New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-11

ment of the Administration; it was not bitter
kind but il smote the Administration and the party
fairly and squarely in the face with epigrammatic
| force and distnctness. Such speech, venture to
saw was never delivered before political Conven-
| ,;nn b,, it's presiding officer 1t might well have
beao TS.sBUNE editorial free was it from parti-
san narrowness, and 80 pronounced and outspoken
unon the WAYS of OF, cial theft the seandalOus IT.
regularities and immoralitfss in the public service
that have been, first desired, next c6cnyed at and
afterwards condoned under the pressure Ct i'm
pending elections II was rather a stolid audience
to which those pregnant truths were spoken, and
then won but weak demonstrations Of approval
They did. however, applaud one or two ringing
sentences and of those who applauded Mr.. Butler
was among the readiest and loudest.
The resolution sprung upon the Convention by
Butler at the opening of the afternoon session
brought that body to the test which in my FAST
nights dispatch prefgured. The argument for the
Acknowledgement in the Convention of a/delegate
who had asserted that he would nOtyf by its
action if Butler should be nominate was specious
but plausible one and Butler and his friends
handled 1t dextrously As Batter himself put it, it
was only plea for fair plAS there were hundreds
of delegates in the Convention who held the same
views aud had expressed the same purpose, and
what he desired was a test vote upon
was TO be held binding upon those who took part
in it. The opposition under Mr.. Geo. F. Hoar, made
a weak fight, endeavoring TO dodge the main ques-
tion bubble over it, and to turn the whole sub
ject over to tire. Credential Committee. Mr.. Hoar
himself was put in very uncomfortable position by
the repeated taunts of the Butler men that he did
not dare avow his own purpose In the matter; that
he had not the courage to say in the presence OF the
Convention whether not he would bolt in the
event of Buffers nomination. Being a member of
Congress-" said Butler, with an indescribable
sheer, che doesn't dare say he would
bolt, though l presume he would like to-"
The debate was the low plane of party organiza-
ton and party discipline, and on that level Butler
and his friends had a manifest advantage which
they pressed TO the annoyance and discontinue OF
their opponents until the Rev. James Freeman
Clarke, who was a delegate from Roxbury lifted the
question out of the miss and fog of party and pre-
sented it to the Convention as question not of the
sanctty of the caucus the binding force of regu-
lar nominations, but purely and simply of duty and
conscience He claimed the right to bolt broadly
and squarely and met the question on that ground;
to Which Buffers reply ready and characteristics:
"Thats fair do MT object to that. You claim the
right to bols nomination after the Convention has
made it. Very well. We claim the right to put you
out of Convention whose action you won't agree
TO submit tor Upon the whole think the Butler
side had the best of the discussion The opposition
was badly managed Had they met the question
fairly at the start, and said boldly as keeman
Clarke did we do propose tobOlt if Mr.. BLtler is
nominated and we give him and his friends the
same privilege in case of his defeat" they would
have done manly thing and closed the debate, be-
sides establishing a very wholesome precedent. The
resolution was finally referred TO the Committee,
hot haVi hnpn aHticiDatpd from
the only object of its introduction being to furnish
the opportunity for just such exchange of cour-
tesies as had been enjoyed.
Doubtless Mr.. Buffers mind was made up before
the Convention met, this morning, as to his course
in eventually withdrawing his name, and it could
not have been with any hope of changing the in
evtable result that he sprang this resolution and
prolonged the debate upon IT, 1t may have answered
his purpose in exposing the weakness, IN party
sense, of the opposition to him, to drive them to
ombbes or extorted the confession that they were
acting in Convention whose results they would
not abide by unless entirely satisfactory. With
great show of sacrifice he gives in his adhesion to
the ticket and shrewdly holds his place in the party
for whose integrity he yields 80 much,
and then he bides his time. But his sup
pOrters in the Convention are not all 30
ready to submit The reference of the test resolu-
ton and virtual killing of it by means settles the
question: they say, and that is that.the nominations
of the Convention are not binding upon any one.
There is no reason they say, why we should vote
for Mr. washburn any more than for Mr.. CASTOR or
any other candidate. The consequence is that
hundreds and perhaps thousands of the Butler men,
the liquor interest particularly will support CASTOR,
and, as some of the Butler men here tonight say.
with fair prospect of eecting him. The resolutions
adopted cuff Butler right and left and do not
spare the President. They were made Intentionally
offensive with a view of driving Butler out of the
party or into some indiscreet action. He takes no
hints, however recognizes afronts resents no
insults; he smiles and stays and he stays for mis-
| chief.