wo great sections of the country. Strangely
enough both parties violated the practice in the exciting canvass
of 1828, when Jackson and Calhoun were the candidates of the
Democratic party and Adams and Rush were the candidates of the
National Republican party. The nomination now of Andrew Johnson
from the South tended, in the phrase of the day, to _nationalize_
the Republican party, and this consideration gave it popularity
throughout the North. It was nevertheless felt by many of Mr.
Hamlin's friends to be an injustice to him. But it did him no
injury. He accepted the result in a cordial manner and worked
earnestly for the success of the nominees. The whole country saw
that the grounds upon which Mr. Hamlin was superseded were not in
derogation of the honorable record he had made in his long and
faithful public career.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, 1864.

The Democratic National Convention was held nearly three months
after the Republican Convention had renominated Mr. Lincoln, and
only two months prior to the election. It had originally been
called to meet in Chicago on the 4th of July; but as the time
approached, the brighter military prospects and the rekindled
national hopes left a darker Democratic outlook, and the assembling
of the Convention had been delayed to the 29th of August. Several
reasons had combined to secure the selection of this unusually late
day. It gave longer opportunity to observe the course of the
military campaign, and to take advantage of any unfavorable
exigencies; it allowed more time to compose Democratic dissensions;
and it furnished more scope for the party, whose chances rested
solely upon the degree of popular discontent, to seize upon any
disturbed state of the public mind, and turn it to account.

The delay of nearly two months had been accompanied by a marked
change in the situation. The advance of the Union cause which had
depressed Democratic expectations in the spring, had been succeeded
by inactivity and doubts which revived Democratic hopes in August.
The postponement which had been ordered that they might avail
themselves of any unfavorable course of affairs, thus deluded them
into a bold abandonment of all reserve. Changes in the military
situation were sometimes sudden and swift. Had the Convention been
postponed another week, its tone and action might have been
essentially different; for its tumultuous session had s