The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-25
From Boston journal.
George William Curtis's Speech.


The republican masses of the country
will honor George William Curtis for his
bold, able and just f9marks in the republi-
can state convention of New York. lie
has interpreted their sentiment with per-
feet fidelity. They are determined at this
time to divest their organization of every
stain and go into the impending presidential
campaign under the white banner of puri-
fcation and reform. And as M. Curtis
says, if there is any liability on their part
to defeat, it will come from the mistaken
policy of republicans alone. The country
is honest, and is therefore unwilling to
trust the democratic party !" and all the
republicans have to do is to act up to their
original principles and to the inspirations
of the great body of their party. Now
the first thing to be done is to secure the
opportunity for these honest masses to
make themselves freely, fairly and fully
heard through their delegates at the GIN
clnnatl convention.
And here, we take it, is the exact point
of Mr.. Curtis demonstration in the New
York convention. BE Lad nothing to say
against Senator Conklng, whether he pre-
ferred anybody else for The presidency or
not but the point he made was that there
was no such unanimity among the republi-
cans of the state as would be implied by
adopting resolutions in favor of Mr.. Conk-
ling. We all know-though MIR. Curtis
did not state it--that certain classes of pol
ilicians are generally able to be represented
in such conventions out of all proportion
to their real strength as component parts
OF the constituency of their organization.
They are active, united, have control
largely OF party machinery, and - to
take the case of Mr. Conkling's
most effective managers in New York
they may comprise the main force of
federal officeholders in the state. The
power they Weld, then, is power that
tells peculiarly upon caucuses and dele
gates. But when it comes to election day
the great preponderance of votes must be
drawn from another quarter and if there
is dissatifacion or dlsapproval there, all
the management in the world will be of
no avail. This is the truth which it was
the unpleasant duty of Mr.. Curtis to bring
before the republican convention of New
York, and he did it with manlness and
valor which deserved success, if they did
not win it. And we think that, under the
circumstances, Mr.. Curtis substantially
accomplished his object. He proclaimed
to the world that the republican masses
of New York are divided in their presi-
dental preferences and that they mean
to have the field of choice kept
open till the meeting of the Cinclanati con-
vention, unless risks are to be run which 1t
would be foolhardy TO invite at this juno
ture and one hundred and thirteen men,
bers of the convention-nearly one-third
of the whoe-attested by their votes that
they agreed with him. The position of
New York, therefore, cannot now be mis-
understood as 1t might have been if Mr..
Curtis had kept silent, and the delegation
at Cincinnati will assume its just position
when MIR. Conkling is out of the way.
like duty may have to be performed
Tor the republicans of other states, although
the special exigencics may vary. Wher-
ever the good old cause" as Mr. Curtis
calls it, is in danger of being imper-
lied by personal favoritism, by bad tactics
or by any other Objectionable influences, it
10 tie duty of those who truly represent
the republican people to make a stand. Let
all the barriers against the free transmits
sion of the will of the country to the repub-
lcan representatives at Cincinnati be
broken down let these representatives 90
there untrammeled, masters of themselves,
servants only of the millions of true repub-
lcans who have delegated to them, for the
country's good, whatever authority they
possess. Never was there q. time which
called fol more complete ascendency Of
republican principle, in all its large, ma
tlonal bearings, over petty and selfish in
iluences of every kind, and we trust to see
II illustrated In the course of the republi-
can party between now and the action of
the Cincinnati convention.