New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-10-04
THE TwEy7y. FyFrH SENATORIAL DISTPICT

THE TUEVTT-FIFTH SENA1ORIAL DISTRICT
IF the Republican electors OF the AANth
Senatorial district have the good of their party
at heart, they will refuse to renomlnate Mr..
Woodin. 1t is of the utmost importance that
Republican Legislature should be eected
this Fall, not only because the Senate to be
chosen will participate IN the election OF MI.
Conkling's successor, but because the Demo
cratic party has been so thoroughly committed
bv the action of its legislative representatives
against the Charter reform amendments
to the Constitution, that there is little hope
that any but "A Republican Legislature VIII
allow them to be submitted to the people. But
the chances are that n Republican Legislature
will not be elected, if the strongest RepuDll-
can districts are endanged by nominations the
ratification of which ut the polls must be
doubtful. Mr.. Woodin's district with Mr..
Woodn out of the contest would elect Re-
publican by majority of thousands; Mr..
Woodn has been twice reelected now by ma
iorities of less than 400, where any man not
under suspicion Of corruption would have re-
ceIycd as many thousands. Can the Republic
cans of that district afford to run any risk with
so narrow a margin as this If the proportion
of Republicans who believe the Senator guilty
of taking Tweed's money has been increased
in his district as we have reason to believe
it has been increased throughout the State by
Tweed's story. there are more than 4Oo re
pnblicans in Wayne and Cayuga Counties who
voted for him in 1875 who viii refuse to vote
for him now. There must be able RepuDli-
cans in that district who would wOrtlIliy rep
resent it. Why not put it out of danger by
nominating one Of them?
Ii will be urged, Of course, that this will be
virtually to record a verdict OF guilty
against Mr.. Woodin, and that such a question
must not be Judged by considerations OF pollt-
zeal expediency. On this point i. is as well to
speak plainly. Mr.. WoOdin's case Is one OF
those in which character counts a good char
actcr is a great help, a bad character is great
hindrance. What has Mr. Woodin's reputation
becn9 Leaving all past accusations respecting
the Tweed Charter cut OF consideration, has
Mr.. Woodin's bearing in the past been such as
10 make Tweed's statement improbabeY
Every man wcll-infOrmed in matters OF legis-
laton and politics in this State knows that it
has not been. Four years ago THE TRIBUNE
opposed his reelection to the Senate largely on
the ground that his vote on three conspicuous
measures of that year was such as to arouse
sufficient suspicion Of corruption to justify
his constituents III repudiating HIM, and
in that year, his majority dropped from
APO in 1871 to 3SS, Of late years
his reputation has improved, as his con-
duct has. But when all that was believed OF
him before, by a section of his party, at least
is asserted to be true by'Tweed himself, and
when il is seen that Tweed has accused no
one whom the community does not know or
has not long believed to be corrupt, the case
looks very bad indeed for Mr.. Woodin. If he had
an unblcmished reputation to fall back upon,
the case would be different. If Tweed should
accuse Peter Cooper, or Horatio Seymour or
William NJ. Evarts of having taken his money,
his voice would be drowned in the laughter OF
the whole State. As WIS said before, in such
n contingency as this, character counts, and it
is difficult to see why Mr. WOodn is entitled
TO "a vindicatIon that would probably cost the
Republican party vote in the Senate.
We do not pretend to know what Mr.. Wood
| ms chances of denomination are. They may
be excellent, but none the less do we conceive it
TO be our duty to offer these suggestions to
the Republicans of the XVIII District.
Mr. p. T. Barnum. it has been confdentially