New-York tribune., 1876-03-25


faith.
"THE VERY REISON WHY UE LIKE HlN.'
We find in n recent number Of The Portland
Press "A letter from Mr.. Isaac II. Bailey, which
illustrates so well the spirit of the COnkling
movement that we are tempted TO give il a
wider notoriety than it is likely to obtain from
n Maine newspaper. Mr. Bailey il not great
statesman. nor even shrcwd politician, and
we may go so far as TO say that he Is not n
very wise person but he understands Conklng
and he understands the Conhling party. The
charms of the Senator are. first, that "hc Is 80
"well bred :" second, that "you know where
"to find him every time" third, his voice !;
fourth, his magncism; fifth. his contempt for
1.-The press gang" sixth and chief of all, his
unwayering support of the administration of
President Grant. THAT" says Mr.. Bailey,
"is the very reason why we like him.
Mr. Bailey is quite right. That is why the
Custom house party has set up Mr.. Conk-
ling as n candidate. and denounced the
"nsoleuce' of the Union League Club IN de
mapding that the Republican voters should
have an opportunity 10 express their prefer
ences. The Administration of President Grant
has been in trouble, of and on, for five or six
wears. and Mr.. Conliling has always been its
champion. The best men IN the Republican
party, the old leaders under whom il won its
earlier victories the honest and reputable
private citizens who have always constituted
its true strength, have been great deal woF-
ried and vcxcd by the misconduct OF this Adj
ministration-havc been shocked at the trans
actions with Shepherd, Casey, Kellogg, Delano.
Williams RobesOn, Bell,Dap, Butler, Spencer,
Amcs, Jayne, Sanborn, Lcct and Stocking,
Clews, the Frecdman's Bank, and tho Post
Traders; aud have tried to reform it from the
inside; and just see how Mr. Conklng when
ever well-mCaning Republicans proposed a
reform, rose 10 the importance Of the occa-
sion Let Bailey describe the sccne
at was al thi, cyentfu crisis IN American politics
when republican Institutions lmpcriled, and some
Hercules was invoked to sweep away the fetid mass Of
ncwspaper garbage which threacningA moral pesti
lcnce throushont the land that Senator Conkng took
the field In person. The way hc pitched The Hes ana the
Liars Of the campaign into common ditch thing TO
be remembered with admiration AMI gratitude by every
Republican in United states. II was but yery little
wlo before the poor wrochcs who had started ont TO
assault the Administration were covering ben'a'h MS
vigorous blows and crawling out OF sigbi to avert thcn
lie had ma c short work OF charaians and prccnders
aud held them up 10 public exposure ana scofn with an
cfcctrncss quickcned by hi innate contempt for the
breed His speeches were copied everywhere"
This is pretty fair account of the huIling
"back" process which politicians of the
Conkling class used to find sufficient for the
most pressing emergencies. When n Govern
mcnt officer was accused of palpablo wrong it
was thought enough for the Senator from
Ncw-YOrk 10 take the floor, "lo0k supcrbly "
(as Mr.. Bailey says), and hurl back The charge
No matter whether it was true or false, that
was not a proper subject of inquiry. The
" SANDER must be hurled back. And this
system was the natural outgrOwth of the idea
entertained by all vulgar politicians that n
party should be organized as an army fighting
for power, Just as our soldiers fought during
the war for a great principle il must be ruled
by military law; criticism Of superior
officers must be treated as insubordina-
ton, and desertion as an indelblc
disgrace properly punishable with death. And
so when Sumner Schun, Greeley, and other
true patriots refused to lend their countcnance
to abuses Mr.. Bailey says they "deserted.'
and expresses some disgust that "thcir dcser-
:" ton was represented rather as q merit than
"a fault. They were quite generally mp
"plauded for their independence and all that
g. sort of thing. All the preconccived IDEAS of
"ethics, which had tended to demonstrate
that it was IN Infamous act to betray a
"cause or sneak out of camp, were entirely
"lost sight of. The depth of basencss be-
"came suddenly the hight of virtue, and the
"man who was false to his order was ex-
"toled, who was true to it was denounced"
But the military theory of politics is falling
into disreputc. In spite of Mr.. Conkling's
hurling, and pitching, and holding up TO scorn,
and his superb looks, and his innate contempt
for independent critics, things have gone on
from bad to worse. The campaign liesn Of
1872 have turned out to be shameful truths.
The Administration TO which Mr.. COnkliLg has
devoted his resounding rhetoric and his splen-
did self has gone down in disgrace, and the
people are chiefly anxious now to bury II as
quickly and as decently as possible. They
want no moro of its supporters cham
"pionsr bulwarks," "tricd and faithful up.
"holders,r warehouses;" and orifammes."