Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-01
THE HANCOCK BOON.

WASHINGTON, March l5.--The friends
. or Gen. Hancock are getting in some
vary effective work for their iavorite,
and if the movement in his favor con.
,;nues to grow from now until June 22
ss steadily and rapidly as it has grown
Ior the past three or four weeks Gen.
Hancock will be formidable candidate
for the Democratic nomination by the
time the convention meets. There have
heen several conferences in Gen. Han.
coek's interest held in this city within
the mast few days, and Gen. Hancock's
friends are much encouraged by the re-
norts which have been received from
ali parts of the country. They are par
ticularly encouraged by the reports
which come up from the South, and,
indeed, they seem to have good reason
for their claim that the South generally
;s coming to regard Gen. Hancock as
the strongest candidate, and that very
large proportion of the Southern dele.
gates will support Hancock in the con.
yention. One of the most eminent of
the Southern Democrats in Congress, a
confederate Brigadier," and man
whose name, if mentioned, would carry
weight. has favored me with very full.
very interesting, and, in some respects,
very important statement upon the
question of the Democratic Presidential
nomination, and the feeling of himself
and other Southern Democrats upon il.
At his request | withhold his name, but
am able to give the substance of his
conversation, and, indeed, SO nearly his
exact language that he agrees to father
the suhioined report of it:
"For many reasons" he said, 81 would
have been glad TO see the great wrong
rlghted by the re nomination, e.election
and Inauguration Of Mr.. Tilden. There
would have been poetic justice in that
which would have reioiced the hearts OF
the Democracy. For long time be.
lieved that result would come about ;
but my last hope vanished with the
crushing defeat of Governor Robinson
in November. After that it was hope
less to expect that those who bolted
Robinson could in any event be induced
to vote for Tilden.
"Besides this, il has become only too
evident that, if nominated. Mr. Tilden
would loose several Southern States.
The schism in Virginia is as bitter and as
and hopeless as that in New York. with
this difference, in favor of New York,
that the entire Democratic vote there
could be polled for any candidate from
some other State who has never been
mixed up with either faction and is not
the nominee or tool of either, while the
two wings in Virginia are divided on a
question of public policy. 1t happens
that both the readiusters and the debt.
payers are opposed to Mr.. Tilden. 1t
is useless to explain why this is so il
is the facts we want to face. Virginia
was not at heart for Tilden in 1876 but
accepted him, when any one of the
other candidates would have pleased
her better, on account OF the supposed
necessity of nominating him to carry
New York. Now it is not Virginia
alone, but the entire South, which is
thoroughly dsgusted with New York
dictation and New York leadership,
which have only led the party to sue
cessive defeats.
MANY Southern men are fully ready
ton escape from the evil of a sectional
division Of parties by an alliance with
the Republicans. Those of this way OF
thinking, and who will act accordingly
if they see no likelihood of the election
Of the Democratic candidate, or even il
that candidate is particularly distasteful
to their constituencies, are numerous
enough to carry with them such States
as South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. In
these the party can be held together by
General Hancocks popularity but as
between Tilden and Grant the latter
would win. IL would be easy against
an unpopular Democrat or weak can
didate for Grant, Blaine, Sherman, or
Washburne TO give such assurances TO
an influential body OF the leading poll.
ticians as would secure the electoral
votes of five or six Southern States.
You can imagine the result If the lead.
eFship of the negro vote were assumed
10y an even uncomfortable number Of
native Southerners of the Wade Hamp-
ton stripe. The evidence that this Is
not an imaginary but real danger il,
TO my mind, conclusive. have inter.
course with hundreds Of Southern men,
and receive great numbers of letters,
and the bulk Of all gather confirms
the verify Of what have stated.
You can easily understand how
widely the situation differs from that of
four years ago. Then the whites of the
South were united in bonds of steel-or
better call 1t by the law of selfpreserva.
tion-to free their States from negro
rule. Having accomplished that they
are now tree TO labor for other objects.
One of those which Southern men
deem important is the obliteration OF
the sectional line which now divides
parties, and which operates powerfully
to the disadvantage Of the South no.
tably so with regard to legislation which
affects her material interests. Texas,
Louisiana, and Arkansas are especially
sensitive on this point, and all the Gulf
states in a lesser but still important
degree.
Thus, you see, there are other dan.
gers which threaten the future OF the
Democracy, quite distinct from the
Iilden and Tammany feud in New
ork. The tendency among Northern