New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-02
TIE DECLINING At ALBfNY.

was Yesterday settled III the respective eau
cuscs of the House and Senate In the
former, where tho chief excitement ruled,
the contest between Mr.. Henry Smith
of Albany, loosely designated as the Conk-
ling candidate. and ex-Licut.-GOv. AlyOrd,
similarly designated as the FentOn candidate,
for the Spcakcrship, was decided by vote Of
50 for Smith, A for Alvord and 2 blank,
40 being necessary TO a choice. Mr.. Under
wood of Albany was chosen Clerk on the sec
ond ballot In the Senate, Mr.. james Terwili-
ger was selected for the Clcrkship without
opposition.
The significant feature of the contest, aside
from tho fractional bitterness it excited, and
which we shall DO glad to see the
handsome bearing of the two lead
crs in the House do something to
mitigate was the signal illustration afforded
by Gen. Grants Oflice-holders of the need for
a Civil Service Reform that shall keep place
men in their places. There is little reason to
doubt the universal belief at Albany that
the vote for Mr.. Henry Smith was swellcd
to the number which finally secured
his nomination, by bare majority
Of one, by such appliances as tho
horde Of Federal Oflce-holders congregated
at the State Capital were able to employ. Just
look at the list of them: The Surveyor of
the Port Of Newly ork, the Naval Officer of
the Port of New-York, the U. s. Marshal
of the Southern District, the U. S. Dstritc
Attorneys of two Districts; four Deputy
Collectors of tho Port of New-YOrk; the
Collector of the Port of Buffalo; Weighers,
Inspectors, &C., without number; the Pen
sion Agent; more than half the Assessors
and Collectors of Internal Revenue in the
State, and most Of the POstmasters for i'm
portant towns operating under the immediate
supervision of Special Agent Hart
The business of these men at Albany was to
defeat the candidate whom their attacks, rather
than any action of the opposing wing, had
made the quaSi-reprcsentative of Mr.. FentOn's
fortunes The returns they were officially ex-
pected to mako of their stewardship was the
nomination which their utmost efforts finally
succeeded, by a majority of one, in attaining.
We are not deplOring the result. Mr.. Smith
is gentleman of ability and character, in
whose favor many fattering things have been
said. We have made no opposition to
him, and have 10 occasion to indulge
in regret at bis advancement. But this does
not seem to us the proper work of the Sur
veyor of the Port, the Naval Officer of the
Port, and the rest of the long list of
Federal officials. To us that work
seems to be to discharge the duties
imposed upon them by law, not those
imposed on them by partisan faction. The
way to heal divisions in the party Is not by
preventing the unbiased representatives of the
people from all quarters of the State from
making their own decisions and organizing
according to their own undisturbed choice.
" Ofice-holders to the rear; taxpayers to the
" front" is q motto likely to be more hOnored
in the near future than it has been in this
and some other recent notable cases.
Both branches of the Legislature meet at II
o'clock to-day. In the Senate, Lieut. -Gov.
Beach, the Democratic companion of Hoffman.
shorn of all his powers by an adverse
majority, goes through the form of pre-
siding. His function, to-day. will be
to administer the oath to the Senators.
when the prearranged action of the
caucus determines the appointment and di-
rection of officers. 1t is in this body that Mr.
Tweed, thanks TO the suffrages of a
Democratic stronghold, maintains the last
vestige Of Ring power. 1t depends
upon the action of the majority to dispose of
the claims of this notorious person to seat
among the peoples lawmakers. The Clerk
of the last House, Mr.. Cornelius W.
Armstrong calls the Assembly to order,
and when it has reached a legislative organi-
zation by the administering of the oath by
the new Secretary of State, the Hon. G.
Hilton Scribner, the wheels of business
will be set in motion by the cleo
ton of Speaker and the appointment Of
clerks sufficient to take the place of those dis
placed. The Governors Message is then ex-
pected, which will occupy nearly ten columns
of to-morrow's TRIBUNE.