New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-30
MR.. CORNELL EXPLAINS.

MR.. CORNELL EXPLAINS
Mr.. Alonzo b. Cornell writes at great length
to the Hon. Giles W. Hotchkiss, justifying the
sO-called reorganization of the Republican
party of this City. Mr.. Cornell himself is a
better explanation of the matter than his man
ifestO. He is a young man from the interior
appointed to the best-paying Federal Office
| in this City, which no services which he had
rendered to the country or the party would
account for, but at the instance and in behalf OF
the Hon. Roscoe COnkling, to whose reelection
! this reorganization is designed to contribute
| Mr. Cornell is one of the ten high Federal
oilice-hOlders who hold places on the
| Republican State Committee, and who have
| dragOOned nine of their associates, most of
whom are aspirants to like Federal offices, TO
unite with them in ordering this reorganiza-
ton. Its objects are personal, and Mr.. Cornell
is the appropriate leader and apologist of the
movement. And when he cOnfesses that 1--WE
"had no specific authority" to upset the Re
publican party in this City, he virtually puts
! himself out of court, admitting that his and
| his confederates' action cannot be justified.
But let us look at such palliations as he
| thinks fit to offer:
Mr.. Cornell quotes from the report of sub
Committee of his State Committee the follow
ing allegation against the Republican City
| organization of last year:
"Tha, in large number of election districts at the
last State election. the Democratic ticket headed by
! John T. Hoffman for Governor, issued from Repub
lean boxes in charge of socaed Republicans, who at
the time were and are nov, OH 'ers of the Republican
District Associations, and who, on said election dtv not
all day"
When this charge was originally made, it
! was but courteous to presume that, however
mistaken, it was made in good faith. The
Union Republican General Committee, there
fore publicly challenged its authors to prove
1t, promising the instant expulsion from their
organization of any and every person who
should be shown to have acted thus perfidious-
". A strong and worthy subcommittee was
charged with the duty of investigating GiI
charges against the integrity of our organiza-
ton or any member of it. That subcommittee
held meeting after meeting, after duly adver-
Using their readiness to hear acCusers but no
man appeared to substlntate this charge. Are
we not fully justified, then, in branding its
reviver at this day as a willful. shameless
CalumniltOr!
As TO all the stories about Republicans hold
ing office under Tammany Hall, we have al
ready sifted them thoroughly Republicans do
hold Offices under the Police, Fire, Health, and
Tax Commissions, which are partly composed
of Republicans. We have generally looked
with disfavOr on these mixed commissions, but
they are not all evil We argued at Saratoga
last year that Mr.. Henry Smith, being a Po-
lice Commissioner ought not to be a member
of the Republican State Committee; we are OF
that opinion still. We would gladly have all
our Republican Committees purgcd of Of
! fice-holders Federal, Municipal, or other !;
and this we hope yet to see done.
| We would not like to see our Poll ce
| and Health departments run as party machines;
| we hold no man less Republican because he
| holds a place in one Of these departments ;
vet we prefer that our Committees should be
| filled with men who hold no Office whatever.
We cannot remember that we ever held diff
ferent opinion. But VIII n Judge Folger, Sem
ator Crowley, Thomas Murphy, Chester A.
Arthur, &c, induce Republican Legislature
to supersede a purely Republican Tax Com
mission by one appointed by Richard b. Con-
molly as nOn-partisan, and then their close
allies stigmatize the Republicans holding under
that same Commission as stpendiaries OF
Tammany Hall, they outrage all fairness and
deCency.
Mr.. Cornell says that "the rebellious Dem
"ocrats" last year offered ito support the
"Republcan State ticket if the Republican.
"would unite in support of the anti-Tammany
County ticket" He does not add that we dio
support that anti Tammany County ticket, while
they did not support our State ticket; but such
is the fact. At least nine-tenths of the Re
publican votes cast in our City were given &c
Ledwith for Mayor, while not One-tenth OF The
Ledwith Democrats voted for Woodford VIII!
not tell the whole tIuth2 The Edlto
of this journal was candidate for Con
! gress, and doing all he knew how for Led
with; nineteen-twentieths of the Republican
who voted for him voted also for Ledwith
, not one-twentieth of the Democrats who voted
for Ledwith voted for him. He does not com
, plain Of this let every man vote as he will
: but let the truth be spoken. The Lcdwit
Democrats knew that Hoffman belonged I
t Tweed yet they voted nearly solid for hir
, and against Wo0dford. 1t was right to supper
{ Ledwi'h against Hall we rejoice that Re
> u.l...aus did l., buJ tLe Republican Stat