Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-06-21
lanraster fntellige1rer.
MONDAY EVENING. JUNE q, 1880
Presidential Aspirants.

Presidential Aspirants.
The friends of some of the Democratic
candidates at Cincinnati do not seem to he
warned by the fate of the leading candi-
dates at Chicago and by the numerous
lessons of the past which should teach all
presidential aspirants, and certainly
those who are not the weightiest OF the
weighty, that they lose all chance of sue
cess by beating their drums too loudly
and by thrusting themselves too persist
emily and actively into the position OF
contestants for the nomination. The
twO-thrds rule of Democratic national
conventions is fatal to the pretensions of
working candidates. 1t is the part of
prudence for every man who really de-
sires to be nominated not to appear to be
anxious for it. If he is strong man,
with a good record; he should be content
to let that speak for him and rely upon
the faithful efforts of a few discreet
friends in his behalf. 1t must he remem-
bered that but one man can he chosen
out of the many who want to be, and that
when the successful one must be the all
but unanimous choice of the convention,
he has to be stout warrior If he
can afford to push himself to the front
and be the largest of all his competitors.
Judge Fields friends, i'm starting him with
brass band accomplishments upon the
streets of Cincinnati discredit their good
sense and their candidate. That is not
the way to win or to deserve to win. A
Judge on the supreme bench should eSpe-
cially be careful, ifhe wants to he candi
date, to he 50 with a nOlo cpiscopari air.
Certainly the natural impulse of the
ordinary man is to turn his back upon
the presumptuous man and he must he
Extensively SO to the delegates to presl-
dental convention who sets out with
hired sh0lters to bulldoze them into Il
belief i'm his supreme fitness for the
highest Office in the land. We are quite
sure that our inclination would he to
sit down on all such aspirants; and it
would be a proper feeling.
The twO-thirds rule is good rule
just because it cuts down machine can
.lilates and political workers. 1t does
harm occasionally and often by striking
down lirst-class men who have made enc
mics in the honest discharge of their
public duties: but it makes up for this
by defeating unfit men who seek to work
themselves 10y devious devices into the
candidacy. Nothing could be more
grateful to the patriotic citizen than the
measure of justice which was meted out
to Grant, Blaine and Sherman at Chica-
go. All of them were unfit for the can
didacy, and all had been working hard
To get it. That the man who took the
prize was worse than any of them does
not diminish the satisfaction felt at their
defeat. 1t is the most important and
useful lesson that can be taught rresi-
Dental aspirants that the office is not one
To be gained by the tricks and devices
that these men were night and day de-
viSing to'forward their ambition. John
Sherman, especially, is an object of exc
Grafton for the use he sought to make of
the public offices to buy supporters for
himself. 1t is infinitely pleasing that he
so lamentably failed and that he was
cheated in seeking to cheat. He is per
manently retired from the presidential
field and one bad man is laid in his politi-
cal grave to the great good of the cOun-
try and satisfaction of all decent men.
Whoever is nominated at Cincinnati, |
we hope it will be one who has not in
decently sought the nomination. Mr. |
Tilden is the only one who had a posi- |
be excuse for claiming it, and even he |
had no right to do SO {; for it is no part of |
the duty of the Democratic party to |
recognize the claim of anyone to Office |
which is not founded upon his superior
fitness for it and strength to be elected
to it. Mr.. Tilden has made himself |
obnoxious to a great many. Demo-
Gratis by his selfish persistence in demand
ing the nomination when the good
of the party did not accord with his pre-
and now that he has with
drawn, no one else should be permitted
to step forward to the sound of his own
trumpets. We would much rather he
given very dark horse than one whose
light comes from the glare of his own
lanterns. There are plenty Of good men
in the country whose merits are known
to the intelligent delegates and who place
the good of the party before their own
and from the ranks of such
the candidate should he chosen.
Mr. Tilden's letter declining a renomi-
nation will be read with interest and
great approval by his fellow Democrats.
1t is good letter. He declares that the
fruit of the Democratic victory of 1876
was lost by no fault of his. He
expresses fervently his devotion
to our cause. He rsnounces
a denomination which he believes
to be equivalent to an election,
because he seeks the quiet of retirement
and does not trust his strength to under
90 the arduOus labors of four years
service in the presidential office. 1t is
we'll.