The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-02-06
Ritl,n.oud Dlispatfll.
-.,c,v FEBRUARY 6, 1880.
aennral virginia.

would he. except that It does not c'ea'n
.an.ar from the proceedings, what we nave
- soub, Is the fact, that Mr.. BLAINE u 'ne
.'s.,,na choice OF the delegation. However
this fact could hardly have peeh hAue ~
appear without confessiug that 'AAS"o.
and RI. ,,xs had entered iato an agrcemcn'
a. which MIR. SHERMAN was not party
AZ SHERMAN Is CANERoS's wne ""S.U'
C.vrRoy could not be expected 10 max.
public such an agreement, even 7" "1
been made. But inasmuch as more 'n"'
two fI,tbs Of the members OF the |o"'o
zion attended the BLAINE caucus ana TOM
part in It's proceedings, we may p'e''. s'.
~ infer that. agreement or no agFeemenI
R,.,xx will be entitled under the unit RUE
TO the unanimous vote OF the Penns!''a.i"
DELEGATION should General GRANTS name oe
Withdrawn from before the chicago Co"'
yentiop.
The resolution TO instruct the delegates
"a vote as unit was adopted without ST.
rIous opposition. The unit rule has AWAY ;
hem n tayorRe one with the Democrats oi
Virginia. Our delegates to Na''ona' oo"-
vrut;ons have generally adopted u theih-
selves. Two thirds or three iour'hS Oh 'nc
Conservative delegates to II. LOUIS ~
,s-e were In favor OF casting Virginia's
vote az a unit, but they eould not GU
sorce ,Aeir will in every instance. Al
any rate there Is nothing in tue uh''
rule 10 which anybody can take execution
In the Republican National Convention IN
r;no,.nai; In 1876 some OF the delegates
from Pennsykani refused to be Douno u!
tbs. rule. TQhat year CAMERON (oid SIMON
then) had his delegates instructed 10 vote
no . INIT and 10 vote fer HARTRANFT; but
H,prpASpi,s name was used as mere
hind. He was Quaker gun. Old SIMON
knew HARrRANFT could not be nominated;
INT ne also knew that one name was rs good
as another for him TO use as mere covering
for his designs. The Pennsylvania deiega-
tion cast their IS votes solid for HARTRANFT
i've times, although he never received
more than II votes. On the siXtn
ballot eight Of the delegation bolted ana
cast their votes for some other candldate-
either BLAINE or HAYES, the Convention
having refused to enforce the unit rule On
the seventh ballot, the delegation again d.
yidpd. casting "a votes for BLAINE ana "a
for HAYES. As HAYES received only 3S4
votes to BLAiNE's 351, it is evident that II
the unit rule had been respected BLAINE's
vote on that ballot would have been at least
1875 to only 500 for HAYES. BLAINE's nomi-
nation would Tins have been insured. az he
would have lacked only four votes OF it,
and the example OF a solid vote from Penn
sylyania would have had the effect to give
him more than that number in addition to
those which he received on the seventh bai-
lot. At all events, had ne led HAYES on the
seventh ballot, be would have been nomi-
mated ON the eighth ballot.
To the failure Of the Pennsy yania dele
CATION TO respect the unit rule was Mr..
BLAINE indebted, therefore, for his failure
10 receive the Republican nomination for
the presidency in 1876. Perhaps be may
have better luck this year. Perhaps not.
The instructions TO vote as unit are not
more binding now than they were in 1876.
Yet il they be respected, BLAINE VIII get
the whole delegation after General GRANTS
withdrawal. We do not think there can be
a doubt that MIR. BLAINE is the second
choice Of large majority OF the Pennsyi-
yania delegates, seeing, as we have already
said. that he is the first choice OF nearly
half Of them.
We have assumed that the action OF the
PENNSYLVANIA Convention will not insure
the nomination of General GRANT. The
seventy New York delegates will soon be
instructed to vote as unit for him but
even that will not insure bis nomination.
More we do not think that Mr.. C0NKLING
expects or desires the nomination OF Gene
raj GRANT. II his partisan movements have
not deceived us, he hopes to be "the dark
horsen Of the Chicago Convention. Nor
will SHERMAN relax his efforts to secure the
nomination for himself. The Federal Off
cials who are managing bis boom in the
South will not allow GRANT TO have many
votes from this side OF MASON and DIxoNs
line. On the north side OF that line BLAINE
will hold his own as against GRANT or "any
other man." The good fight which his
friends made In Pennsylvania will nerve
his admirers in other States TO still more
brilliant contest, and teach them that GRANT
is not invincible. The third term Is by
no means a settled thing. Nay, the race for
it asay never come of. Trust BLAINE, SHER-
MAN, and CONKLING for that.
Now as TO Virginia. We have no doubt
that the best thing that could happen for
the Conservative party OF Virginia would
be the nom ination Of General GRANT. He
Is the man OF all others TO whom the negroes
look as a friend W no can and will stand by
them. II he is the Republican candidate
they will flock to his standard. No local
question can keep them from voting for
him. No "indepe ndent" or unpledged
electoral ticket will 3 ,tisfy their longing de-
sire TO vote for their iode hero. In word,
the nomination OF CIR. mt would result in
the tiisinlegraiIon of the mixed party formed
ia this State last fall, an the success OF the
Conservative electoral ii, :ket.
SO we may repeat once more, that we are
not afraid OF General GRA MIS- nomination.
We do not expect it. We give the RepuO-
leans credit for having tor much sagacity
TO nominate hin. But II is nominated
we shall regard his nominal ION as tortu-
nate result for Virginia and he country
because he will be so easily de seated.
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The Moral Victory.