The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-06-08
WEAKNESS OF THE MACHINE.

Thus far the Republican campaign with its
accessories of county and state conventions
and its occasional manifestation of the ma,
chine in smooth working order, has so com.
pletely occupied the foreground in the politi,
cal horizon that all behind and beyond it has
been almost lost sight of. Republicans and
Democrats alike have allowed their attention
to be monopolized in observing the game of
politics as it was played before their eyes by
masters in every detail of the art. In putting
on their considering caps they have given
rein to conjecture only in trying to guess the
particular panoply of finesse and strategy
under which was to be found the lucky little
Republican joker, fated to sweep the stakes
and beat the game at Chicago; without devot-
ing more than a passing thought to that other
drama, so like and yet so different, which is
to follow at Cincinnati. But the Republican
game is drawing toward its close. To-day, or
tomorrow, those who have consentedto stand
the hazard of the die in tie wheel of fortune
of politics will harken to the voice of fate,
speaking in no uncertain tones, and in obedi-
ence to its ~eracular ntterances one from
among the several candidates will loom up
before the people III the full proportions of
the presidential nominee, while the others, the
disappointed, will shrink to the littleness of
Republican presidential choice will then be
at all enc. The present intensity of interest
in ths subject will have been supplanted by
certainty, and with a sigh Of relief we can
turn to the contemplation Of that other riddle,
the Democratic choice to he made al Cincin-
natl.
Towards its solution a very srrviceable clue
is furnished by the preliminary proceedings
of the Chicago convention, whose very frs,
lesson is plainly tie fact that the power Of the
"machinc" in at least one party is shown to
be less than it had previously been supposed to
be. Hitherto he adlerents of each party have
been s~tlenely confident in the belief that the
machine candidate of their opporents held in
his own hands the power to secure his nomi-
nation. In General Grant the Demo-
Gratis saw the weakest candidate the
Republicans could fix upon, aud being of
tins opinion they We're delighted to hear tina
ling, Cameron and Logan, had things so fixed
that his nomination could be considered as
certain, as inevitable as a decree of fate. OPP
posed to them the Republicans were more
than pleased al the reported perfection Of the
machine which Mr.. Iilden was operating in
the tultherancc Of his candidacy, But the
machine among the Republicans il not 50
powerful after all. Notwithstanding tn. i'm
mense leverage which all INSCRIPTIONS EN-.
ployment Of patronage gives the party in
power, neither Conkliug nor Cameron has
been able to exact obedience to the unit rule
from the delegates he was thought to have SO
well in hand. Neither New York nor Penn.
~sylvania is solid for Grant. Their detection
Grant will owe his nomination to something
limited at in to-day's lispatches--,llr corrupt
Utility of the Southern delegates, who cell
slider a national convention as an auction mart
in which they are al liberty to sell themselves
to the highest bidder. The Republican ma
chine has failed then in accomplishing its
purpose, and from this we are encourced to
hope that the Democratic machinery may also
fail, aud that we may not have selected rs our
standard-5earer a man who would put The
party ON the defense from the day of his
choice. The resources of corruption, the DO
l~Itically immoral eXpedients at the service of
The party in power are immensely snDeriOr in
effectiveness 10 those at the service Of the
party out Of power, and since the stronger of
those instlumentalities has failed the Repub-
licans, let us hope that the weaker will also
fail the Democrats. Even if rant be nomi-
mated through the purchase of Southern dele
gates, Tillen's - bari Of money will do him!
10 good with Democratic delegates from that
section. Active Southern Republicans are ant
to be OF the gems carpet-hagger. and to be
very different III character and social standing
rom the delegates selected by the dominant
party in the South. Taken all in all we have
reason to expect the breakdown of the Demo
cratic machine, and consequently the nomi.
nation Of Bayard or Hancock, or some
similar candidate who will lead us to the
attack instead of TiIhen, who would rive am
pie employment to oar vest enrrsies in his
defense.
In France il law has been passed abolishinn