St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-05-22
VOLUME 47--NUMBER 2443.

and unless they are utterly bereft of
| common sense, they will nominate the
men who, in their Judgment, IRE best
Tilted TO command the confidence and
respect and win the votes of the people.
and whose record, public and private.
least exposes them to criticism and at
tack, whether just or unjust. ANY can
| didate that must, from the very outset
/ be defended, and defended doNn to the
very last day of the campaign. in re-
| spect either to his general capacity and
wisdom, or his personal integrity, is
for that reason IA very undesirable can
didate to dominate. Aud this is es-
pecially true where the office to he
filed by an election is one of as much
dignity, Importance, responsibility aud
public influence rs that of President of
these United States This is the high
est office in the gift of the American
people, and has more To do with the
general veal of the country than any
other office.
The Chicago convention. in making
Its selection among the. candidates for
nomination whose names have been
prominently mentioned, or amopg 9th
erS not prominently mentioned, will do
we'll to bear i'll mind. Most of the del
eSates will go to Chicago, committed,
IN Il certain sense, to their special ia
vorltes, and will so vote in the outset.
and perhaps so vote for several times.
Assuming that no one will be nUminat-
ed IN the outset, which seems to be the
undoubted fact, the time will come in
the history of the convention when the
members, laying aside their special fa-
voritiSms, will have to face the question
of practical choice of presidential
candidate for the republican, party.
That will be the critical moment and
the action taken and the candidate then
selected will go very far towards set
Ting the result of the election. Wis
dom ut that moment will be wisdom
indeed; and serious mistake then
will peril the whole campaign. The
epublican party is not 50 strong, as
compared with the democratic party,
that it can afford to make great blum
der and expect the democrats to make
Il still greater one.
If the Chicago convention, after due
deliberatiOn and careful comparison
of views among its members, shall
nominate II candidate foI president
who will bring out the fnll strength of
the republican party, and supplement
that strength by securing the support
of the Independent voters, especially
in this state, the probabilities of vie
tory are exceedingly promising. If, on
the other hand, the nominee be a man
whom the Independent voters will not
support, and who. for this reason would
he almost certain to lose the electoral
votes of this state, who would furnish
the democrats with plenty of ammu-
milton for attack, and whose record the
republican speakers and newspapers
would be under the constant necessity
of explaining, defining, eXtenuating
and defending, then the chances of
success would he reduced to a minimum
unless the democrats themselves should
perpetrate an equally egregious blum
der.
The great question then, gentlemen
of the Chicago convention, for you to
decide, is not who is the sharpest ex-
pert in the mere trade of party politics,
or who best knows how to manipulate
IL party caucus, or who has the most
skill in conducting preliminary can
vass for his own nomination and get
ting the most delegates in his favor,
but who, being nominated, will he most
likely to command votes enough to
secure his election. 1t is the election
that will elect, and not the nomination.
And as we have already said, so we say
again, that, i'll our judgment, neither
Mr.. Blaine nor President Arthur is the
man to be nominated. The candidate
must he able to carry the great state OF
New York, or he defeated and neither
of these gentlemen can do this. The
balance of power between the two par
ties lies with the Independent voters
in this state and these voters are thor
onghly committed against both of these
gentlemen. The nomination of either
would be very grave mistake, es-
pecially when there are at least half
dozen other meu-One of whom, and,
as good we think, the best of them, is
Senator Edmunds who would be far
more likely to secure the electoral
votes of this state. We emphasize this
point because the decision of the Chi
cago convention in relation to it is so
vital in its hearing upon the result
y. Y. Independent.