New-York daily tribune., 1865-10-17
LEGIsLATIyR REFORM.

| Outside of this City, the Union nominations
for Senators are very generally made. and tne
nominees, SO far as known to us, are nearly OF
quite all honest, capable, worthy men. Mr.
Labau in the Ist Messrs. PiersOn and Croohe
in the I'D and lid (Brooklyn), MIR. crosby in
the With districts, are eminently so. what
sort of candidates may be ground out OF our City
Conventions, we cannot yet say, but Will cher-
ish the hope that they are such as true men can
support without blush.
As TO the Assembly, the prospect is not SO
favorable. Already, there have been several
unfit nominations announced, and there are
premonitory symptoms Of more. BY far tho
best man yet nominated by any party in
our City, (Joseph b. yarnum,) has peremp-
torily declined And this, we fear, may be
construed by the Convention to justify them
IN presenting one less worthy and more pliable
Hence, with no reference to individuals, but in
behalf of a vital interest that must not be over
looked, we address this note of warning to the
electors.
Our system of Conventional Nominations, by
delegates chosen at Primary Meetings, is radi-
cally vicious. 1t presumes that the more intelli-
gent, substantial publio-spirited citizens will
attend and control thePrimsry Meetings, which
is an exploded deluson. Some of them do
attend once or twice; but, finding there con-
trolling majority of "roughs," who have been
gathered from the adjacent groceries, billiard
saloons and grogShops expressly to put
through" somebody's delegates, and who are
bound to do it, the real citizens very naturally
become dsgusted, and thereafter stay away.
Thus the little junta, who aspire to run the
machine" for their selfish ends soon come
to have things their own way at small expense
of money or effort except when they happen to
be resisted by another clique as greedy, as cum
ming and as unprincipled as themselves. Even
then, if they only control the choice of the In
spectors who are to receive and count the votes,
they care little how many are polled against
them, knowing that their delegates are bound
to be" returned anyhow.
Now comes in the legislative jobber, who has
"big things" on the tapis, and needs votes at
Albany wherewith to secure their passage.
True, high authority in such matters has OBJ
served that 'It's all nonsense electlng MEN,
bersof the Legislature-you can bny 'em cheaper
after they are chosen:" but that is at best
measurably true; and the moro approved way
is to select all you conveniently can and then
buy so many more as you may need. So the
jobber makes the thing all right with the Ward
or district clique, and gets his man nominated,
and thus elected. Very often, the business Is
arranged after this fashion: Jones wants dele
CATION for Judiciary; Smith wants one for SEN
ate or Congress; Brown is more intent on
County Officers; while Robinson is in for
Assembly; and so they agree to elect or to buy
in concert, and to allot or apporton when chosen.
In many cases, you will see the names of our
very first citizens displayed on the jobbers'
ticket as delegates to the Judiciary, or Sena-
ftorial, OF some other Convention: all these
being put on as decoy or blind, to secure con-
fdence or divert attention. and thus enable
them to choose their own men for Congress, or
Assembly, or whatever may be the post where
on their hearts are set. And thus men are often
sent TO the Legislature whose proper destina-
ton VIGOROUSLY is the State Prison.
The Primary Meeting and Delegate Conven-
ton machine, in so far as it is applied to Cities,
is a swindling failure. 1t often allows good
: men TO become candidates-if only to facilitate
the choice of jobbers on the same ticket to Othei
stations; but this is not its natural result. Il
: naturally lends itself to the golden (or green
!. back) persuasves Of fellows who have " axes Il
1 grind" and want to dupe the people into turn
. ing the grindstOne. Scores Of candidates arr
"regularly nominated and thus elected, whose
abundant brass would not suffice them if re
qured to appear as candidates unshielded by
such machinery. Regular nomination is th'
Ifg-leaf which saves their candidateship from th'
reproach of indecent personal exposure.
We cannot afford to be drawn into persona
; controversies and libel-suits with all these mag
gots bred in the compost of political corruption
for the reform so urgently required would no
thereby be secured. 1t is the system that needs
to be exposed, roprobated, overthrown. 81
long as that is retained and respected, no per
manent good can be achieved by warning OF
this or that incident of its operation. Its man
ayers and benefciaries are Of all parties and O
none; they often own both of the rival ma
chimes and care little which Of their candidates
shall be chosen. And " the ring which bosses
and profits by all the heaviest and fattest legis'
lativc jobs is composed in about equal proper
tions of crafty, powerful, unscrupulous mem