The Portland daily press., 1877-11-13
Our New York Letter.
The New York Elecfion--A Substantial
Repubiicah Victory--'Conciiiatio i'm
the Oneida Disirict-The Do-NothinRs
--Merrissey's VictOry-The Currency
Question.
NEW YORK, Nov 10, 1877.

IMAM Jney nave encountered in any previous
contest. If the party had received the support
of all the men who profess to belong to il, the
state ticket could easily have been chosen. AS
it is the Legislature is Republican in both
branches, and that was all that was worth
struggling for. To have elected eighteen Of the
thirty-two senators, in spite of the wilful and
deliberate throwing away of two or three dis
trcts by few factious malcontents was an
exhibition of strength which shows that there
is good deal of vigor yet in the organization
which has suffered so much more of late from
pretended friends than from open enemies
The wisdom of the course pursued by the
Rochester convention has been signally DEM
onstrated. The very handsome manner in
which the people have attested their confidence
IN, and esteem for, Senator Conklibg is graft
flying tribute of respect for courage and man
hood. 1t is evident enough he would have
gained nothing by the adoption of the trim
ming policy which was SO s,rsnuously urged
upon him by so many gratuitous advisers, and
that is pleasant thing to know, because it is
always to be desired that man who stands by
his convictions, without calculating the per-
sonal consequences of so doing should derive
advantage rather than harm from his constaney
and irmness. There is not the smallest par
ticle of doubt in my mind that Mr.. Conkling
would have adhered to the position he took at
Rochester, no matter what anticipations he
might have had of its effect on his political
fortunes But to be right, an to win by being
right is happy sequel that acc ords with ones
notions of poetic justice.
am sorry to say that the gentleme who are
most demonstrative Of their devotion to the
administration were extremely 1ukewarm
towards the Republican cause. Some of them
refrained from voting altogether, and others
actually voted for Democratic candidates for
Senators. There was a curious example of this
in the Oneida district, which embraces the city
of Utica, where MIR. Conkling resides. This dis
trIct is good ordinarily for 1900 or 1000 Republi-
can.majolity. The Republican nominee for the
Senate was MIR. Gridley, an estimable and pop
lar citizen. His Dem ocralic opponent was Mr..
Goodwin, who during the war had been sol
dier in the Rebel army. He was not impelled
by sectional prejudiees to fight against his
country. He was a northern man by birth and
education. He migrated South and engaged
voluntarily in the tratorous conspiracy to de-
stroy the government Perhaps this event in
bis history especially commended him 10 the
favor of the adminst ration men Uf Utica. At
any rate they gave him their suffrages and
compassed his election. There were not many
of them; it didn't take many to turn the scale.
But they succeeded and are actually boastful of
it. People of this sort very often get chance
Of damaging party by affecting to be in it.
They are eternally insisting upon debating its
measures. They want everything their own
way. If they are overrnled they bolt and make
merit of it. If they would only 90 clear over
to the enemy there would bs an end of the
matter, and they would be precious good rid
dance. But they will persist 10 banging round
the camp in fussy and meddesome kind Of
way until the action begins, and then as likely
as not, they sneak off to the other side.
In the city we have still greater number of
fellows Of this ilk. They ara not so vicious as
the Utica chaps, bat they are as useless for all
practical purposes If things don't go to suit
them they grow sullen and refuse to vote. They
don't really know half the time what they do
want, but they are just as dogmatic as if they
did. They are many of them merchants with
large stake in good government, and the strong
est motives for contributing by every means 10
their power to the maintenance of the pubic
credit, and the establishment on a sure founda-
ton of solid financial system. And yet they
are thousand fold more interested in the dis
pensation of few triAing crumbs of federal
patron age, than they are in the vital business
of national legislation. They never do any
thing themselves to strengthen and sustain the
party, but they are none the less censorious of
those who do bear the heat and the burden. IL
is the most difficult thing imaginable to wiring
contribution out of any one of them. but
they are as free in expressing their dissatsfac-
tion as if they were the very pillars and bull
warks of the organization. They chatter yOlu-
bly, though incoherently about the machine" :"
evince extreme disdain for everybody who
lends helping hand to keep it in motion, and
declare politics to be decidedly ungenteel and
low.
Naturally enough, men of this semi-Repub-
lican type endorse the administration policy
with al.notably in contrast with their habit
ual languor. They never did have any special
devotion to that cardinal doctrine of pure Re-
publicansni-human equality. Their polit-
ical principles were never up to that standard
1t is absolutely impossible for them to rise to
such moral elevation as to be able to compre-
hend the alarm and Indignation with which
the sturdy yeomanry of the interior contem-
plate the probability of the utter extinction
of the civil rights of majorities of the people il
several states of the Union. There is vast
difference in measure and degree of patriotism
between the shopkeeper and the husbandman
Now all this was perfectly unders TODD by the
gentlemen who constituted the majority Of the
State Convention at Rochester. They saw
clearly enough that the only way to avoid 8
display of this, striking contrast between the
metropolitan and the rural members of the
party, was to ignore the question of difference
between them. 1t was not their fault that il
was introduced. 1t would have been their folly
if they had Incorporated it among the issues
of the campaign. They pursued the very sen
sible course of letting it alone. Now we SET
what came of it. The r'ajority of the Demo
Gratis on their state ticket is whitfield down be-
low what it has been On any one of the pre-
cedIng four elections, and the legsla lative branch
of tue govern ment is in the hands of the Re
publoans. 1t is virtually a Republican vic
tory. If the ADMINISTRATION men had proved
faithful the state would have been carried BY
large majority. But even without their aic
the party has done ,sxceediL gly well and devel
oped vast deal of latent power. 1t is thu
wretched seaboard, wi tn its evil and ignorance
supplemented as it is now and then, and ha
been undoubtedly at tn is juncture by equity re
spectability-tbat annua lily overbears the mar
lier, healthier sentiment of the tillers of the
soil beyond the Hudson ri YER.
1t will not profit us to speculate as to wha
might have ensued if the cOuusels Of the mi
norty had been listened to. The best Repub
licans are proveibially most loyal in fulhlmen'
of their political teachings. Boiling and deser
tion, unless justified by the necessity OF defend
ing principles, are to their pOral sense offences