The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-21

Let Ms hope that the important bill for
sweeping away abuses which has passed the
House may not fail in the Senate. Unfortu-
nately, it has passed at late period of the
session, when Congress has already fixed the
day of final adjournment It is accordingly
in the power of few influential Senators to
defeat it by dilatory tactics If they perceive
any party or personal advantage in suHocating
it in its cradle. They may pretend pressure
Of other important business, which is entitled
to precedence. 1t may be kept long while
in committee. They may cause the newborn
measure to shiver and get benumbed while
unfaithful nurses are pretending to get ready
to dress it While protesting friendliness to
its object they may smother it with specious
substitutes or petty amendments of detail
which protract discussion and consume pre-
cious time, until the bill is lost by disagreement
between the two Houses or strangled at the
last moment in q committee of conference.
Our merchants are too intelligent to be de-
ceived by such parliamentary tricks or by any
species of covert opposition. The merchants
of this city, which is the great centre of the
import trade, will be especially incensed and
outraged if the leading Senator from this
State shall prove untrue to them, or if he
fails to act with vigor, zeal and promptitude
in securing the passage of the bill before it is
put in jeopardy by the near adjournment
The constituents of Mr.. Conkling would
feel no distrust of him ON this subject if he
we're free from entangling alliances tending
to bias the natural rectitude of his mind. He
is the chief manager of the administration
party in this State, and nobody understands
better than he how potent an engine is the
Custom House under the present system in
protecting party ends. Money is one of the
main sinews of politics, as we'll as
of war, and the Custom House has
been, time out Of mind, under demo-
cratic as well as republican control,
heavy contributor to electioneering funds.
If this bill becomes law, the Custom House
must cease to be q great centre of political
influence. With the moiety system in full
vigor it is worth from Ave to ten thousand
votes in this State to the party that holds it,
according to the importance of the election.
The republican party never stood in greater
need Of this auxiliary than in the New York
election Of this year. In military phrase,
New York is the key of the situation in the
great Presidential contest for which both
parties are beginning to prepare. The demo-
Gratis, to the surprise of their opponents,
elected the State officers last year, and came
near electing the Legislature. Unless the re-
publieans recover their supremacy the demo-
Gratis viii be encouraged to make q strenuous
fight for the Presidency, and the outlook for
the republicans will be ominous and alarm
ing. It is easy to see, therefore, that it re-
quires no ordinary virtue for politician
standing in Senator Conklings shoes and
his ambitious hopes, to forward
measure which cuts off the chief source of
political supplies at time when his party is
about to engage in . contest SO important and
SO doubtful
But even as politician he cannot afford to
let this bill be defeated, and as statesman he
should not hesitate q moment in pushing it to
success. This is matter in which he cannot
ride two horses He must support the bill
with vigor or be held responsible for its
defeat The fact that it was introduced and
advocated in the House by Mr.. Roberts, of the
Utica district, admits of two opposite interpre-
tations, according as it is viewed by Mr.. Conk-
ling's friends or his foes Which is the correct
will appear from his course
during the next ten days. His friends in the
mercantile community would fain believe that
The introduction of the bill by the member
from Mr.. Conklings own district is favor
able omen. The natural presumption would
be that they hold similar views and work in
If this be 30 Mr.. Conkling has
acted generously towards rising young MEM
Der with whom he has local and personal ties,
in giving him the initiation of the reform
instead of introducing bill of his own in the
Senate and taking to himself the credit which
the mercantile community would have
awarded him for so valuable Q service. But
those who distrust him or look with suspicion
on his known relations with the Custom
House clique, will not believe him friend to
the measure until he demonstrates it une-
quivocally by his public action. If he has
been acting in concert with Mr. Roberts, why
did he not incite him to introduce and press
the bill earlier, 80 that it would in cur no risk
of failure by the close of the session? lit
fails, and fails by any want of prompt,
resolute zeal on the part of Mr.. Conkling, it
will be charged by his enemies and believed
by the merchants that he has been acting q
collusive part /; that the bill was introduced
in one House and smothered in the other in
the hope of winning party advantage by
imposing on the public. Let Mr.. Conkling
and his friends be assured that they cannot
play their card and have it too. They can
not claim the credit of attempting to
abolish the present scandalous system and
ct the same time retain all its party
u Ia hot <ba1 L.