Year: 1876

The Republicans of Connecticut in their State
Convention at Hartford fairly cleared the decks
for the Presidential canvass. The work OF the
Convention proper was simply preliminary to
the annual Spring election for State officers,
the only additional business being the appoint
ment of delegates to the National Convention.
But the manifest feeling among the delegates
was that the action of the Convention derived
its chief importance from its relation to the
Presidential canvass, which will he just about
opening as the State campaign closes. so far
as the State is concerned, the feeling was un-
disguised that the fortunes of the party were
in an almost desperate condition. The scandals
and corruption at Washington and else
where, the weakness and unpopularity OF
Grants administration, and the low tone to
which the party seemed to have fallen, had
considerable influence in bringing down the
Republican vote in 1878, when the party first
began to lose its grip and to these general
causes have been added disaffcction In the
party arising from local feuds and personal
ambitions and disappOintments, so that at
the outset of the State campaign Immediately
preceding the Presidential election OF 1876
the prospect was of most dlscouraglng char-
acter. The party was dishcartened, apathetc.
The State seemed to be given over TO the
Democrats beyond the possibility of redemp-
ton. Instead of having as three years ago,
the State officers, both branches of the Legis-
lature, two United States Senators, and three
out of four members of Congress, they found
the tables completely turned and the Demo-
Gratis in possession of everything except one
member OF Congress, or, to be more exact,
having everything, the one seat in Congress
saved by the Republicans out of the wreck
having been left vacant by the death OF Rep
resentatiye Starkweather. In this state OF
affairs no one was sangmne enough to hope
for ANYTHING like success from the action OF
Yesterdays Convention. The most that could
be attempted was to lift the party up out OF
the ruts in which it had been running so long,
and by the high character of its candidates
and the fitness of its platform give 1t again
title to public confidence and popular favor


The emergency was met by Convention oil
unusual intelligence in which the desire for
harmonious and wise action for the good OF
the party and the State was uppermost.


The ticket nominated and the platform
adopted Yesterday were the products of three
years experience of adycrsity and defeat. Our
special dispatch from Hartford yesterday morn
ing, which not only foreshadowed but actually
anticipated the work of the Convention, did not
state the case too strongly i'll saying that the
ticket as q whole is far superior to any ever
offered the voters of the State by any
party. In this opinion, which was the gen.
eral expression of the Convention, all who
know the candidates named, and who are
familiar with the history Of political conyen-
tons and nominations in the State, will read
ily concur. Mr. Robinson of Hartford, the
candidate for Governor; Mr.. KingsbuIy OF
Waterbury, the candidate for Lieutenant
Governor and Gen. Francis A. Walker for Sec
retary of State, are three gentlemen any one of
whom is amply qualified by ability, educa-
ton. and training, for the highest official
positions. They have none of them been con-
cerned in what is called active politics, and
probably no one of them would have consented
to accept a political nomination were not the
circumstances of the case exceptional and
peculiar. They could not fail to recognize in
the general desire for their nomination
an earnest and sincere effort to put
the party in a stronger and better
position before the people by going
out of the ranks Of the professional politicians
and party hacks for candidates. And so from
simple sense of their duty as citizens, as
well as from feeling of sympathy with any
movement calculated to elevate and purify