The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-06-19
MR. SEYMOUR'S FICKLENESS.

asked for the fttleth time whether he
would accept the Democratic PreSiden-
tial nomination. and gracefully replied
that it would be almost breach of good
faith, on his part, to large number of
Republicans who have been praising him
and his efforts, as those of a man perma-
nently out of politics, so far as holding
office was concerned. This was frank,
fair, and truthful. But the man who
cheated his own party out of victory, in
1868, when the New York Convention
trusted his declarations and believed he
would at once decline the nomination,
will not be restrained by any delicate
regard for Republican admirers who have
been led into somewhat boshiy senti-
mental eulogies ON the retired, but foxy
and patient, politician.
He played well the game of duplicity
for the nomination, in 1868, and led his
party to dire defeat. He has played
much more delicate and difficult game
since, and has been filling up his scrap
books with Republican Endorsements.
He has been favored with a constitution
which to-day is SO strong and sound that
he feels that he might-that is. he thinks
perhaps lie might-accept a nomination
for the Presidency, provided there is no
other man who can be elected by the
Democratic party, while perhaps the very
next day this tender and delicate exotic
in the Democratic front yard > shrinks
so tenderly from the notion of going into
the fierce contentious where rugged truths
take the place of honeyed compliments,
that it folds itself up and insists that it
was made for alteration and not for use.
1t is this vacillation, weakness, and li;l-
bility to disappont friends and to break
pledges, that give peculiar type to sey
mour's character-wiich needs isolation,
instance, quite lately he made remark
to a friend which he knew would at once
go to the people, indicating that he was
quite willing to be called to the Presi-
dency. Since then, he has had one day
fever for the Presidency and the next a
chill of horror at the notion of getting
jugs that are knocking each other about
III the mid channel of actual politics.
The latest bulletin from the political
sphinx is in the New York HeraN of
Tuesday, and is as follows:
Your correspondent called ON Gov. Sey-
mour to-day to ascertain if he had writ
ten to Washington or elsewhere with re-
gard to his purposes respecting the nomi-
ton for the Presidency. He replied to
my question that he had at all times
stated that he could not be candidate
under any circumstances: that even in
the improbable event of his nomination
he could not accept it. He had not the
health or strength to cope with the du-
ties Of any public station. His unwill-
ingncss to be 4 candidate did not grow
ont of Discrimination for public duties,
nor ont of an unwillingness to sacrifice
his interest or his heaItll---if he had the
health to sacriiicc--if they were demand
ed by the public or the party to which he
was attached. The difficulty was that he
had not the strength to perform those
duties. Upon that point no one could
Judge as well as himself. If he yielded
to the opinions Of others, he would not
only do injustice, but he would be guilty
of an act of wrong doing. He had stated
this SO often that he had exposed himself
to the criticism of declining much more
frequently than was necessary.
Why is it that he has hal to decline
every other day? Would any Democrat
. require from Senator Bayartl more than
one uncquiyocal declination? Would
anybody doubt his sincerity, good faith,
and persistence But Bayard has never
deceived his whole party, - in convention
assembled" on such vital and vastly
important question.
We do not assert that Seymour is 4
williully false man. He is, as they say
i'll Missouri, powerful weak and that
is what has made him such Il pitiable
object OH such occasions as when he add
dressed the draft rioters as 'my friends
The shrcwd politicians who We're on the
inside Of the Democratic National Con-
vention of 1868 are not going to risk Il
campaign under the leadership of SO deli
cate, titful, and uncertain leader.