Garfield Or Hancock

If thore existed no material dilForenee n tho politieal history, doctrines, toncts, ud the modes and wanner to curry out nd vcrif'y the differente betwoen the two reat parties of tho country ; if it were mtirely immaterial to thu dcvelupment of he country wlmther the north or the south xerciscd the power of the federal government ; f the civil war, with all its de facto nd de jure cousequences, could bc cxungcd froni the pages of history, the oniing presidential eloction between the wo uien, (iarficld and Hancock, there would still reuiain in tho foreground tlie 11 absorbing question : Shail a soldier ora tatesman be the cuiet' luagintrate of the epublic? Hancock is a eoldior, but not n that sense of the word as hundreds of housands of citizens wcre aoldiers during he war. He was not a volunteer who toro limself away from his poaeofu! homo avocations wlien danger thrcatencd hia counry ; wlio stood ready to sacnfice his blood and all to save it, and who, after faithful erformance of' his duties as a soldier and latriotic citizen, rctirod into private lif'c fain. He is not one of those hundreds generala who, before the war, were lawrers, artisans, merchants, ete., and after he war rcsunicd again their different profesaiona, He is a soldier by trado, who over was anything else sinco the days of ïis youth ; one of those West-Pointers who, likc the officers of the l'russian jluards, are proud of the fact that they lever followed any civic avocatiou in their ivea; proud of the lkct that tliey do not understand anything of the businens-thnft jf the citizen:; of the laud, and j.roud of the fact that they nevcr paid any attention o political affairs. It is very improbable hat Mr. Flanoock has but tor a moment ;roubled his brain with a superficial cxaniïnation of all those important questions ;hat interest the nation, and formed an opinión relative thereto ; at least ho has never givcn any prooi' that he has. The officers of our little American army live, ás is well known, in a little world of their own by thcmselvcs, keep apart and away from civio life as much as possible, and are imbucd fully as wcll with that pride of military caste which the European offioers possess in such an eminent degree. Hancock is tho first candidato for the prosidency who has been ' selectcd from tliis narrow cirole of professional soldier?. Even Winüeld Scott was originally a lawyer, and consequently educated for a civic life. Zachary Taylor was a farmer up to his twenty-fourth year, when he wasappoioted a lieutcnant in the army. Jackson, Ilarrison and Piercc were citizensoldicry, like llayeH and Garfield. (jrant received his education in West l'oint, and advanced iu the army to the rank of captain, but regigncd and applied himselt to different, even very modest, business ways and avocations, until the rebellion called him again into tho military service. Before he was elected president, he passcd in his official capacity as secretary of war, through a school m which hc had amplc opportunity to Btudy the administration of public affairs. In contradistinction from all those mentioned, Hancock is tho first who, in a European sense of the word, has ever been anything else in his life but a soldier by profession, and who is as such dcomed competent by a political party to guidc the dostinies of the ropublie. But the southern demoerats know what they want. They know too well that Ilancock's ineutal training, his views and habita of life acquired by his military education. did not engender those prcliminary conditions neoessary to direct and guide the ship of state with a iirm and uncrrinK hand. They are awaro of the fact that he lacks any and all exporiencc in matters of state, as well as tbe all important knowledge of men and judgment of characters. But this is the very resson why they desire to make him president, beoause they intend, undcr him and his name, to rule themsclves. They hope to find in him a very respcctablc nouentity. Whotherthoy judge him correctly ; whether he might not become just as troublesomo to them, perhaps, as (Jen. McMahon sometimes acted towards the reactionary olemcnts of Franco, we will not investígate. The main points to be considered are : The reasons and intentions which governod the democracy in the selection of their candidato. Oarfield is no more a soldier by profossion than the citizen who assists in extinguishing a conflagraron can be termed a fireman. He began his career ns a coiumon laborer at a pitiful palary of $10 a month. By bis own exertions hc aequired a high scicntifio education, and elovated himself to thc position of a leading statcsman. As compared with Hancock, who from his boyhood stood in tho regular military of thc United States; who nevor kncw privations and hardships; who never waa compelled by the forcé of circumstances to gain subfistonco by the swoat of his brow during the daytime nnd hia education during the hilent hours of night ; (iarfield is a real and true representative of thc American energetio citizon, and hiH readiness to labor ; is a splendid cxample of thc self-madc man, in thc noblest meaning of the word. For twonty yoars ho lias oocupied a Beat in the counsols of the natimi, and has acquirod in all questions of pul)lio interoat and iniportanco a cluarnesH of view and perception, an aouteness and positivcness of' judnincnt whieh would naturally stamp hiin to be tho lender of' bis jmrty. Tho difforenoe betwcen him and Haneook is juut as atcnt nnA pronounced as botwoeu Grevy and MeMahon. W'but the country nceds is a citizen preaia ïtatosuian wiili brain, gen. -r;il knowlodgo, honcst purposo and niatured and broad views ; hut uot a soldier, whose mcrits can simply be rothiced to tho fact that he - not as an independent commander but ns a aub-couimander - did nlways liis duty bravely and truly. ïhis eouviction wiil, belor tho day. of the election, gain ground in thoae pirelewhore now jubuhnt axoitement over HanOOck'a nomination predonünatcs, simply for the rcason that the daDjter of' Tilden's nomination has been luekily prevontod. Twenty eight years apo, at the time when the hoary-hcaded Wiufield .Scott was notninated by the whig party as tneir candidate for the prcbidcncy, tbc whnle worid believed his elcctiou was certain beyond any doubt, liut he ws def'oated by an iusignifieant lwyer froiii New Hampshiro, uuknown to faujn. Ilancock is not by fur tlie celcbrated military chieftain that Soott waa, and (!ar6eld ccrtainlv not so