New-York tribune., 1870-09-20
oUR CITY IN COyGRESS.

OUR CITY IN CONGRESS-.
II il currently reported that Mr.. Tweed has
determined to send back Messrs. James Brooks,
Samuel S. Cox. Harvey C.. Calkin, and Fernando
Wood, to the next House of Representatives,
aud to retire Messrs. John Fox and John Nor
rissey, replacing the former by Gen. William
NJ. Tweed ir We do not credit this last aver
ment. To send his son to Congress from
that district, is entirely too easy an achieve
mcnt for a man of Mr.. Twecds power and
daring. To represent that district, let him
nominate and elect his horse, and he will give
the public something to talk about; and this
feat il completely within his reach. If it he
objected that this would be Il plagiarism let
him take his pick of the animal kingdom.
The difficulty is entirely confined to the selec-
tion whatever choice he may make is certain
to be ratified by bona tide majority, to be
swelled enormously by fraud if the recent acts
of Congress do not operate to deter our Dem
ocratic repeaters and miscOunterS from doing
this year as they have done for several years
past.
If we could only hope that our Republican
nominating machinery would grind out such
candidates as ought to be presented, we should
expect to gain two members this Fall. We
belieye that Gen Sigel, or some other popular
German Republican, might carry either the
Morrissey or the Calkin district, provided frauds
are reduced to a minimum, as we trust they
will be. We consider the Brooks, the Cox.
and even the Wood district, as debatable
ground, where the right nominations would
go far to secure a Republican triumph. But
zone swallow does not make Summer" and
one good candidate will not suffice to give us
victory. What we need is the nomination
for Congress from this City of six strong and
worthy men, who were never suspected OF
seeking to live or thrive by ofice-men OF
flawless reputation, undoubted integrity, large
business experience, and popular sympathies
Six candidates for Congress of this stamp
would call out at least Forty Thousand Re-
publican votes in our City this Fall, and in
sure our triumph in the State. But the ma
chimes will not give them to us 80 we are
likely to do without and suffer for want OF
them.
Streams do not rise above the level of their
fountains. Our Ward Associations are pre-
ponderantly composed of, or at all events con-
trolled by, politicians by trade-men with Keen
noses for official situations wherein there is
little to do, much to get and good chance to
steal. Probably, full half of the members OF
these associations are Democrats, who are
there to serve themselves and their masters of
the Tammany Ring. Scores of nominal Re-
pubicans of considerable note earn their dirty
bread in the same way, save that they get
$100s and $l00OS, where the other sort earn
only sos and Sos. The upshot is that Tam
many nominates half our candidates as well
Al. u x1vftl
tickets whose weakness and lack of popularity
amazes the thousands who do not suspect the
secret influences which dictate such nOmina-
tions. There is no help for this but in radi-
cal change. Most of the men who buy or beg
| places on our nominating committees are on
" the make :" they are far more solcitous as to
| their own perquisites than as TO their party's
success so they nominate as Will pay best, and,
having taken good care of their precious selves,
bid the public go and do likewise. Occasion
| ally, q good man is put up, especially in a dis
trict where success is impossible; but this is
exceptional, and not consequence of the sys-
tem which tends strongly to opposite results.
We urge the earnest Republicans of each
| district to begin nOW to canvass for suitable
person to present as their candidate for Con-
gress Do not ask whethershe lives on this or
on that side of certain street, but only
whether he is or is not upright, capable, de-
serving, and popular. When the right man
has unmistakenly been found, issue requisi-
tion and get as many voters as possible to
sign it, asking him to permit the use of his
name. Nine times in ten, if the right man has
been chosen and the requisitiOn thoroughly
circulated for signatures, the nominating con-
ventOn will be compelled to indOrse and COM
mend him to the electors at the worst, the
delegates must do their best to discover and
present a candidate at least equally worthy
and popular. If they should do otherwise,
they would often be left to vote alone.
Republicans of our City! look about you for
the six best men to be nominated for Con-
gress! No matter though they all live in one
district, one ward, put them before the People,
and never doubt the result
4 DISASTER no BE AVERTRD.