New-York tribune., 1884-02-26
srrEE1L WITS NJ rO VA.

When the practscd and practical fighter
nloced his raw soldiers in line at Bunker Hill, he
said - Wait till YOU see the whites OF THEN eyes
and then aim low The Republicans can begin
70 q see the whites of their eyes" The candi-
date of the three barres-the money barrel, the
wbislev barrel. and the oil barrels likely to
he the Democratic candidate. He will be
strong candidate, too. 1t would be the height
of folly to underestimate his strength. Ar'
PAYNE is strong in what he has, and III what he
has not He has wealth and fair reputation,
and he has not a long and loaded record. lie
is from Ohio, and that State votes in October.
His nomination will hopelessly wreck nom
the start the Democratic notion OF appealing to
the communistic hatred OF great corporations
but that will be piece of good luck for the
party Mr.. Paync's relations with corporations
and moneycd men Will give him kind OF
strength that mere wealth did not give Mr.
Tilden. the railroad lawyer, and that no other
Democratic candidate for a long time has been
able to command i'll any degree. In short the
candidate of three barrels has strength.
Mr.. PAYNE has weak points Also which we do
not propose now to discuss. 1t is best for the
Republicans, at the very outset, to realize that
here is a candidate whose nomination is possible,
and from present appearances even probable,
whom it will be no holiday amusement to de
feat 1t is time to think about taking aim. A
weak nomination or frivolous nomination
will not defeat that particular foe. One or two
men can be nominated who will render the de-
feat of the Democrats with Mr.. Payne almost a
certainty. But a great many others are talked
about. who would in all probability be beaten
bv him. A shot aimed at the right place Will
kill: all the other shots will miss.
For one thing it will not be exactly in order
TO aim at Mr.. Payne as Northern man with
Southern principles He was the spokesman OF
the majority in behalf of the platform adopted
in the Democratic Convention of 1sGO-that
platform whose al ptiOn Southern delegations
Dr,tested against by seeding. 1t was not a
nlatform that would be called very brilliant or
statesmanIike to-day, but it took some lnde-
nendence TO insist upon it when disruption OF
the convention and of the party was the known
consequence. 1t will not pay to nominate
against Mr.. Payne any man who has not the
respect and confidence of the conservative and
business elements of the country. candidate
who does not know what he believes about the
money question, or who happens to believe
wrong, will have a hard time OF it. II the Re
publican party 50 behaves as to retain the con-
fdence which its splendid course has inspired III
conservative and property owning citizens and
names n candidate who has been identified with
that honorable career it need not fear. But it
cannot afford this year to ignore the wishes Of
such citizens; still less can it afford to ailront
them.
The Democrats have chosen TO put their con-
vention later than the Republican. fla nomi-
nation that is weak or vulnerable should be
made by the Republicans, we may expect to see
fbe utmost advantage taken Of it. Any man OF
average sense can name several nominations
that would infallibly hand over the electoral
votes Of Ncw-Yo,k, Ncw-Jersey and Ohio to
the Democratic party But there Is not the
slightest need of gong wrong. The convention
has only to remember that the past conduct OF
the Republican party in regard to public lalth
honest money, and protection Of industry has
secured for it the confidence Of conservative
interests Ii has no reason to throw away that
coincidence, OF to shake it. The convention has