The Democratic Policy

It is an auspioious time for tbe graat and vital issue of reform, for the reform literully ioeans a return to a former and better oondition. Political reform is the restoration of pure and economical government, ot official accountability, of strict observance to the Constitution and laws. It is an issue which evrybudy underatamds, and which strongly appeals to the intelligenc aad eonscience of every honest oitizen. It direotly affects the interosts of every one who ha auything eithnr to lose or gain - the farmer and the resident of the city, the working man and the oapitalist ahkö. The opinión of Mr. Blair that the true policy of the Democracy consista in inakiug reform the paramount issue of the oatnpaign is sure to meet general aproval. üpinions will, howevor, be more divided as to question of leadership. We are now rapidly approaohing the time when that questiou must be ducidud, and on the decisión the resultof the oarapaign, in viotory or defeat, will depend. What George William Curtis said of the Republican party is just as true of the Democracy : "The country will not look to see what we resolvo, but will look to see who are nouiinated." The qnostion is not a personal one. We believe in principies more thau in men. But it is psrfectly useless to cipress our principies in words unless we expres thein at the same timo in the selection of ourcandidate8. A weak platform inay injure the best ticket, but even a strong and excellent platform can be of no avail ïf the ticket does not coform with it. The Democratie party must select its Presidential oandidates ainoug its stronge8t and best men. There is no safety, no hope of success in any other course. The party has a nuinber of distinguished leaders, each of whoin would inake an excellent President if he could be elected : but we muy haya very lew, we may possibly have but one, who can beelected. At the best the result of the struggle is doubtful. Thonumber of those who have voted and acted as Demócrata duriug all the years in which the Democracy has courageously but unsuccessfully contested the supremacy of the Rwpublican party, is not of itsulf suffioient to secure a triumph. We nood the accession of the olass af indepondent voters, of thoae who have heretofore acted with the Republican party but are now repelled by its corruption, its moral and political bankruptcy. These are evidently some of the consideratsons which induce Mr. Blair to urge the nomination of Governor Tilden as the Presidential candidate of the Democracy on the platform of et'orrn. WhLle there are other possible andidates who are doubtless quite as ncere and earnast ret'ormers, there is, i the opinión of Mr. Blair, no one who s so especially indantified in the public mind with the cause of reform as is our tovernor. Tlu nomination of Tilden would be not merely o yledge, 'bat at the avis time the ttrongest guarantee which the party could give that it meani to Jïqht and suppresa f'raud andjobbery, and thi not alone in the rank of it opponents, but