The 'Astonishing Weakness' of the Whitman Democratic Ticket

The ticket pitted by the democrats against the republicans of Whitman in their convention last week is remarkable for but one thing: its astonishing weakness. In great measure, the nominating body selected the old saws of the party, and when a more than ordinary fit of stupidity seized upon the convention, old broken down hacks and turncoats from the populists were eagerly put up for slaughter. Nearly all who have not been heretofore turned down at the polls have been seeking in vain with fine tooth combs for the elusive offices which shy at even democrats of standing. While the entire ticket is not made of democrats who have either been defeated one or more times or are inveterate chasers of greased lightning and of disgruntled populists who came into the democratic convention at the eleventh hour, it is nearly so. On the ticket of the democracy is at least one defeated aspirant for office on the populist ticket; two former populist officeholders; two defeated union-silver candidates, and badly defeated ones at that; two democrats in whom the people have heretofore lacked confidence enough to elect, and the remainder of the ticket carries only mediocre ability.