Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-16
A TOuching and Tender Spectacle.

When il comes to a right about face
or to a change of base on candidates,
the average Democrat experiences an
emotional agility that must be bewilder-
ing to those who have any real loyalty
to men, or any tenacity of principle.
For years and years the Democratic
leaders have had the index fingers of
their good right hands in such position
as to point warningly at "the man on
horseback" A military man was always
dangerous, they told us, but most par
ticularly was he dangerous when he had
been a great soldier, and filled the pop
ular eyes as a hero. The Louisville
COWrier-JourHdl, which few days ago
declared that Democratic hopes of sue
cess depended on the nomination of
Mr.. Tilden, now gives a hysterical
spring-board jump, and, coming down
face to the rear, points proudly to the
fact that General Hancock is "greater
soldier than Grant" and therefore the
Democratic party is so exceedingly
happy that it forgets the past. The
New York Sun, which on Thursday
morning said that when the Democratic
party gave up Tilden and the cry of
fraud it gave up everything and courted
defeat, discovered on Friday that Han
cock was probably the strongest candi-
date that any party ever nominated.
The st. Louis Republican, opposing
Hancock on Wednesday, was so intoxi-
Gated with pleasure on Thursday that it
could demonstrate that Hancock would
receive from 233 to 800 Electoral votes.
Senator Thurman, in Ohio, makes the
discovery that Hancock is great con-
stitutional lawyer just as all the Con-
federate editors at Richmond, Va,
stumble on the astounding fact that
Hancock was the best friend the South
ern State-rights people ever had. The
fellows at Washington, while getting
up a new version of the Surratt case,
strike bottom fact which proves that
Hancock was the best friend Tilden had
in his great hour of trial, and that when
the Electoral Commission decided
against his claim to the Presidency, and
all the Southern Brigadiers turned
against him, Hancock came forward to
volunteer his aid in securing his inaug-
uration.
The Democratic party that rejected
Hancock for Bourbon in 1868, for a
renegade Republican in 1872, and for
Tilden and his barrel in 1876, now
throws overheard Bourbons, barrels
and things, and clings to Maior-G Cen
eral in the regular army.
All this is very touching. 1t shows
the charming Inconsistency of the Dem
ocratic party, and illustrates its enthu-
siasm in partaking of crow, but where
in does it increase the strength of the
partyP VIII Hancock be stronger than
Tilden in New York, stronger than
Thurman in Ohio or Hendricks in
Indiana, and if so, whyP Tilden called
out the full Democratic vote in
Ohio and Illinois. Can Hancock do
moreP The Democrats will all vote for
him, it is claimed. Suppose they do,
what thenP He must have more votes,
and those must come from the Republi-
can party. The Democratic hope for
success, then, is based on the belief
that many Republicans will vote for
Hancock, simply because he is fine
looking man and a good soldier. And
in basing their hopes on such a belief
they are preparing for themselves as
great a disappointment as met them in
Mcclellan years ago.
Hancock is the candidate of the South,
and to forward its own political schemes
the South will vote for him. Garfield
represents Republicanism, and his plat
form was approved by an overwhelm-
ing vote in all the Northern States last
year. In the North, Republicans vote
without Democratic permission, or ad-
vice, and there are no Hancock men
among them. The spectacle of the
Democratic leaders swallowing their
crow with joyful demonstrations of
great gladness is very edifying, but it
Is not calculated to convince the Ameri-
can people that the Democratic party
is not the same party il was last week
and last year, - Chicago Inter- Ocean,