Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-10

that the nomination has fallen upon emf
nently worthy shoulders has nothing to
do with the considerations under discus
sion. The anomaly of the situation is that
through the effects of rivalry among can
didates all popular choice in the premises
is eliminated, and even the Convention
becomes a mere lottery. Nor is it always
that the method resorted to for escaping
from deadlock has results as fortunate
as In this instance. The country has sew
eral times been diseredited by very small
men as Presidential candidates, because OF
this mode of choosing them. In fact it is
perfectly clear that the machinery oper-
ates inevitably to rule out the most eligible
candidates, by making their strength a
special reason for rejecting them. If,
therefore, the ultimate object of National
Conventions is to select the candidates
most desired by the majority of the party,
it must be adm ID that they utterly fail
to accomplish the end for which they are
organized, and that what they do effect is
in the last degree inconsequent and IRA
tional Nor is the soberness with which
parties accept these results among the
least curious features of the situation.
Instead of endeavoring to reform the
methods, and to make them capable of pro-
ducing better results, the average poll
tician thinks every duty is satisfied if he
only throws up his hat for the accidental
candidate, no matter who he may be- OF
course the outcome of this clumsy machin-
cry is that parties do not and cannot con-
troll Presidential nominations at all. The
nominations in fact make themselves in a
majority of cases. 1t is like the search
for the Philosophers Stone by the old
Alchemists. They put quantity of DIFF
ferent materials into the crucible, but they
had not the least idea what would come
out. So We put a number of candidates
into the Convention, but we never can tell
whether any of them will come out,
or whether the lottery will not turn
up somebody we have never before
heard of. 1t is manifest that one re-
suit of this uncertainty must be to
drive many deserving and ambi-
tious men from this quest altogether
while those who have courage and con-
stancy enough to keep it up generally reap
their reward in bitter disappointment.
Blaine has tried his fortune twice, and
now he must abandon the hope of success,
notwithstanding the admitted fact that the
majority of the Republican party wanted
him. Garfield is fortunately thoroughly
fit candidate, but will any one venture to
assert that he could have got the nomina-
ton had he sought it =: In theory we en-
courage our public men to aspire. We tell
them that every Office is open to them. But
it is not true. The men who do aspire are
nine times out OF ten defeated for no better
reason than that they were too strong, too
popular, too able. Merit and eminence are
permitted to handicap candidates fatally,
and when we have gathered together five
or six exceptionally fit and capable men,
we suddenly discover that it is impossible
to nominate any OF them. Is it not almost
time that some attempt was made to
amend the system which produces such
anomalous and unsatisfactory results?