Year: 1878

EARLY NOMIN4TTONS.


Il being kind of phenomenal Winter, there
Is no objection that we know OF to any sangulhe
or visionary agrlcultllrIsts planting during this
month early peas, cucumbers, or tomatoes III
the omen ar. 1t is not absolutely certain that
such early planting will come to grief through
frost or snow or ice. 1t is not impossible
that through some effect Of the procession
of the cqunoXcs or an eruption OF sun
spots, or switching coastward of the Gulf Stream
or some ocean upheaval or terrestrial dlstur-
bance presently to happen. we shall shortly
have the trailing arbutus mellowing sunshine,
the ox-eyed daisy and early garden truck. We
venture guardcdly 10 remark, however, that the
agriculturist who plants this month In the open
air the unprotected cucumber or the perishable
pea can find plenty of statesmen who will lay
him at least two to one thaJ he never gets
back pickle or a pod. And yet no one OBJ
iccts 20 the experiment being tried; it being
such phenomenal Winter. No more does
any one, SO far az we know, object to the nom
inatiOn during the present session OF Con-
gress OF candidates for the Presidency
The season in politics is also somewhat
phenomenal. 1t may be that to early nomi-
nations as well as early garden sauce there
will come no chilling frost, and that through
some change in the order of nature Prcsi-
dental nominations made during the first
Congress of term will spring up and bear
fruit in 1880. Never having known a case of
the kind, however, we venture, though some
what less confidently, to remark upon this
point that the odds are as much as two
to one that the nominations 50 made
will never come to bearing. Still he
political experiment involves less risk than the
agricultural. We have no such abundance of
garden seeds that we can afford to waste
them in January planting OF Presidential
candidates, we have such an overstock that
we can easily trot them out at the rate of one
a day from now till 1880, and have enough
left then to SOW the continent broadcast
with them and have a few over for Liberia.


We cannot now recall time when the
country was so blessed with prominent candi-
dates. Many of these have been left over from
the last campaign, Ike Tilden and Hendricks.
and Thurman and Bayard, and Grant and
Bristow, and Conkling and Blaine, and others
too Numerous to mention; some like McCicl-
Ian and Pendlcton, have skipped over from





bcrnation in whichthcy had almost disappeared
from memory somo arc entirely fresh and
new. like Governor Bishop, Of Ohio, Speaker
Randall and Dan Voorhees,, and almcst every
day some distinguished person is adding to
his cminence 10y a distinguished speech, and
is forthwith put on the track for 1880 The
woods" do actually seem TO be :" full of EN-"
There is great comfort to the thoughtful pa
triot in the reflection that the coun-
try is so well provided with state'-
men competent to fill the Executive chair.
We always feel like congratuldting the men
who are brought forward early for the Prosi
icncy. Ii must be u pleasing sensation to be
named in connection with that high Office.
Then, too. the bother of 1t is so soon ended.
I'm nine cases out of ten the dis
ease has run Of only a few months,
and il then over. The afflicted person
has had all the satisfaction possible to
be- gained from such prominence, without any
of the ycxation and expense aud wear and
tear Of beiug actually a candidate. With
tho.c Who are taken with il later, and
who continue TO be candidates up to the
time OF the nominating conventions, 1t
il apt to 20 harder and bring great
distress. We accordingly look with great
satisfaction upon the present epidemic
of Presidential nominations. II makes great
number of people uneasy, to bc sure, but then
# only lasts = little while, and upon the whole
they rather enjoy 1t. BY all means then let
TIE nominating business bc kept mp. II does
nobody any permanent harm, and helps clear
the field for real people by and by.