National Republican., 1880-07-17
DEMOCRATIC EQUIPMENT.

lu some respects better tlan III lofO, is NOT
on the whole superior and is not by any
means equal to that of former campaigns.
General HANCOCK is handsomer man than
TILDEN or GREELEY, and had women the
right to vote his good looks might win
votes from the fair sex provided he is as
handsome ns his friends claim, which
we deny If the pictures of him tell the
truth. As it is, and granting his personal
beauty to be considerable, the democratic
sense of the beautiful is not strong enough
to work boom on, and hence not much is
gained by the majestic presence" As n
military man and with q good reputation as
a soldier, there is a slight gain over TILDEN,
but not much, because the war itself having
been voted a failure, and our side having
had the most troops and the greatest means,
leaves very small chance to say very much
in praise OF the generalship. Besides, any
labored attempt to show much zeal on his
part in whipping the rebels would involve
such details as would tend TO revive the late
unpleasantness, and might raise the sus-
picion in certain quarters that HANCOCK
was as bad person rs GRANT, SHERMAN
or SHERIDAN and rs much an enemy of
rebellion. This would never do as more
voters would be driven away than can be
gained in virtue Of good military record.
On the other hand, HANCOCK has no
barrel and none Of the wonderful, sly, COM
prehensive political skill TGLDEN possesses,
two things which made the campaign of
'76 the most wonderful in our history.
Never before was there seen in q campaign
barrel of such htremendousp proportions. Dol
lars fairly rained down more profusey than
mama in the wilderness, and the country
democratic editor, the corner. grocery bum
mer, the energetic mule buyer and the yul-
nerable and patriotic presidential elector,
wherever found, were never for moment
left in doubt as to the size and reality of
the old mans caslS. Never before had there
stood behind barrel one so admirably cal
culated to put the mysterious forces thereof
to the right place at the right time, and so
far as is known there was nothing in the
market from q mule to state supreme
court or state legislature whose price was
not ascertained and the money ready when
ever delivery could be put beyond question.
1t was TILDEY's only weakness that he
wanted the goods in hand before he paid
for them, as though strict mercantile rules
were to be positively insisted upon in n
contraband enterprise of such moral loose
ness, and this mistake or weakness cost him
the presidency. The uncertainty of de-
livery was the nightmare which frightened
TGLDEN and brought all his schemes TO
naught. In such game risks must be
taken.
In the matter of platform much need
not be said All democratic platforms are
intended to include all possible good and TO
exclude all else, and they would be exactly
alike from one campaign to another and
from one generation to another but for the
unfortunate imperfections of the demo-
cratic insight and foresight which cannot
distinguish temporary circumstance from
an eternal principle, and the remarkable
faculty of the leaders in fastening to the
circumstance and letting the principle slide.
General JACKSON announced the only con-
stitutional money to be gold and silver.
That was a principle; but in 1876 circum-
stance so favored the paper currency that
ii took TILDEN and HENDRICKS five days
of hard study TO compromise their differ
ences on sticking to the only constitutional
currency, and they finally concluded to say
that to attempt TO resume specie payment
on given day would be disastrous and
plunge the country into untold troubles
and disasters. Resumption having been
quietly effected on the day fixed, and the
disasters having failed to put in an appear
ance, rendered the democratic platform OF
1876 inapplicable to the present year, and
in fact made any direct allusion to that
prime feature of it not little embarrass.
ing. Finance was the democratic strong
point four years ago, and the labor expcnd-
ed and the elOquence Illuminated to show
how much their statesmen knew and how
utterly incompetent tho republicans had
shown themselves in this particular was
simply incalculable. So the new platform
has been worded mildly ignoring what wa:
so emphatically asserted in the last cam
paign.
The leaving out of controversy the grea
money issue leaves out one of the mos
effective democratic weapons. The chanct
to display wisdom on this subject was ap.
parently interminable four years ago, ant
was universally improved, and in lieu o
all the soul-stirring speeches and well
rounded sentences which then resoundet
through the land, to say that HANCOCK il
handsome man and wrote number 40
which was forgotten number till he wa
nominated is extremely tame, and by M
means fills the bill. 1t would be asking tot
much of platform to require it to talk,
note of the mistakes of former platforms
and in this case it would be cruelty down
right, for the financial advantage of tn,
republicans is so clearly manifest that MI
THURMAN has given up in despair his noa
little dodge Of trying to convince peopl
that resumption has not taken place, ant
} that theory was kept out Of the platform
as decidedly as THURMAN was kept off o
it, and that was decisive enough.
The democratic equipment, therefore, i
not up to former years The party man
ayers feel it, and will feel it more as th