TO the encroachment of corporate mo-
nopolies. it would be dangerous for us to
take candidate who is cOnspicuously the
advocate OF the great railroad interests or
of the national banks, though he need not
be one who antagOnizes these interests.
/. n. 3.