The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-29
The Inside History Of the Cincinnati
Convention.

convention.
sru.Lsox HurcnlSs, Esq, editor OF the
Washington Post. aud who attended The
Cincinnati Convention, gives In his Journal
the following with reference to that body.
II agrees pretty well with our observations
on the ground:
WASHINGTON, June q Three months
ago predicted In the columns OF the fost
that Mr.. Tilden's name would not De pre-
seuted TO the Democratic National Conven'
lion. The fact that 1t was not doesn't make
me a prophet--it merely establishes co.
incidence. Six months ago predicted 'nat
Hora,io Seymour could have the Democratic
nomination aud be elected. Ask anybody
who was present at the Convention u ,neIe
was the slightest possibility OF Tue iaI1io
~ such a proposition IL 1t had been made.
and Mr.. SEYMOUR had not positively ana
even coarsely forbidden II. There are sorie
things which IL does not require a prophet
10 foretell or statesman 10 uhueist""o'
and these were OF them.
The nomination OF General Hancock was
tbe result neither OF combinations nor out
side onpIIanccs. 1t was In no sense OF that
bard.,Ised word "boom," nor was tnere
the suspIcion Of a "barrel" behind II. III
was simply the cool calculation OF i've bun
dred men who came together, wholly ireed
from eutangling alliances, to select tue
strongest possible candidate. The choice
was limited TO two men-McDonaid ana
Uancock-and only for the reason That Mr..
Mcdonald would not allow bis name 10 be
nsed until Mr.. Hendricks gave MS iuil ana
hearty consent General Hancock won.
am Glad TO believe that Hancock was the
Stronger nomination, and in tbs OPINION
Mr.. Mcdonald unselfishly joins: I'll had
The naming OF the ticket" said that worthy
gentleman to party the next day AFTER the
Convention. 81 should, without moments
hesitation, make 1t just what 1t Is" IL Is
not often that the sober second thought JUS
tifios the entire action OF an enthusiastic
body of men, but 10 this case 1t does.
| have said that General Hancock was not
indebted TO "boom" for his success, aud
that declaration / beg 10 repeat. The en-
tire expenses Of the campaign made Tor him
will be covered by o tbouslnd-dollar bill, II
ANYBODY cares to forward one. Some OF bus
success he owes undoubtedly to the adroit
and effective manner OF his presentation.
but beyond that he won by mcritand hthess
alone. Dougherty's speech Is not a great
effort when one cOolly reads and analyses 1t;
nor was IL so extraordinarily powerful
when listened 10. 1t had the merit OF
breyity, and embalmed one good sentence.
The epithet "superb soldier" was taking
one. but compared with IneersolPs eulogy
OF Blaine, or Conkllng's OF Grant. the
speech will not stand the test. Governor
Hubbard's seconding effJrt was better one
in all respects, and so, too, was DaniePs.
They were all short, however: and each was
studied with periods for the pertinent IN
PRODUCTION OF applause. When The nouli-
nation speeches were all over. Hancock was
found to have had by far the best send-off.
This undoubtedly made him the leading
candidate, by transferring from Bayards
strength the requisite number OF votes.
Had there been no oratory Bayard would
have led in the first ballot, and Hancock
would have come in second. The result,
however, would bave been the same.
However muc1 il may be denied, 1t Is
nevertheless fact that the rush TO Hancock
was largely inspired by desire TO escape
from the possibility Of Tilden. Everybody
knew that Mr.. Tilden's frenzied admirers
were holding him in leash, in OrGer that
when the din became deaienng he might be
let in. His letter of Withdrawal bad made
him many friends. Thousands OF kilograms
were Sppu 10 Tue utItSdiCS 'olu utl SCStiOuS
of the country by prominent Democrats,
who made the mistake of fancying that
every other body felt just as they did.
There was nucleus OF near two hundred
votes to begin with, and ! doubt if single
one Of; the Tilden managers lost beart until
the second ballet was half called on that
memorable Thursday morning. Then it
was they discovered that Mr.. Tilden had
been taken at his word, aud that the Con-
yention intended lie should keep it.
4, win Ue UUseryeu tuuu ov-Nroi Hancock
was not put In nomination by the South,
but by the North. Of the III votes given
him on the first ballot, nearly two thirds
were from the North. Even down to the
first cal! of the second ballot, before the
deluge came. his vote was largely from the
northern delegates. So soon, however, as
the South saw that he was the choice Of the
North, their votes came rushing in. The
South has come, not to dictate. but TO assist.
II anything could have been more feeble
or idiotic than the action OF the New York
delegation am TOO matter OF fact to imagine
it. To attempt to dig out Payne from under
Thurman and Jewett in Ohio was supreme
folly. To abandon him after single ballot
was cowardice. Was that an evidence OF
Mr.. Tiden's superb organizing power that
we have heard so much about?