The daily gazette., 1880-05-22
The LdiC of Self Preservation

FROM tne Sprlngnelu hepuDllcan.
When the Republican declared, two
months ago, that the Massachusetts
Republican Convention would be
obliged to declare for Edmunds in
order to take right stand and es-
cape any quasi endorsement OF Grant
or Blaine, it did so upon the simple
conviction that that course was the
only one consistent with the dictates
of the law Of self-preservation. The
Republicans o. Massachusetts did
find themselves face to face with two
obnoxious candidates., with "A third
candidacy excellent in every respect
and popular AID with fourth excel
lent in a measure, but not popular.
They did what any single man would
have done in choosing a man for a
private undertaking, deeply inVolv-
ing his life and prosperity; they dis
missed the worst by choosing tue
best.
Now the question is, what will
the Republican party of the whole
country do under like circumstances {?
They have before them Grant, who
is deeply obnoxious on perfectly rea-
sOnable grounds to large portion
OF the party. Three-tiltns of the
party will be disgusled by his nomi-
nation at a moderate calculation and
lU per cent. will be driven to absten-
| ton from voting, or to voting for
some other candidate. Then they
have before them Blaine, who Is
obnoxious on other grounds, whose
nomination would disgust large
section OF the party, a different Sec
ton from that opposed TO Grant, and
in close States is very likely y to repel
the last 5 or 10 per cent. Of Repab-
llcan voters, without whom all the
other 80 or 95 per cent. are
mere ciphers. 1t is the last
per cent. Of voters who are ooiuo
to decide this election. In return
for these damaging qualities, what
do these two candidates offer as ex-
ira inducements Grant offers the
delusive hope Of carrying some
Southern States by his great name.
a speculation OF the Jim Fisk order.
Blaine expects to carry the Pacific
coast upon his Chinese POSITION
But what are the II votes of Virgin
ia aud the four Of Florida, even sup
posing they would be counted for
Grant, to balance the - votes of the
State Of Ohio, and what are the -
votes Of the Pacific coast compar.d
with the 35 Of New York? With
New y ork, Ohio, and Connecticut.
the Republican party can throw the
Pacific coast and the South over
board; with those three States, nei-
ther the Pacific coast nor any other
States Grant is likely to carry at the
South can save it from defeat.
We say, therefore, that the law of
self-preservation interposes at Chi
cago between Grant and Blaine on
the one hand, and the Republican
nomination for the Presidency on
the other. That law may not be
needed we do not say it will be
but it cannot be evaded. 1t stands
athwart the path Of the two chief
candidates, and is to be either obey
ed or violated. 1t carries its own
consequences in either alternative.
The true path Of escape for the
party from this perilous attitude is
through the nomination OF Edmunds.
He is candidate by no act of his
own, he seeks nothing; he stands
passive under the manifestation of
the popular will, determined to be
called, if at all, by the spontaneous
movement of the people and, if so
called; profoundly impressed by the
solemn duty which it imposes.