The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-05-28
THE DEMOCRATIC QUANDARY.
[From the Chicago Tribune.l


situation may DO as to the outcome Of
the Presidential contest, 1t is a bed of
roses as compared with the Democratic
quandary. The Republicans are merely
puzzled to know which is the most adj
visable of some three courses that arc
open to them, and there is already a
certain .definiteness about the result.
There are those who believe that Gen.
Grants nomination il practically as
sured. Others contend that the third
termers will not develop the requisite
strength to nominate their candidate on
the first ballot, and that a detection will
follow which will result i'll the nomina-
ton of Senator Blaine. There is third
class consisting of those who think that
the contest between the ex-President's
ndhercnts and Senator Blaine's following
will be SO close that the friends of both
aspirants will agree to unite upon third
person. All Observation-Disclosures,
conservatives and liberals-are of the
opinion that, in case of stubborn con-
tlict over the two most conspicuous can
didates, the prize will fall into the
hands of Mr.. Washburne or Senator
Edmunds, with tho chances largely in
favor of the former, and there is no dis
sent To the prediction that the nomina-
ton of either of those two gentlemen
will develop the full strength and cordial
support of the rank and file Of tho
party. The result, of comse, is still
doubtful. But on the general record of
the party every Republican is satisfied,
and MI is serene.
The Democrats, on the other hand, are
SorcI Y pcrplexed by various circum-
stances which promise to embarrass
them no matter what the result of their
convention may be. There is general
feeling in the party that Mr.. Tilden has
mortgage on the nomination. This
produces the same sort of discomfort
which an individual experiences who
has debt hanging over him which he
is convinced he cannot pay without
hankrupting himself. Mr.. Tilden has
given no sign that he intends to relieve
the Democratic party of the cmbarrass-
ment of his presence. His seizure and
management of the New York Conven-
tIon, on the contrary, have indicated his
purpose to urge his claims to the last.
He is reported to have more wealth than
ever before, and he demonstrated in 1876
his Willingness to employ the large cash
means ut command to secure the nomi-
nation and assist in his campaign. He
is not willing to bulge, and the Demo-
Gratis who are opposed to him seem to
be powcrless to remove him out of the
way, notwithstanding their numbers and
their distribution over the entire coun-
try. They feel that they cannot elect
Tildcn, but their conviction is almost
equally strong that they cannot elect
anybody else without Tilden's active CO.
operation.
Even if it be conceded that the Oppo-
sition to Tilden inside the Democratic
party, assisted by the two-thirds rule
which governs that party, shall prove
adequate to his re lection, then the DEM
ocrats are all Mt sea. They do not seem
to be able to get one strong man out of
number Of commonplace or weak men.
The aspirants for the nomination are
almost as numerous as the party itself.
The "dark horses" include every va
ricty of shading, but every one of them
develops, on examination, some blemish
that makes him unavailable. Hancock,
who is commended as less open to objec-
ton than the other candidates who are
prominently named, will not have his
own State to back him in any case, and
that will be regarded as fatal objec-
ton. The party will scarcely dare to
run candidate like Bayard, of anti
Union antecedents, though he is the
man they would naturally turn to if he
were regarded as an available candidate.
Last years election in Ohio disposed of
Ewing and Thurman at one blow.
Hendricks is no longer seriously consid-
cred us q candidate for various good
reasons which it is not necessary to re-
count. Then there are score or more
of comparatively-obscu men like jew
EFT, Paine, Groesbeck, Morrison, En-
glish, and Randolph, who are looked
upon only as forlorn hope. Thus all
is chaos in the Democratic camp.
If it be assumed that the Democratic
party, after going through the most des-
Derate throes of parturition, shall Mt
last he delivered of a candidate who will
not excite any active antagonism in the
party, then the managers will be con-
fronted with dreadful obstacles i'll the
way of making up platform. They
have no strong national issues to seize
upon. They stand upon State-suprem-
acy ground, but they will hardly dare to
proclaim it as the basis OF Presiden-
tial campaign after having failed to vim
dictate it in four-years' war. There is
no grecnback sentiment for them to pro-
pitiate, for silver reconciliation and the
success of the resumption policy have
eliminated all practical dispute as to the
currency. The proposed repeal OF the
national Election laws is but one feature
OF the State-supremacy policy, and the
experience which the Democrats had
with this issue after the extra session OF
last summer has not encouraged them
to make it prominent i'll any future APP
peal for popular votes. The records of
the present Congress will not furnish
any guarantee of Democratic capacity
to commend the party to the confidence
of the people. The Democrats have no
past within the experience of the great
mass of the present voters which they
can summon to their aid with pride or
effect. They are in great trouble to
find a suitable candidate, but even if
they should settle their difficulties i'll
this respect they will be in still worse
plight to agree upon any basis for con-
vincing the people that their party
should he intrusted with supreme con-
troll of all branches of the Government.
The Democrats will find the campaign
of 1880 much more serious work i'll any
event than wa, that of 1876. The North
is now fully warned of the attitude of
the "Solid South "a warning that had
not been impressed upon the country
four years ago in party bearing to the
same extent as now. Since the South
ern States have virtually declared that
the Republican candidate shall not re-
ccive single electoral vote from that
whole section, the North will put forth
additional efforts to protect itself from
the menace of aggressive sectionalism.
-Four years ago the campaign followed
the exposure of shameful scandals and
serious abuses under a Republican adj
ministration, which the Republicans
could not defend and found it difficult
to explain. The campaign this year will
follow Republican administration
which has been singularly free from Off
cial scandals, which has made far more
progress in Civil-Service reform than
any of its predecessors, and which has
commended itself to the average public