New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-12-03


A correspondent-whoi is brave enough tooiier
to let us see his name if we insist on having it
says that We ought to have insisted on stopping
the Union machine andreversing its engine if we
supposed it was being run badly in the recent
Municipal canvass.-He has perfect right to
his opinion, as we have to act in accordance with
our own convictions of duty. Our political
friends who ran the Union machine were per-
fectly aware from the first that we wished some
one Of our very ablest, wisest, best known
most honored citizens selected as the Union can
didate for Mayor, and that we decidedly pre-
| ferred that he should be one who, though now
only and Internationally Union, had acted with
the Democrats prior to the outbreak of the
Shareholders Rebellion. Our first choice, Of
course, was Gen. Dix; and we did what we
fairly could to have him brought forward. We
believed, and no,c believe, that, had he been solc-
tied, in becoming manner. and by general
rcquisition signed by the leading Unionists OF
our City, he would have consented to stand.
But the machines were all set to prevent his
nomination, unless be chose TO appear as a COM
petitor with one or two others for Union votes;
and that he neither would do nor should have
done.
But Gen. Dix is not the only man who could
have called out the Union strength Of our City.
We could have polled from Twenty-Five to
Thirty Thousand votes for George Bancroft, or
Francis Il. Cutting, or Edwards PleTepont, or
one Or two Others Of that stamp. We believe
we could have polled nearly so many for Ham,
ilton Fish, or some one of our capable and pub
lc-spirted merchants. But the opportunity
was not afforded us. Mir. Orison Blunt-who
had run for Congress as bolter last year III the
only district OF our City that We had prospect
of carrying, and polled 996 votes-was made
our candidate-through The contrivance and
procurement Of Francis ]. A. Boole we have
no manner Of doubt. We do not mean that
every one who favored Blunt's nomination was
inspired to do SO by Boole; but we do mean
that had Boole let our machine alone, Blunt
would not have been our candidate.
Then says our critic, you ought to
have bolted, and upset the machine. SO We
would, we answer, if Mr.. Blunt had been q
knaye and public robber But such is by no
means the case lie is honest; be is thoroughly
pat rotic; and he has had very considerable
Municipal experience, which would have made
him in many respects a useful Mayor. To the
extent of his capacity and power, he would have
opposed all manner Of jobbery and plundering
Of the public. He would have made fair
average Mayor. Yet he lacked some qualities
very desirable in the holder Of that Office and
he was not the man to concentrate and call out
our full Union vote. So we feared from the
first: so the result has proved.
Then why not bolt, and make a general
smash Of the crockeryP
Simply because that would have rendered
certain the very catastrophe that we appre-
hcnded, and would have shifted the response
bility of producing it frQm the runners of the
machine to US. 1t was settled last year that,
when Orison Blunt gets any sort Of o nomina-
ton, he holds on to it like grim Death; and, had
another Unonist been pitted against him, we
should have confronted such certainty OF de-
feat that not more than half our vote would
have been poled. So We resolved to make the
best of our position, and we did. We could not
elect Mr. Blunt; but we did what we could to
swell his vote. The result is known.
And now we give fair notice that the
machine business is played ont. We shall not
wait next time to be crowded into such a corner
as we have just occupied. 1t shall not be our
fault if there are not six Thoroughly loyal, up.
right capable, well known and popular candi-
dates for Congress before tho people Of this
City before the machines can be got into opera
ton next Fall. We don't care if they all live in
one Ward, one street, one block, SO that they
ore men who will be generally recognized as
eminently qualified and worthy to represent
this great Emporium in the grand council of the
Republic. And we ask our fellow-citizens to
begin now to consider who ought so to repre-
sent us, and to confer with each other on the
subject. We hope to see them quite generally !