Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-04-14
Grants Nomination Certain.

Wilmington Dell Commercially
The Blaine bureau at Washington
is busy sending out circulars demon
strating the certainty of Blaine
nomination on the first ballot as prob
able and his nomination on the second
as certain beyond a doubt. The latest
estimate sent out places the vote on
the first ballot at Blaine $50, Grant
POI, Sherman 143 and Edmunds %.
Missouri's 30 delegates are left out of
this calculation, the omission being
explained by a declaration in a foot
note that there win probably be con-
testing delegations from this state.
We notice that the 6 votes from
Delaware are claimed unreseryedly for
Blaine. But there are far more curl
GUS things than this about the calcu.
lation, as for instance the giving
of Is votes to Blaine and 3 to
Sherman out of New York's 20 votes
and 20 to Blaine out of Pennsylyania's
IS votes. Again, in order to reduce
the almost certain vote for Grant, the
Blaine men claim 3 votes in Alabama,
2 in Arkansas. 4 in Florida, s in
Georgia, 8 in Kentucky, Z in Missis-
sippi, Z in South Carolina, 5 in Ten
~nessee, S in Texas, and 8 in Virginia,
for their candidate, and generously
assign Sherman So delegates in the
same states and add to the latter the
whole North Carolina delegation of
20 votes. They also claim for Blaine
10 votes out Of the rs Of Massachu-
sets, allowing Grant but 6, and claim
q out of the AZ votes of Illinois,
Grants own state, dividing the re.
mainder between Grant and Sherman.
Now all this is very amusing to
other people and doubtless comfort
ing to the followers of THE plumed
knight" butt does not deceive any
one who has given the slightest i'm
partial attention to the matter.
Grant will receive the solid vote Of
Pennsylvania and New York and at
least a large majority Of the votes OF
Illinois, while nearly every southern
vote claimed for Blaine or assigned to
Sherman will 60 for Grant on the first
or second ballot.
On the whole we are not sorry for
it. We believe he can be beaten at
the polls, but we believe the demo
Gratis will be forced to take their best
man to do it, and despite all the dan
gers and the disgrace that would fol-
low the election q any man, and es.
pecially such a man, for a third term.
we believe we should prefer even his
election to that of Blaine. Grant was
surrounded by rogues, but no one has
ever traced corruption directly to him,
while every man not wilfully blind
knows that Blaine is an untruthful
and dishonest man. The evidence is
plain and his election would give the
American peoples sanction to sordid
rascality in government, and re-eStab-
lish a corruption we have happily
been almost rid of for nearly four
years and re-establish it forever, for
the spectacle of a majority of the
American people voting to call James
&. Blaine to the presidency, would
make it ridiculous forever after for
any political party to seek success by
a promise of honesty and purity in the
administration of affairs. As between
the two, with all its dangers, we pre-
fer the election of Grant to that of
Blaine, and are glad that the game of
independence, brag and buster of
which the latter is seeking the nomi-
nation, is likely to ANONYMOUSLY fall.