The Presidency

It may now be regarded as a forogo-nu conclusión tliat tno approachiag i'nsideutial contust is to bu oonducted on ene sido uiider tho bannor Laacribod wil I name uud peculiar gorerumental policios of Gjnorul Graut, and on tho o thee u tlio leadership of tho citizon who-shall be iiaruod tor the chief niogistracy by tho Liberal republioans. The democratio party, as an orgunixed íqxqú undex tbat tuime,. will nut agpoav in thü couUist. Tbis is implied by t'uo conclusión above statcd ; it is the judgment and advioe of ■thu wisest and most pjitrioüo leaders of that party, and the most ununintou of the pjoplo who m.ikc up lts votiug puWCY. Suoh bcing tho sttuation, thcro aro preBented for the consideration aud dütern1inaiiouofth9Libcr.il republic:i:.tt who desire a ohiuigo in tho administration umi its policitis, two tjnustions: lst. Who is the republicaa sí:ttosaau whowonld unite the vi uonts i.i opposition to General Qrant umi tiiu military thoory of governtneutï 2d. Howcubuohuuiou The public mun who havo boon mosi couspiiiou.sly named for the Liberal publican nomination, mul apon one ot' ■ ■vhom tliat uoiuination will uadou". fall, are David ').ivi-, Lyoian ïruuiüuli, I and II. Gratz Drown. OJ nnt jurist uiosi conspicuous . ion to i obablo oandidncy, though the othera iblo, patriotio, and trustworthy. All of thciii aro (1 ütingninhetl meiubcrs of tho ïepublican party, and perhaps they aro equally recugnized as eiiizeua repieaontiug tho distinctivo political ideas uí' Liberal 10publioans. 4-it it ia neoessary to look bey ond this single faot. Supposing tiitin '. to bo equally acceptable toiüberturi , it :s atill nocessary to iaquiro as to thoir relativo acoeptability to tUut vory numerous body of citizons who havo hoietoforo actod in au attitudo of hostility to : the ropublicau paxty, yat whote 1 ism now impuls theui to siak party uh unite with itriotio of their opp menta ii ;i zo.iíous eiforfc to resoue civil liberty and coastitutional self-government froiu the iuipfeniing danger of centralization asd virtual uionarchy. Would thoy cqually uni'e the elementa oí' oppo8Ítion to Goneral Grant anl tho , izing military policy ? It i t thoy would niA. Mr. Trumbu'l and Govrnor Brown h.iv both been conspicuoas for many years as party men. There would be fouud in the political reoordii of both many things roquiring explanation and defeuoe. Tha nomination of oithor would tend to eevive amcaig a class of citizens who oever learn and ne ver forgi r, many unreasonable and fanatiual prejudices. To all Libera] deinoaratri, us to all liberal repilblioans, ZIr. Trumbull (and perhaps Mr. Brown) woulfl be an entif ictorycandidate ; but it unfortunately bAppstis tiiafc all men oaliiug thomsolvos detnoorats are not libOial, nor oven reasonable, any more thau are all uien calling thuiuselves republicaiis. Time and "the us'.'a of adversity" undoubtodly tended, and are still ing, to oblitérate trom the irreooncilublo democratie element their unreasonable party pTejudices; in timu they will disappear; but it ij pretty certain that :a-o not yot sufficiently subordiuatway ofjudgment to enable it to be suid that Mr. Trumbull's nomiüation for the presidency by the Liberal republicana would ha thut which would best unite tho elementa of opposition to tho military presiden tial oaudidate. And the B imc is relatvely truo of Gov. Brown. With respeot ïo Judge Da vis, tho liko re.isons do not appear. Though always a republican, he h.is never been prominent as a partásan, Tfaero i.; positively nothing in bis public record that would require either defence or explanation. Eutiroly accepiablo to every liberal republican, the most illiberal democrat could not raise an objeotiou against bim. It is very certain that no man has been oamed in oounection with the Liberal republioan candidacy v?ho would be so entirely acceptablo to eitizens calling themselveó deiiioorats as David Davis. Bendes, he ís already named as the candidato of a numerous and highly respectablo popular organization, wkose favor would prob.ibly not be casily transi'crred to anuther candidato. It is manifest, moreover, that tho country rocognizes a peculiar fitnoss in the oundidaoy of Judgo Davis, lor a reason loss oonspicuously indicated in tho person of auy other citizen who has been nientioned. ïho approaohing presidential eleotion jnvolves a cïeafly-defined COntest between two antagonistio and wholly irreoonoilablo politieal idean; bufcween two fundamuntally uonilictingsysteins of govornraent ; butween goverament of forco and governmont ot' law. These two opposite priuoiplaa coniprehend the wholu issue to be tried and decidod by the country. It is the pñmary and vital distiiiction botweon our owu republicuu system and Huropcan monaichical s sterns that ours is a govorninent of law ; thuirs, goveruincnts ot' l'oico. General Graat, with his West I'oint4deas and his military policies, is essentially a representativo of tho thoory of a governmeut of forco. David Davis, pre, -ininent as a jurist, is pre-emmently au embodiment of the theory of a government of law. Ho is unmiostionably tle eitizen who, as a candida te for the prtsidomjy, would best uiiito all people who, tliougii differisg upul many points of dutaii, agroo upon tlutt fundamental basis. The answer tQ the second q.uestion is seen to be p;u'tly involved in thnt which is thus given to tho first. Tho union of all the diverse elemente of oppusition to tho theory of military governmejut uan best be attained by the nomination of Judge Davis by the Liboral republicana. It is most likely to be attuiucd by thu in;ikiuíí of that noroinatiou promptly and summaiily. Tho JyiljL-rul ropublicah eon vontion wil] meet at Cinoinnati less than two months henee. Two courses of actiou witl be opentoit: one, to nomínate oandidates for president and vico praaideat then and there ; the other, to effect sou: sort of organization and to appoint a nominating cinventioii for a subsequent day. Tho latú'r would bo most unwise. The former is olearly tho right coui-se for the Cincinnati cenvention to take. xt isdiffiiiult to imagino anytliing tobe gaiued by deibrriug the convention until ai'ter Grant has teen nonihiatod Qrané ia in reality nomint.ti;d already ; tho army of office-holders has dooreedit; the I dulphia convention asseüibles ouly to rat - ii'y the doeree. There is net one chance in a million against such ratifleation. But mppose the one chance should win; it is not pos.--.ibl ■, in ;uiy contingt'noy of human evonte, that a botter man than Judgó Davii-, or ono more acueptable to Liberal republicans, can be nuuied. Whilo nothing oould poasibly bu gained by delay, it would oertainly tend to fostei' jealousies and incite rivalries, wkieh it is. au object of paramount importanoe to avoid. Beiidee, delay would put off tho prooeM of popular crystalization, wbich oannct commence too soon. So Lar vis demot:rat8 are concernod, there is aot the ülightest reason fox e, uioruont's delay. Tboydonot expoot to particípate in the maklnti of tho nominati on the con i i .■ believe it won!'1 ■ ■ most injudici''. iii t' l my porsons idi i'iad witii tbo democratio o ion " Tho 1 mooratio sentiment nf tho oouncry wcul 1 eren l' :;; ti -.li.-.i to leivo ;'.io nvjtler as it stands ; foritis moiully oertaiu, in any ov a, fchat no demo vut ir nc-minations will be in:dc. Sbould tln i republioaní mike uo nominatiems at all, the democratie vote wwli! probttbly bo giveu to tii ;' ■ mdidates that hui? 1. ■■■il i uatry !jy the ; oonventiux at . They trust, howcvor, that the Liberal repu their approaching conveBrtiao at (üvinnati, will not hesitatf to "Hing tiioir i i hout any furtbi ■ preUmiiunies, aul th-it Üney wül so act that all citiz ma, of whatovor concreto po.;!" bi ii ro in gverninent oi' l-.w ::: 1 not in govorumont of] irj t 'i' o, ■ in a vigoron j offort to rpïuë free govonunent in tliis cjuntry trom the öperation of policiw tliüt are tending to ite inevitable dcstruciion. Among men sincerely enlisted in a imp irl int, there ought not tobe, caimot bo, any ■ivalrics.