Morning journal and courier., 1880-04-05

|
 Sherman's nomination inevitable. Other
 booms may boom, but will end only in disap-
 pointmsnt to the over-eredulous. The finger
 of destiny points unerringly, and the voice of
 8 majority of the aRepublican lpeople has al-
 ready pronounced in favor of Sherman's
 nomination, and victory will crown everystep
 we take in the fight until the election in No
 vember. Our recent predictions are made
 upon reliable data, and not upon worthless speculation. We have made them, not to boast, nor for use around headquarters, but that they may be noted by the boomers of other | candidates for future reference, and that the
 masses who really prefer Sherman, but who
 halt and doubt for fear they may be on the
 losing side, may see their error before it is
 too late." This is quite solemnizing.
 Those who have been announcing that the
 Edmunds movement Is especially foolish be-
 cause MT. Edmunds himself will have noth-
 ing to do with it have not yet been gratifed by formal declaration to that effect from him. We nre now told that while the state ment that he was inclined to write letter discountenancins the use of his name as presidential candidate was correct, it was not
 conclusive as to what he may do. There is
 reason to believe, says the Washington cor
 respondent of the Boston Advertiser, that he
 has been urgently advsed not to write such 8
 letter, by men whose wisdom and anxiety for
 the success of the party in the coming elec-
 ton give their counsel peculiar weight.
 It is no secret, it is said, that Republicans of
 cool judgment, who are at present disposed to
 favor other candidates as their first choice. are
 desirous that Mir. Edmunds should do nothing at this time which would seem to take him out of the list of possible candidates. The condl-
 tions of the contest ara such that many who are thinking more of the means of harmonic
 ing the party and bringing it's full strength to
 the polls than of the claims of individuals, are not only willing but desirous that MT Ed munas should have such support in the con- vention that he will be available, if coneeiy- able exigeney arises, as a candidate upon
 whom all interests can unite without jealous ies CT heartburnings. This is much more sensible than indiscriminate ridicule of those
 who era 50 foolish as to see in MT. Edmunds an available candidate for the Presidency.
 SA@S
 ton phrases which perplex American readers
 The creation of fagot votes is something akin to our own colonization of voters. Properly speaking political fagot is bundle of voters qualified on one property, the usual ''modus operaudr being for landed proprietor to as- sign to relatives, friends CT tenants who can be depended upon to ''vota straight" life in terests to the amount necessary to qualify them for voting. When the interest assigned is an actual and valuable interest aud it is perma- nently acquired in good faith, either by gift or purchase, tho practice is unobjec- tionable, although the real motive for the acquisition may be the right to vote which goes with it. But the complaint is that these assignments, though regular and legal, so far as the paper title is concerned, are really fc- titioas, and no actual ownership is created or intended. In Midlothian, where MT. Glad stone has just been elected, his competitor, Lord Dalkeith, son of the Duke of Buccieuca, one of the great Iandholders of tho district, is said to have made 645 fagot voters, thereby, as it was supposed making his success secure, as he had at the previous election @ majority of nearly one hundred and fifty over his Lib eral opponent. The fagot voters are mostly connected by blood or marriage with the duke's family, and are assigned sixteen to one tenement, seventeen to another, three to vacant plot of grass ground, lawyer and lieutenant of the guards two sevenths of an ale house and so on. The Liberals have done little fagoting hitherto, but since decision of the courts that members of cooperative build inp societiaa are ouaIjfied voters they have promoted building societies, and in the Mid lothian district great tenement has been put up to accommodate two hundred families, but it was too late for it's joint owners to vote on 1t this year.