New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-08
vgE SGT or REPUBLICAN, OPINION.

Tn recent Conventions the Republican party
Las given new evidence of its good sense and
of its careful respect for public opinion. In
structions and rules requiring delegates to vote
as q unit we're In great favor few months
ago. A different set of men have been rep
resented in recent conventions, and the attempt
to tie up delegates has been abandoned There
ia no lonI er any danger that the nomination of
President Grant can be secured by any en-
tanelement of delegates in the mcshes Of in
structiOns, and his opponents have not thought
1t worth while to use their power In that way In
conventions which they have controlled In
New-Jersey, for instance, though nine out OF
ten of the delegates would have preferred
Senator Blaine no attempt to instruct the del
egates was made. 1t was felt that the prepOn-
dcrance of opinion for the Senator from Maine
was SO great that no man who cared to have
any part In politics hereafter would venture
TO disregard it. Of the delegates chosen, sew
eral frankly avOwed that they would personally
have preferred to vote for Senator Sherman,
but declared as General Fitzpatrick did in the
Convention, in the meeting of the Committee on
Resolutions, and in conversation with dele
gates, that he had been preferred as candidate
for delegate because Of his pledge to vote for
Senator Blaine, and should feel bound to act
in accordance with that pledge.
1t IS the peculiar feature Of the Presidential
canvass that the men who mean to vote for the
Senator from Name have the popular vote
behind them. In New-Jerscy, men said
frankly, any personal preference is for an
@other candidate, but my constituents would
anot have elected me If they had known that
Gdcsircd anybody except Blaine" Iii New
Hampshire the same feeling overpOwcred all
the efforts of the managers of the campaign in
the Grant interest and in Maryland, Tennessee
and Delaware the samc spirit appeared. In
short, wherever there are Republicans, the
Senator from Maine has hearty supporters so
numerous and so positive that q delegation
composed Of local politicians thinks twice be-
fore it votes against him. There is no such
popular preference for any Democratic candi-
date, nor for any other Republican candidate,
except in localities where other candidates
are best known. Senator Blaine has the voice
of very large proportion of the Republicans
where no local ambition or interest divcrts their
sympathy, and even there he ranks as second
choice after the favOrite. His supporters
dispute the precedence Of General Grant in
Pennsylvania and New-YOrk J they threatened
the Success of Secretary sherman In OhlO !;
they disputed Massachusetts with the friends
of Senator Edmunds; and they hope to Sc
cure the delegation from Illinois in spite Of
the friends of General Grant.
1t cannot be said that General Grant has
held his own of late. At the South, delega-
lions which were expected to be unanimously
In his favor have been divided. At the North
he is threatened by the independence of del
egates from Pennsylvania and New-YOrk,
who insist that they ought to represent the
will Of their constituents. 1t was thought
that the ex-President might succeed with the
electoral votes of New-YOrk, Pennsylvania,
Illinois and the solid South but tho South is not
by any means solid In his favor; Pennsylvania
and New-York break ranks at critical mo-
ment and the prospect of a success for the
ex-President IN Illinois is not now fattering.