Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-11
First District Congressional Candi-
dates.

dates.
There is quite number of candidates
for the Congressional nomination in this
| district. At least three have announced
their desire for the nomination, and 1t is
rumored that there are several more who
hope the honor will come to them. The
three who are announced are Judge NJ.
L. Mershon, of Glynn county; Capt. b. D.
Bradwell, of Liberty county, and Hon.
John c. Nichols. of Blackshear. our pres
ent Representative. AS far as we are in
formed the UnannOunced candidates are
residents of this city. Mr.. Nichols, on
the occasion Of his late visit to his home,
stated that he was not actively
seeking the nomination, but that it was
his purpose to abide by the wishes Of his
friends. Generally this means that can
dIdate is doing what he can within rea-
sOnable limits to get the nomination. II
is fair to assume, perhaps, that Mr..
Nichols is not idle in this matter. 1t is a
laudable ambition to want to succeed
himself, and nobody will find fault with
him on that account. There is occasion,
however, to find fault with Mr.. Nichols
on another account. He does not repre-
sent his constituents and is not in har-
mOny with his party on the tariff ques-
ton. Mr.. Nichols during the present
session Of Congress has acted with that
small squad Of Democratic protectionIsts
which is led by Mr.. Randall.
He voted against considering the Morri-
son bill, and he was paired against its
10 oT cf ho
tives from Georgia joined hands with the
Republicans to defeat the avOwed policy
ofthe Democratic party. We are perfectly
willing to accord 10 Mr.. Nichols the right
to entertain whatever views he pleases on
the tariff, but we ask, in all sincerity and
with no personal feeling of hostility to
him, whether the people of this district
are willing 10 be represented by man
who is not in sympathy with his party on
the most important question at present
before the country. There is no doubt
that the National Convention will declare
for a revenue tariff, and that the tariff
will be the main issue in the Presidential
contest. This district can hardly afford
to support for Congress a man who has
taken such a decided stand against the
party's tariff policy, particularly when
that policy Will play so prominent part
IN the campaign. 1t is the duty of the
Democrats of this district to give the
party all the support they can, and they
ought, therefore, to send a man to Con-
gress who can be depended upon on all
party issues. 1t will be quite a while
before the district convention meets, but
it is not too soon for the people to be
thinking about the kind Of a man they
want to represent them. If they trust to
luck that the right man Will be nominated
they may lind out at the last moment that
the convention has been made up in the
interest Of some one whose views are
such that be cannot fully represent
them.
1t may be that Savannah viii claim the
nomination for one of heT citizens. 1t is
not improbable that her claims viii be
recognized, provided she presents a can
didate whose ability and other qualifica-
tions are such as not only to command
respect but to arrest attention. 1t Will
be useless for her to ask the honor for a
second or third rate man. The convention
will hardly nominate a Savannah man
simply because he is citizen Of Savannah.