Cincinnati And St. Louis

[From the New York World.] It is a perfectly obvious fact that the way in which the Republican canvas f or tho Presidential nomination has beeu thus far conducted is iielthcr creditablo to the candidates nor to the party ; but obvious though it be, the fact is too significant not to be pressed thoroughly liome upon tne public eonsciousness. This canvass is diaereditable to the candidates because of the shameless greed with which they seek the office. The country has often seen politica! leaders anxious to Secute the prize of the Presidency, but Conkling, Blaine, Morton and Bristow are the first Presidential aspirants in our history who liave ever made the Presidency an object openly competed for witbin one political party, each man of them pushing bis own fortunes by every species of petty intrigue. Heretofore it has been held that the Presidency, the highest political trust in the land, should be conferred in the interest, deliborately weighed and publicly ascertained, of one er another great poh'tical orgarrization, and thatit should lie hopelesely bojond the reach of him who strove to get it by mere personal influeace and contrivance. This theory bas not always boen aceurately carried out in practico, but the decent pretenso of its observance nas never been neglected. Ambiüous statesmen in free countries have been held to bear themselves in somo sense like women in iove, and by certain bashf ui arts to solicit without solicitation. It is true that this is a leap year ; but the Republican candidates in 1876 have transcended even the liberal limita of bissextile propriety. There have been other disereditable features in their rivalry besides the open yehemence of that rivalry itself. In their eagetnoss tbey have forgotten party loyalty ; each endeavoring to daniage the reputation of bis rivals at the risk of ruin to the organization. Morton bas set on foot snccessive inquests of scandal into the public life of Blaine ; Blaine and Blawe's friends have given life to the investigations which havo dampened and depressed the snowy frills of Bristow. Morton bas suffered at the hands of his colleagues' accusations, as maluras as those which he has himself suggested ; and Conkliiig bas been defiled by all bis opponeuts in turn, as the especial champion and representativo of the President. Republicans have done more tban Demócrata to make the country regard it as a vile thing to have supported a Republican administration. Political comrades in arms, honestly leagued together in a good cause, could never thus have betrayed each otber ; and the attitude toward eacb other of the Kepublican leaders tells the story of party shame and corruption more eloquently thau all the invectives of the opposition. It bas produced and is producing its natural effect upon the tone of the Republican party throughout the country. Nowhere has there been any uprising of the Republican masses, fused together and glowing under the stress of some strong political feeling and purpose. The party as a party has no definito aim in action, no intense purpose to carry out ; no reform to effect. lts best and ablest members frankly admit that they are ashamed of its recent past, and dismayed and dubious about its future pohcy. Nothing stirs within the organization a pulse of simulated Ufe save the struggles between the friends of one or another leading candidate, to get control of the party machinery. Everytbing is made a question of personal success ; nothing is made a question of principie, or even policy. Even those few men hanging on the verge of Republicanism who assume the virtue of intellectual independence whenever they find themseives cut loose from their party moorings, and take up tho crusader's badge whenever they have been outlawed by their associates, are infected with the curse. They prattle vaguely over all broad issues. They ask the people to regard the history of a party as without meaning, its principies as mere words, its policy as a mirage, the organization itself as a sorl of "barren ideality". in the nature oi those buge whirlwinds of thistledown which blow hither and thither over the high plateaus of the Himalayas. They ask the country to put all ite trust in tho bonesty of one man, and maintain tha1 nothing but a virtuous President is needed to relieve us from the evilfl under which we labor, no mttter upon whal platform he may be elected, by whom he may be chosen, or wbat party obligations he may fatally assume. This endeavor to exalt individuals ai the expense of parties and of principies, it is the mission and duty of the Jjemocratic party to frústrate. The nation's quarrel lies not with this or that Republican leader, but with the Republican organization. We care nothing for particular members of it. Conkling, Blaine, Moron, Bristow are nothing, except so fur as they have helped to maintaiu it in its misgovernment and may belp to maintain it still. It is the Republican party which has squandered the public money, multdplied public offices for party ends, deranged the laws of trade, disorderec the finances, paralyzed the industries oi the people, trampled on the traditions oi the Rêpublic, and broken down the safeguards of civil liberty. It is the Republican party which bas fantened itsell upon tbc country like a huge devü-fish, tül the resources of a continent are shriveling up in ite deadly embrace. The instant poh'tical necessity of America is to pluck this thing jiway. If it clings much longer to the body politie it will suck tho life out of republican government. After we have got rid of this, all changos, all reforms will begin to be easy. Until we get rid of this any real reform, any serious chango is ridiculously impossible. An angel of light elected to the Presidency by tho Republican party must be electod by Republican politdcians and offioeholders, and pled7ed to Republican methods. Thougb nominated by all the parsons and professors in Massachusetts, such a Pre sident, elected by such a party, will be powerless for good, no matter how goed his intentions may be. If the arcbangel Micbael, wfao dealt with the serpent father of all rings, past, present and to como, were to appear in person in tho Oincinnati oonvention and be acclaimed there as a heaven-sent compromiso candidate, assuaging the bitter rivalries of the fateful four, be would flnd bimself groveling under his defeated adversary of old before bis fixst Presidential term was half spent. Nothing could prevent this. For his election would be the triumph of the officeholders. He would havo made bimself the savior of the Repiiblican party at the polls, only to find bimself the slave of its destroyers when in power. In any fnir comparison of individual candidates Demócrata can only feel confidence and . pride when thoy seo their antagonista measure a Conkling, a Blaino, a Morton, or a Bristow, with a Tilden, a Thurman, a Bayard, and a Hancock. Were this a contest of candidates, the Democratie party need not shrink from it. But it is i contest of partiea and not of candidates. Tho Democratie party claims the 3upport of the country not merely because it presenta tho men who stand at ita head. It is moving in behalf of the people of tho Union against an organized army of officials, in behalf of honesty against corruption, in behalf of economy against extravagance, in behalf of the contraction of the sphere of government against a huge dropsy of governmental funotions, in behalf of the enfranchisement of trade and industry against a tariff bondage, in behalf of the unity and harmony of the nation against septionalisni and passion. 89 esseatial to the good of the country is a political revpliltioii, thnt tho best oven of thoso who have beefi bted iot yearfi on ancient spites to believe the Democratie party unfit to administer our affaifs with credit do not hesttate to work for its triuinph. [n tho woids of that rf.teran Bepublican statesman of Massachusetts, Mr Bird ;he best man who can be nominated át Oiicinnati is more dangerous than the Tvort man who can bo nominated at St. Louis.