The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-15

from voting any ticket at all. If the
Republicans expect to succeed they have
therefore got to present candidate who
can command the support of their entire
party. The Democratic leaders have
done some magnificent blundering in
times gone by to help the Republicans
out of their scrapes in critical
iunctures, but there are the
surface indications at this moment
that theys will present able men on a
sound National platform and try to de-
serve to succeed in the approaching can
vass. Under the present apportionment
the Electoral College is composed of S69
electors, 1S5 being necessary for a choice.
The Southern States are generally con-
ceded to the Democrats at the start with
their 1873 electors. The Northern States
that are pronounced Republican may be
set down as giving the latter
party $50 electoral votes. Of the
States that are clearly debatabIe we may,
we think, include New York, Indiana,
New Jersey and Ohio, with eighty-one
votes. The Republicans have therefore
thirty-fve votes to capture to succeed,
and the Democrats forty-seven. With
General Grant as a leader, it is reason
ably certain that the Republican party
in Ohio would be hopelessly split in
twain, and this State handed over to
any reasonably good Democratic candi-
date whom that party might have on
their ticket. New York might be placed
in the same category, since the feeling
against the according of third term of
the Presidency and the consequent viola
tion of one of the cherished traditions of
the Republic, to even so distinguished a
man as General Grant, would be fatal to
any party or candidate in that great
State as we'll. Nor would several of the
other States that are classed as Republi-
can be safe for that party with General
Grant and the fatal shadow of third
termism weighting down the ticket
Grant has as distinguished General a
fame throughout the world greater than
that Of any living man, but the in
stinct of the American people is clearly
averse to making even him President
more terms than was accorded to the
Father Of his Country, and it needs no
prophetic wisdom to declare that if his
nomination is forced upon the Republi-
can party at Chicago, the defeat Of the
Republicans next November is inevitable.
Nor would the candidacy of Mr..
Blaine be any better. 1t is true that he
has personal magnetism to offset the mil
itary record of Gen. Grant and large
following Of devoted adberents but the
taint OF corrupt political intrigues
that would be brought to the surface
and fatally used against him under the
microscopic dissection Of Presidential
canvass would settle his ambition ad-
versely at almost the beginning of the
struggle. Blaine almost secured the
nomination at the last Presidential Con-
vention, and would have quite done SO
but that a formidable Republican bolt
was Enthusiastically shown to the
wire-pullers of the Convention during
the night recess preceding Hayes
nomination, and they wisely drew back
from SO inevitably fatal danger, and
that danger is just as threatening and
fatal to-day as it existed four years ago.
while the margin Of debate for either
party has if possible narrowed. What the
Republicans must have in candidate is
perfectly honest, square man, whom
the breath of calumny or even the sus-
picion Of wrong doing can not reach.
He should be moreover a statesman
familiar with the administration of the
Government and sufficiently conspicuous
to be both known and respected. There
are more than one such among the list
of possibilities for the Chicago Conven-
ton to choose from and our disinterested
advice is that they select one of these.
Editorial Splnnlngs.