New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-20
THE COLLECTOES DEFENSE.


within the gift of the National Government
in the State of Ncw-York, or III any city of
the Union. Our opinions concerning him have
been expressed with the freedom which we
are accustomed to employ towards dignltaries
but we desire to treat him with the utmost
fairness as an individual, and with all possi-
Bile respect due his high Office; and SO we
hasten to make room for his elaborate and
detailed reply to our structures in yesterdays
issue. There remains to us but the bricicst
space for comment and reply.
l. Mr.. Murphy, by dilgent search through
the files of THE TRIBUNE for many years, has
found three or four occasions on which we
were tempted, in that mistaken judgment OF
human nature which Mr. Decoy Bliss, jr.. has
been good enough to attribute to us. to say
kind words of him. We have not taken pains
to verify the citations, do we care for 1t.
We recognize the business of politics as the
selection of the most available instruments for
the attainment of the ends at the time most
desirable, in the interest of good govern
ment and the general welfare. 1t may
often happen that the instruments thus Sc
lected are not in themselves unexceptionablc;
or, as has appeared on the few occasions
when we have had something not unkind to
say of Mr.. Murphy, not always politically trust
worthy. But our enemies are our Teachers
We need only add that We have professed
ourselves willing to abide an open and full
investigation into Mr.. Murphy's record. Neither
the Senate nor any other body has yet given it.
ii. Mr.. Murphy pleads guilty to voting In
favor of Andrew johnson, and against Equal
Suffrage and the Civil Rights bill, but seeks to
screen himself behind other eminent Republi-
cans who did the same. Who are they9
Some others did betray US, as well as Mr..
Murphy, but we did not reward them with the
best offices in our gift, or tolerate them in
places of trust.
III. Mr. Murphy seeks to slur his treason to
the Republicans in 1866. He may as well for
bear. The damned spot will not out. The
facts are of public record; and he may seek
the record of thom in a journal whose files he
does not seem to have consulted with such
zeal az we could wish-The n. Y. Times. They
show that he presided at the ratification meet
ing in Union-square for Hoffman and Pruyn;
and that the Twenty -third-st. Committee, of
which he was the President passed resolutions
approving the ticket and the action of the
Democratic Tweddle Hall Convention.
They further show that on these resolutions
Mr.. Murphy was rejected from every Repub-
lican Convention since held in this State, I'M
til. backed by the Administration, he man.
aged to squeeze into the last This rejection,
it may be pleasant for Mr.. Murphy to remem-
Der. was ordered on the motion OF his present
friend and ally, Mr.. Charles S. Spencer. Mr.
Murphy admits that he did not vote for the
Republican candidates. Would it not have
been more honest and manly to admit
frankly that he did vote an open
ticket for John T. Hoffman and all the
rest of the Democratic candidates-a
fact to which the Inspectors are ready to
make oath Could he not have the courage
too, to admit-what is equally susceptible of
proof and he dare, not deny-that he paid large
SUMS of money to insure lIoffman's success 7
He seeks to vndicate his action by raising
side issue, over the refusal of this journal to
support Mr.. Marshall O. Roberts, on whom '"'S
organ has lately been emptying all the V
its abuse. We did 80 refuse. We held
as we hold now, that municipal elections should
be non-partisan; Mr.. Murphy and his crowd
nominated candidate for the express purpose of
having Tammany win. We went then, as
jackson Schultz and Tho Evening Post did,
and as we should do again, for the independ-
ent candidate. Does Mr.. Murphy suppose the
voters Of this State ignorant enough to imag-
inc that such action in a municipal election,
when an overwhelming majority existed against
us, is an excuse for deliberate effort to de-
feat q Republican candidate for Governor,
when he had fair chance Of election, and to
aid John T. Hoffman, The people are not 30
Hind Mr. Mvry,hv i,ro0;paa
w. Mr. Murphy seeks to defend himself
for breaking up the Republican Tax Commits
sion. But he cannot deny that i'll oonse.