The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-09-06
The Gathering OF tho FIocks.

poetry.
The Gathering OF tho Flocks.
The YER is passing into the longer shadows.
With September we have the richer tints of
foliage, the trees darkening as though they
had been stepped in wine, the coming of our
foreign wanderers, with their English clothes
and French ways, and the return home of
Saratoga dowagers, happy or sad according as
they may have found the matrimonial cam
paign. General Babcock has gone to Wash
ington, and it is believed the President will
soon follow his secretary. The new Postmas-
ter General is showing what new broom can
do in our post Offices. Mr. Beecher is finish
ing that three weeks game of croquet. Good
men and women resume the contemplation
of an oyster feast with immunity. Mr.. Tllden,
happy in that small, zephyr-like voice from
Ithaca, is patiently listening to the autumn
winds to hear whispers of the Gov
ernorship. Havemeyer rejoices in the
long nights, that he may smoke his
pipe and renew his "reminiscences
of the Stuyvesant admiration for the in
struction of his Matsell and his Disbecker
Governor Dix is banging away at the snipe
down in Long Island The negro minstrels
have put on their paint and begin to skip over
benches. Our advertising columns already rise
in the never-failing autumn tide, and visions
of quadruple and quintuple sheets begin to
float over our composing room.
With September we have also earnest work
among the politicians. In the republican
camp there is silence. The leaders of that
distracted organization are sorely troubled.
They gather around the sphinx as it sits on
its Long Branch cliff, but it will not speak.
Who can read the mystery? Kansas, Nebraska,
West Virginia all speaking on the one ques-
ton, but the only voice that can answer it
silent !! So we have foolish rumors about Mr.
Cornell and Mr. Fenton, but-silence on the
one theme The only republican statesman
who seems to possess the confidence of the
sphinx is the Hon. Hugh ]. Hastings, but he
also is silent and will not speak. In Tam
many we hear the busy notes of preparation
and discord all the tokens of furious war The
O'Kelly, king of Tammany and chief of the
Emerald Ring, is eagerly sharpening his wea-
pons and taking the dust and mould out of the
feathers and paint. For tomorrow the bat
tie may begin, and the braves must be ready.
And if our readers really care to know the
objects for which this battle is to be waged
let them read our preliminary narrative else
where. 1t sounds like the opening chapter of
Kinglake's Invasion of the Crimea" or Ma
piers 'sHistory of the Peninsular War" The
trophies are varied and rich. There is a
Governorship in the place of Dix, if man
can be found worthy to succeed that old Ro-
man. There is Lieutenant Governorship,
in the place of General Robinson; Canal Com
missionership, which is said not to be without
succulent properties /; an Inspectorship of Pris-
ons, an Office that no Tammany chief should
slight considering all that has come to pass
in Tammany dynasties Judgeships, various
seats in Congress, twenty-one Assembly places,
the Registership, rich, fat, plump, juicy
place, out of which Sigel has made consid-
cradle beer money and upon which many
strained eyes are looking in hungry hope.
There are sundry little Aldermanships, and,
above all, the Mayoralty. Our readers who
taKe an lnteIeSt III tne Here personal contests
for these smaller trophies will find it all writ
ten elsewhere The two over which the bat
tie will be waged are the Governorship and
the Mayoralty.
It is proposed, as we now understand this
campaign, to nominate Mr.. Tilden as kind
of Tammany peace offering to the democracy
of the State BY supporting Tlden, the
destroyer of Tweed, it will be said that the
skirts of the old mother are cleansed of Tweed
ism and are once more snow white and pure
But, as we have endeavored to show The
OKelly and his counsellors, the question is
not what would be the best thing for Tam
many but what would be the best thing for
the State. The democratic party in New York
cannot sacrifice Its fair hopes of leading the
way toward q national reaction to enable
Tammany to redeem its local record. The
thing to be done is to defeat John A. Dix, and
that the democrats will find no easy task
General Dix has grown into the hearts of the
people of this Commonwealth until he has be.
come like one of our rugged Adirondack hills,
the type of strength, will, fortitude
and courage. He believes in hanging muir