The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-07-13
Terrible Overthrow of Senator Fenton,
and its Probable Consequences.

Terrible Overthrow of Senator Fenton,
and its Probable Consequences.
The Hon. REUBEN +. FENToN has sus-
laincd terrible defeat in the confirmation of
he Hon. THOMAS MURPHY rs Collector, and
ihc removal Of Gen. EDWIN a MERRITT MS
Naval Officer of the Port Of New York two
of the most important and lucrative positions
in the gift Of the President Mr.. MrrrnY
is the determined antagonist Of Senator Fen.
TON, having opposed his reelection fer Gov
ernoi in 1eGG, and gone to Chicago in 1865 to
prevent bis nomination TO tic Vice Pres
dcncy while Gen. MERRITT has long lccn
his ardent supporter and confidential friend,
FESToS having made him member of lis
staff, us Cuartonnostcl. General, while lie was
Governor.
In the appointment Of MUBPIiY and the
removal of MERRITT, Gen. GRANT therefore
has dealt double blow at FENToN, and with
the intent of gripping his influence in the
Senate, and DESTROYING it altogether with tho
Republican party ofths State. Gen. GRANT
has never liked Gov. FESToN. He opposed
his nomination TO the Vice Presidency, snub-
bed him in distributing the Federal patronage
in this State and especially in th city and
having recently got it into his head that
FENTog is secretly plotting for the Prcsi-
Dental nomination in 1872, he has deter
mined to bring him to grief
The war on the part of the President is not
TO end here. The head Of not n single friend
Of FENToN, who holds n Federal Office in this
State, is now safe upon his shoulders, but is
liable to roll from the block at moments
notice. II was this consideration which led
FEEToN 20 abandon his usual tactics in ext
gencics of this sort Shrewd and fac.lc. he
has been wont u spy defeat in the distance,
and to seem to avoid t by quietly Gcquioscing
in the inevitable. He was too sagacious not
to foresce the certain confirmation of MUIR
Ply, and the probable removal Of MERRITT ;
but there was no alternative left for h.uf cX
cept a cowardly retreat from the field, or :
bitter fight TO the end. His friends and fol.
lowers would not allow him TO take the for.
mer course, and he was compelled to adopt
the latter. He therefore fought the battle as
he best could n,.i the result is his disastrous
overthrow. A few Senator's may have So far
sympathized with him as to abandon their
seats and not vote at all on the comb ,slatlon
of MURPHY, the key Of the position bu,,
FENToN was only able TO rally two Sen ators
to his side in roll-call of ffy-one. or its
kind and degree, this is one Of the worst po-
litical defeats which any prominent politi-
clan in this State has sustained for the last
twenty years.
What has Gen. GRANT gained by this
victory! He has removed aud disgraced
Gen, MERRITT, the best politician in the
Custom House. a shrewd and energetic man,
who has good deal of strength with the
Republicans of the interior and he has put
in his place an amiable old gentleman, who
lad utterly failed as Collector, and who has
no political following anywhere He has
aroused the bitter hostility Of senator Fen.
ton, who, during the twenty years that he
has been working up TO his present position,
has developed rare tact and vigor as n polit-
ical stratcEjst, and who now has an infuen-
toi OOuy Va huIpoItcih Al l4lC IcilNDIICssl
party of New York.
If Senator FENToN, after this scatling re-
bukc and stunning blow from the Admins
tration, shall continue to act with the Re
publican party, We wholly mistake his char
acter if he does not make his hostility 20 the
denomination Of Gen. GRANT very effective
and at the precise moments and places when
1t will be nconyenient and PERHAPS impos
sible for the President TO encounter it.
Another course lies open to both Gov
FENToN and Gen. MERRITT and that is tc
gradually break Off their connection witt
the Republican party and slide back into tn,
ranks Of the Democracy-the political organ
ization which they left, in company with ,
large body of their fellow Barnburners, il
1915, TO aid in the formation oi.the Repub
hcan party. Tho Democrats need recruits Il
elect the next House of Representatives. ant
70 carry the next President and though they
have been wont to roundly abuse Gov. FEN
TON, they must not be too fastidious in re
gard to the anteccdcnts of the allies who ar,
10 aid them in restoring the ancient prcstig,
and power of their party.
The Prospects of the War.
Notwithstanding the apparently well