The New York herald., 1869-01-22
The Victory Of Fenton-Terribie Defeat of
the Morgan Faction.


the Morgan Faction.
Thurlow Weed came into political life ON the
dead body of one Morgan, and goes out with
the dead body Of another Morgan. The first
Morgan, though bogus, was "a good enough
Morgan till after the election;" but the last
Morgan, though genuine, was "a good enough
Morgan" only till the election came on. Weed
came in under the wing of Seward and goes
out under the wing of Hugh Hastings. The
dethroned king of the lobby jobbers has re-
tired to the more genial climate of South Caro-
lima, there to ruminate over the ruins of
Charleston, like Marius, on small scale, over
the ruins of Carthage, while the managers and
the trumpeters of his faction, left behind,
make Rome howl" with their impotent rage.
The election of Fenton to the Senate in the
place of Morgan is a terrible defeat to the
Seward Weed Morgan faction. Down to 1860
it was the political firm of Steward, Weed and
Greeley" But then, although Seward and
Weed were fattening on the spoils, Greeley, on
bran bread and dry promises, was getting
rather thin in the legs. So he bolted, and
while Seward was thrown upon his beam ends
Weed set up the war whoop and the war
dance, and has been fighting on that line ever
since till finally knocked off his pins and
laid out stiff and cold with Morgan. All
things to all men; perfect in his role of Oliver
le Dain, the kings barber; taking everything
as fish that came into his net, and fishing for
everything; denouncing to-day Tom, Dick and
Harry as thieves and traitors, and sharing
with them on the morrow the profits of lobby
job, Weed has conciliated old enemies or
wool, shoddy contract, steamboat, guano
venture or whiskey ring; but though flexible
in everything else, his wrath against Greeley
and all his tribe has been stronger than free
wool, shoddy or whiskey. Upon this one idea
Of rival to be put down at any cost, large as
have been the lobby pickings and perquisites
of Weed, we dare say that much has been
saved to the treasury-city, State and fede-
ral-from the war between these implacable
factions.
The decisive split has come in Morgan's ter
rife defeat. An immense brood of chickens
counted upon has failed, for the eggs are
added. The regular Seward organ of this
city was getting on hopefully, very hopefully,
with charming budget Of offices and spoils in
behalf Of the so-called conservative republi-
cans, until the preposter0us fzzle of the
attempt to fuse them with the democracy in
the steaming chowder pot Of the Philadelphia
johnson Convention. That fiasco not only
ended the funny career Of the orator of the
day in Congress, but resulted in the necessity
for a new departure and new organ in New
York for the firm of Seward, Weed, Morgan,
Conkling and Andy Johnson. The impeach-
ment to the contrary, they were all in It; for
while Morgan and Conkling were voting to
convict their factotum was raising money from
the whiskey rings to buy up two or three
Senators at ten thousand apiece for the acquit-
tai of johnson.
The new organ was set up, joint stock
concern, by joint stock contributions. II
we are not mistaken, Mr.. Morgan put In
ten thousand cash, Mr.. Conkling ten thou
sand, Mr.. Roberts ten thousand, and so on,
more or less, from different parties, until
enough was secured to float nominal capital
of three hundred thousand dollars. What
then? The programme was to save all OBJ
tanned and to get all that could be got out of
Johnson in spoils, while working to secure the
inside track in the Senate, the Cabinet, the
Custom House, &C., under Grant. Raymond
was set back on probation, Weed was required
to keep in the shade and Dana was brought
into the foreground. Dana is a sort of Talley
rand in diplomacy. He hit upon the idea that
a man who won't be bullied may be hum
bugged, and hence the brilliant conceit of
Greeley for the mission to England as the
proper successor for Reverdy johnson. This
distinction, it was supposed, would serve two
purposes-one in satisfying the fighting philo-
sopher, and one in getting him out Of the
way.
in carrying it out was the defeat of Fenton as
candidate for the nomination to the Vice Presi-
dency on the ticket with Grant, and he was
defeated. The next thing was to secure
the reelection of Morgan to the Senate,
and in this view, it appears, Morgan and his
political ring contributed very literally the
sinews Of war in many doubtful districts.
Indeed, we are told that Morgan's money car
ried the Legislature for the republican party;
that he has reason to think he had carried the
Senatorial caucus, and that he has become so
completely acclimated to high life in Washing
ton, to say nothing Of its honors and emolu-
ments, that the matter Of money was to him
q small matter in view Of another term Of six
years in the Senate. BUT upon this vital issue
there has been dead failure-nay, disaster
equal to that Of the first Bull Run. The bril-
liant programme we have outlined, with Its
mission to England and all its beautiful cas-
ties in Spain, has vanished like the delusive