Year: 1876

Frestdentta1 Candidates


There is at least no scarcity of Presi-
dental timber in the republican party.
Though its men may differ widely from one
another in their relative fitness for the high
post, yet in this centennial year it can fairly
claim the possession of thirteen stars adj
mittedly of Presidential magnitude-thir-
teen men between whose qualities and the
Office the country would see no dispropor-
ton. These are Messrs Evarts, Bristow.
Washburne, Conkling, Blaine, Grant, Nor
ton, Morgan, Fish, Frelinghuysen, Hayes,
Jewell and John Jay. All these men are
candidates some by their own selection,
some noisily pressed by the class of men un-
pleasantly known to fame as working poll
ticians, and some hoped for by all who de-
sire to see purity and capacity in Office.
Several of these men can, perhaps, scarcely
be regarded as candidates with whom the
republican party can go before the country
with very confident hope of victory. Mr..
Morton has been the subservient tool of
every bad policy that has been labelled with
the party name Mr.. Blaine has ex-
hibited more brilliantly, perhaps, than
was ever before done in our his
tory his utter want of political wis
dom, and has become distinguished as a
man who deems no wire too contemplate to
be pulled in his own interest. Mr.. Morgan,
whose candidacy would be eminently re-
spectacle from every point of view seems
still without the positive force to come out
sc kloa aho.0 ut ,oh he &c hxy
the fact that he is from the same State as Mr..
Conkling who must for the moment be re-
garded MS the hero of Syracuse. Many of
these candidates have fame that is too
strictly local. Several can boast point of
strength that is sometimes overwhelming in
conventions. They could, in certain con-
tingencies, be designated by the President
in Office as his chosen successor, and their
nomination by the Convention, as it would
stand to the country for o party indorse-
ment of the past course of the administra-
tion, would for this reason be sought and
pressed in that body with all the power that
the official world could bring to bear. Mr..
Conkling is the most distinguished of the
candidates of this class. All they have to
apprehend at Cincinnati is that the dele
gates there may be afraid of this point.
They may not take kindly to any candidate
so related to the administration that his NOM
ination would seem to commit the party at
this critical moment to an indorse-
ment of the kind of government that has
brought US to the present condition. In
short, they may have q wholesome regard on
this occasion for the opinions of the people.
If that sort of sentiment prevails such
names as those of Evarts and Bristow will
come prominently to the front. These
names are the two real diamonds in this
mass of glittering California quartz. Mr..
Bristow is clear headed, upright, calm,
strong man, whose fame is clear of every re-
proach, and which has that sterling quality
that enables it to stand investigation-of
which we have had q recent exhibition in his
dealings with calumny concocted appar-
emily by some of his ingenious rivals. Mr..
Evarts has q great name, the greatest in
civil affairs in this nation, and at q time
when craftsmanship, when the capacity to
reason in politics is the great need of the
country, he should come as naturally to the
head of the people as would Sherman or
Grant if the nation were menaced with war.
But he is man of character and will, and
not ductile in the hands of the traders in
politics. But sometimes it happens that
conventions have to take men whom they do
not like in order to keep the people from
going over to the enemy.