The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-12-13

class Of men who make the Ceiling n Of msjorites
and the moving Of legislatures ami caucus ma.
years mas pned for III but his edaaa ana Is q at ~
trader striking bargain, not that of gentlemsn
Fenton has been described as 90 man Of ve,vss
touch" He originated IN western New York and
nrty-two years ago. He Is OF mingled irish. Frencs
Welsh and English origin. He studied Just cnoua7
acIions with the exception Of some a iranss
crookedness In his mercantile life, he maintained
as ne continues TO DO the respect or his immediat1
apt TO uncover himself IN personal conferences q
permit s anybody to know exactly what ne y about
for personal distinction and enlarged opportunities
for wealth. He was made Governor Of our State b1
Cnautaauua county that the great wkisIeY ring q
the war has given him support even up to the dm4
when he beat Morgan for the Senate.
ELEMENTS OF FRNTON'S SUCCESS.
TO trace rae, up the sources q Fentons pclitica!
power M not pe nard IN me rst Place a nag
Of New YORK, particularly the Western portion q
It. would no longer stand slavery dominion. Hq
date OF It's Drth but he had the tact to make him
self presiding officer over the state Convention. In
the principles OF freedom. In the second place
he has always been o man IN independent circumt
to lay aside his material affairs for time and enter
into political contest ne has nothing In the rear -
ne ssx rs II his apssU
anu dark hair, beamlng but goldfish eyes ana
o gentleman's address, and he Is not penuriOuS in
SUFFICIENT sense to exclle remark. Persons who
know him well allege that ne frequently gives away
bring him In any specific return. He Is gifted with
good memory also. and few persons to whom ha
has been introduced will not iud that he remembers
something OF them on subsequent occasion; at the
same time he Is never familiar more than onoe on
twice with his most intimate acquaintances, ana mo
is not demagogue in any sense. He Is, perhapA
as far removed from the class OF Schuyler, Colax,
BENJAMIN Butler and John Snerman--wno ard
nj tnPA
Buckingham. TrumDun and Frellnghuysen, who
are personal characters, sell-examining and con-
tion and combination, and has great power 70
husband his resources, SO that II he
purpose, he will never send two men on the same
errand, but chose one tit for It, and send the second
Bower wien one must have learned IN n buenesS
never to send two CLERKS with the same parcel,
WITH an extensive acquaintance all over the Stare
Of New York, q KNOWLEDGE 81 prime movers, falf
knowledge OF human nature ana long memory,
FentOn's nexible mind makes him field marshal
when something leading Is to be accomplished. Hs
politics. man who has abandoned him once can
make his acquaintance again Tor Fenton's purposes.
but never again for the other mans purposes. He
discards the dramatic element altogether In his
management Of things, and Is too selfish and too
proud to divide an empire with anybody, and hence
We observe the ieud OF to-day.
FENTON VS.. MORGAN.
FentOn, IN the description OF tactics recited above
Is more tnan ma CHI Tor Governor Morgan although
Morgan has the longer purse. TO degree they are
men OF ike Consciousness maulpulaCOrS In poll
tics rather nan persons with intentions on history.
Fenton mas the superior address, and he can make
o good oh-hand speech and very fine prepared
speech. and preside IN executive positions with,
perhaps, as much dignity as any man speaking tho
language here or In Great Britain. Slow, CALM un.
ruied. calculating, bland almost ministerial, Fem
ton approaches in CHARACTERISTICS some OF thOse
ambitious Cardinals on the COntlnent-Richelieu,
Mazarln or the younger COsimO dc MedlclS.
FENTON UNHAPPY.
1t Is generally believed that Fenton fs unhappy ~
Senator He came here believing that MS foot was
fol nInn In had
routed in New York the democratic party com.
pletey, and then beaten the republican leaders sue
finds himself opposed by men OF more holiness and
equal astuIeneSS The arena Is too large Tor man
Of mere cunning and many Senators with whom ne
contend have gained greater victories than his
by the practice or the same arts or even deeper
arts. Surrounded with needy stpendiaries for
wnom he can obtain no places, beginning with all
the patronage OF tle state and closing with nones
Fenions New YORK party Is dwlndllng; he has 70
them with his old enelnies. Those Western and
New England republicans who look to reform
they ieel That he could gain Gny thing by abandon
ing them he would oe ut me elbow of The President
HAMILTON FIsH's INFLUENCE.
II may be ASKED what Is the relative relation o.
dcscriped9 AS Inc PERIOD Of Fish's onicial life
draws TO close better pubic opinion here has
como around to think him one OF the best meaning
and most effective state Ministers We nave had.
lis stands head ana shoulders aoove either OF the
pleasure in Official life without rapacious passion
Tor 1t; abundant fortune and perfect family sur.
roundings; an enlarged love OF country, III which
his own State forms no inconslderabe part, and ms
manners and those OF his family have unlntenti0n-
ally fascinated all who have met them. He has
been bold IN emergency, equal 10 occasions OF out
break ana 1t Is undcaiabe that IN the row with sum-
he TOOK the Gangs from Inc head OF that renOwn.
ed and imperious subjugatOr OF his contemporaries
The Calacazy quarrel has had the same result. Re-
fusng TO let the Senator from Massachusetts do all
the thinking Tor the State Department Mr. Fish has
carried out to the fullest extent his own PROPOSE
lions, and the state Of New York ought to be proud
OF hm. His retirement TO private llic Is his earnest
wish. ana the movement among Senator'S to dctain
him Is entirely spontaneous and very nearly without
political example.
Mr.. Fish remarked, not long ago, that there ex.
isted no more reason why the republican party In
New York should be. The best politicians ascribe
the division to the singular attitude OF Horace Gree
ley. considered not as an editor, but OF his own
seeRtng, as politician. FcntOn resolved, when he
came to The senate, tnat Mr.. Greeley should be In
dhced to make war upon the Morgan faction, so ~
patronage OF the State. The Morgan Murphy fac.
ton resolved that Greeley should be tantazed into
Tight III order to break up his (Grecey's influence.
FENToN's FIRST MISTAKE.
Fenton made his cardinal mistake when he sup
ported Mr.. Grlnneli for the Uollectorsnip IL had
General John Rawlins, OF Illinois, because the ap
pointment of Rawlins would give him a standing
influence with the President and with RawllnS' help
he could control all the other offices In New York.
ana the Collectorshp also, TO great degree. Fen
ton thought about the matter for some while, ana,
finding that Grlnncll would probably get the place.
he abandoned the Rawlins proposition Too soon,
ana TOOK up r,nnel In order to contro! him. instead
letting the other faction do II. Gfnnell was poll
tically weak and IN due time had to 80 out, while
MurNiy got his place by q coalition between the
Presidents private Secretaries the Long Branch
ring OF property holders and the Morgan men.
Conklng was let into THIS matter because y was no
ccssary That Of the Two Senators should aDet IL
But boin parties Keep up their relentless war; no far
M Mr.. Greeley Il concerned, Fenton driving him
farther on for hia purpose OF complete dominion,
anu the A0rganitcs lncic Greeley because they want
TO ucutraze nm altogether Win tbs ndinnstra.
ton.
COLLECTOR ARTHUR
General Arthur, the new Collector OF tho Port OF
New York, ~ said by good Judges mere 10 DO man
OF capacity ana TO have suggested tho best Things
tnat were done by Collector Murphy. Wine ~ was
Murphy who more immediately suggested Arthur'S
appointment his SUCCESSOR II IL Known that dow
crnor Morgan had previously pressed Arthur's
claims upon Murphy.
POSTMASTER JONES.
The position OF General Jones among tine executive