National Republican., 1876-05-22
Mr. copkliue and Mr.. Curtis Once More.

Harper's Weekly of November, 1872, and
Rdrpcr's Weekly of May, 1876, entertain wide
ly different views of the services and the de-
servings of Hon. Roscoe Conkling. At the
former period 1t expressed its qualification that
one of the results of the election which had
recently transpired would be the return of
Mr.. Conkling to the Senate for another six
years. 1t praised him for the part he bore in
the campaign of that year, and rejoiced that
the popular verdict had not only vindicated
the President and himself from the calumnious
aspersions that had been cast upon them, but
that it gave to each, In his respective sphere,
the rewards that attach to faithful public SER
vice. 1t held to this opinion ther Of Mr..
Conkling:
"a man of the highest honor; OF great and con-
ceded ability; of profound political conviction; Of
and admirable debater; highly cultivated; of .
ready wit and piercing satire; thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with public affairs; with marvellous mem
ory, that holds all his resources at easy and in
slant command, and flowing elOquence that i'm
presses and persuades-Mr. Conkling is one OF the
chiefs Of the Senate, and one Of the most Justly
eminent Of our public men,"
Four years have not passed away, and now
we find the same pen that wrote the glowing
words above employed-xe will not say with
gall and bitterness-in the work of depreciat-
ing the merits and patriotism of the very man
then so warmly commended and eulogized. His
abilities are still admitted-thcse are above
and beyond all questioning-and his personal
character is not aspersed, because no one
knows better than Mr.. Curtis that it cannot be
successfully impugned. In these two respects,
his character and his ability, the Senator,
thank God, is unasssilable and beyond the
reach Of calumny and detraction.
Taking as the text for long and able article
brief extract from the Troy Times, to the
effect that Mr.. Conkling's record ought not to
subject him to an insidious and unreasonable
warfare, with the further remark from the
columns of the Times that elf the Republican
party has been in the wrong, then Mr.. Conk-
ling has been in the wrong" Mr.. Curtis pro-
ceeds to give theiressons why, in his judgment,
Mr.. ConkliDg's nomination at this time will
not be judicious and wise. They are, in brief,
that the Republican party is divided with ref
erence 10 some of the acts of the Administra-
ton, and that, as Mr.. Conkling more nearly,
perhaps, than any other man represents the
Administration, it will not do to disregard
that sentiment in the party which is In the
OppOSlLlUus we nave uOe LuC ROOu W
know whom Mr.. Curtis fayors for the nomi-
nation, but the mere statement of his position
leads at once to the inference that unless the
enemies of the Administration have their way
at Cincinnati, they will decline to support the
nominee of the convention, and give their
votes to the candidate of some other party.
This is dangerous ground. We hardly think
Mr. Curtis means to go so far; and yet the
conclusion seems to be irresistible. It is
pretty hard to say to Mr.. Conkling and his
friends: "Nominate Mr.. Conkling, and we
shall bolt; nominate our man, and you must
not bolt" If worse comes to worse, Mr..
Conkling and his friends will justify the in
tegrity of their Republican convictions. They
will not bolt, and they will not threaten be-
forehand. They will not say that only Mr..
Conkling can be elected, for they believe that
ary proper Republican who may be nominated
at Cincinnati will prove successful; but they
believe, nevertheless, that no man can triumph
so easily as Mr.. Conkling. He will be
stronger candidate in July than he is in June,
stronger in August than in July, and all-con-
quering when the ides of November come.
The whole theory Of Mr.. Curtis opposition
to Mr.. Conkling seems to be based upon the
supposition that he represents somebody and
something that is not in this campaign at all,
so far as the Republican party is concerned. A
great deal is said by Mr.. Curtis about Belknap
and Babcock and Shepherd and Butler. What
have they to do with the Republican party
These men neither own the Republican party
nor represent 1t. Mr.. Conkling is no more
accountable for their acts of omission or CON-
mission than Mr.. Curtis is. If he is RESPONSE
bic for them-if the crimes OF Belknap, the
speculations of Shepherd, (assuming that he
has speculated,) y the Butlerisms Of Butler, are
to be laid at his door-then hr. Conkling is
not the honest man we assert, and the honest
man Mr.. Curtis confesses him to be.
Mr.. Curtis paraphrsses our words. Suppose,
he says, we substitute the name of Senator
Spencer, of Alabama, for that Of Mr.. Conk-
ling, in The following sentence: eff the Repub-
lican party has been in the wrong, Mr.. Conk-
ling has been in the wrong; If It has failed,
then he has failed" so that 1t will read: "If
the Republican party has been In the wrong,
Mr.. Spencer has been in the wrong; II it has
failed, then he has failed" It is seldom that
Mr.. Curtis descenls to trickery of this sort,
and 1t must be petty cause and stress of cir
cumstances that compel 3 resort to 1t now. 1t
is indeed, as he says, "not very powerful rea.
soning."
Mr.. Spencer and Mr.. Conkling arein no sense
indentical. The one represents nobody but
Mr.. Spencer-the other may be justly regarded
as an exponent and representative OF the princi-
Piles of his party. Mr.. Spencer might do q
great many things that the public would con-
denim, without affecting the Republican party,
for he is not representative of 1t in any way,
any more than Glendenning is representa-
tive of the Christian ministry. Mr.. Conkling,
on the contrary, could not commit an act sub
jecting him to the reprobation of his country
men that would not react injuriously upon the
party. THERE'S no way in which the two men
can be compared, for they are as unlike as
Mr.. Curtis and the veriest driyeler that ever
put pen to paper.
70 in ipIf cf apt
of Mr.. Curtis against Mr.. Conkling. The first
is that he "defeated the nomination OF Judge
Hoar as associate justice of the Supreme Court,
but he supported that of Caleb Cushing"
This is an assumption which may or may not
be true. If true, Mr.. Conkling can un-
doubtedly give very good reasons for his ac-
tion in either case. The second is that he
chad no sympathy with Republican reform
of the civil service, but he sustained Gov.
Shepherd" If Mr. Curtis will turn to the
files of his paper for August 10, 1872, he will
find therein an editorial approving Mr.. Conk-
liDg's work in the matter of the Federal ap-
pointments in this State, and indorsing 1t as
clear case of civil service reform.
The reform which Mr.. Curtis seeks may
mean much or little; 1t may be a blessing or
humbug. As sometimes interpreted and its
enforcement demanded 1t is the latter-a mere
fancy of the Imagination, impracticable, i'm
possible and foolish. Such civil service re-
form Mr.. Conkling does not support; but we
are quite certain he will go as far as Mr.. Cur
tis or any one else in maintaining the efficiency
of the public service by the appointment of
honest, Intelligent and faithful men TO trans
act the business Of the Government and care
for its revenues. The third count is that elm
vestigations into abuses of the general order
system, Of the moiety system, of the sale of
arms TO France had no support from him, but
he thought we'll of third term" We quote
from Mr.. Curtis paper Of q prior date than
the one containing the structures which are the
subject of these remarks: "Then Mr.. Conk-
ling and his friends were said during the last
session to have attempted to smother inyes-
LEGATIONS, but they did, most properly, seek
to prevent peryersion Of Investigations"
Mr.. Curtis is answered by Mr.. Curtis. As
TO the third term: We challenge Mr.. Curtis
to produce one public expression from Mr..
Conkling in favor Of third term; we chsl-
leDge him to produce evidence of any kind that
will support the declaration made above. 1t
is an assertion that is without particle of
proof to sustain 1.-THE mere repetition of the
gsbble of the " Independent" press which
tried to make General Grant what he never