The Portland daily press., 1874-09-14
Our New York Letter.
The New Work LiberaEs-A Party with
ont F0IiOwers-KHew Grant SMubbed
Fenton-Pclisical Pharisccs.

y
cry point of view, as that of the
little knot of effe.e politicians who annually
convene in this state under the imposing title
of the Liberal Republican party 1t is party
of leaders without followers-of much preten-
sion and little neutrality-suspicious. dyspeptic.
bilious and Tuning with the rage of bafflsd
hate OF this solemn coCclave, Senator Fenton
is the head centre, by virtue of his position, and
in view of the fact that he alone still retains
for short time longer an official position. The
rest have all been office-holders, and are what
they are because they could be office hold ,rs no
longer. For q variety Of causes--or as thew
allege, for no cause at all-they have been from
time to time elected from places under the
federal or state government. They claim to be
martyrs. The world at large, with more EN-.
phasis than elegance calls them "soreheads. -
While MIR. Greeley lived he was their great pro-
phet The Tribune was their Koran. Greeley
differed from them in this, that he was not a
mourner over preferments lost, but longer for
ARRANGEMENTS which did not come. He was
chronic and predestnate conspirator always.
de was forever plotting against his own party,
forming combinations to destroy the men who
trusted in him. 1t was not his fault that there
was no bolt in 1864, when Lincoln ran for a
second term. He labored zeaously to promote one
and was willing to support we'll known New
York Democratic railway manager for the &C.
complishment of his avowcd purpose of de-
feating Lincoln.
l Fenton was never so malignant as his ADLER
confederate. All he wanted was patronage.
His dsaifection towards the administra ton be-
gan with the dismissal of one of his faithful
henchmen from lucrative post. 1t grew
more intense as the heads of others of his band
fell into the basket. Somehow or other Gen.
Grant conceived an early and strong prejudice
against the New York Senator. And his an
tipathies are deep rooted and difficult of re-
: moval. They are apt to last. Some warm
friends of the administration tried their best to
eradicate or soften this one, but it was impossi-
BILE. leading western Senator, was so exer-
cised.about it that he decided upon going to the
President and having serious talk with him
concerning the impolcy of alternating leading
politician from the largest state in the Union
The conversation was substantially in this
wise:
Il have called, Mr.. President, to ask you to dc
something to conciliate. Mr.. Fenton. He
complains that you not only make no appoint.
/ ments from among his friends, but that you
turn out his most faithful supporters
Il don't like Mr.. Fentons kind of political as.
sociates. He and Greeley forced Collector Bal
ley upon me, and Mr.. - and Mr.. were
appointed at Mr.. Fenton's urgent solicitation
and on his assurance that they were capable
and unexceptionable men, but they didn't turn
out SO. To tell you the truth, 1 do not like his
set, and shall decline making any appoint
ments on his recommendations
but, Mr.. President. you cannot afford to
| make an enemy of him. He is Senator and
has the New York Tribune at his back. All he
| asks is little patronage. He will not be un
reasonable A district attorney in the north
ern district postmaster at Syracuse, few
| revenue collectors and assessors to- replace
friends of his who have been elected, and q
small share Of the appointments in the custom
house, will appease him. His terms are moi
immoderate. And if they are rejected, 1T il
certain Greeley will open fire on you in the
Tribune, and they have an organization in tn
/ Republican party by the aid of which they may
| control the state. Tammany Hall is secret,
abetting them, and the money of the Ring viii
be spent like water to help them carry the pri
| mares.''
VERY well, will take my chances of al
that Let them do their worst I have no con
| fidence in Fenton, and will make no effort te
conc:liate him."
| In vain the Senatorial ambassador expostu
lated and pleaded. The General was inflexible
He went away sorrowful, and painfully appre.
| hensive that Grants chances for second term
| had been cut off untimely by his own fatulty
| and perverseness
Fenton executed his threat. When he found
| it impossible to make terms with the President
ne first made desperate effort to capture the
state convention. Greeley headed the move
ment. 1t was baf1ed. When that reverse tooh
place the whole concern deserted bag and bag
gage. Some Of the more self-respecting Of
them, realizing what dsgraceful thing it was
to abandon a cause for so mean and selfish a
| reason as that its rewards were not fairly dis.
tributed, hesitated to make the plunge. I re-
! member one of them-the best man of the lot
and, outside of politics, perfect gentleman
excusing himself by the plea that patronage
was the life of public mamie could not sus-
tain himself without tiff he had no offices to
bestow upon his followers, he would soon have
no followers to.Eelp him into Office This adj
mission was frank, at least, and if it did not
breath spirit of exalted patriotism, we must
make allowances for the school in which he
was reared.
But the revolt proved a ludicrous fiasco.
The rank and file remained as true and
steadfast under the old banner as they had
been in the stirring days of the war. Grant
had proved himself as sagacious in politics as
he had invincible in battle
And still these same men meet and crate.
resolve and screech about the necessity of more
virtue in public affairs just as if their discovery
OF the need of any, had not dated from the
moment of their exodus from office. They
devote large space to denunciation of the
d-Frelinghuysen gag-law" in apparent
ignorance of the fact that that law had no
possible application to the press, and involved
the liberties of no human being to any greater
extent than they are already in danger of
abridgment through the execution of the penal
statutes of the country. But perhaps the
funniest thing in the whole affair was the
arraignment of the administration on the
charge ''that it has employed spies nd in
formers to plumber our merchants, ard es-
tablish system of terrorism, parayzing en-
terprse." This is said to have emanated
from Gen. Cochrane whose fortune was ac-
quired by this same system many years ago I'M
der Democratic administration, while he held
the office of Surveyor of the Port, and waxed,
in fat moieties. ltwas read by Gen. E. A Merritt
whose pockets were lined with moietes awarded
TO him while be was naval officer, which he
has not yet ceased to be claimant of. Con-
sidering that the System of spies and infor-
mers" had exs ted since the days of Alexander
Hamilton and was repealed by this adminstra-
ton after these two gentlemen had got all they
could out of it, it is wonder such sentence
could have been uttered without provoking
an explosion of sarcastic laughter even in that
doeful assemblage.
These are days when the political Pharisees
go about the streets thanking God they are
not like other men; and discharged patriots
stand in the market places and exhibit them
selves as immaculate specimens of purity. But
for the doing of this sort of thing in the
highest style of perfection commend me to o
tsT i'll PI1h'' convention opd oSpoo;oIlr -, .I.o