The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-05
MIR. CONKLINo's CAMPAIGN
The True Inwnrdnes. or tho Recent Confer
ence. mt snrntoEn.

Conference. Tho train had been lhid iully TWO
months before the match was applied think
the plan originated in Utica. in the fertile brain
of ex Congressman Roberts At any rate II came
To Albany from the west. ana Martindale could
hardly have originated anything, while Mr.
Spragua OF Buffalo does not belong to tho order
OF plottcrs. and Woodin OF Auburn did not come
in TIL Inter. AS 1t was first whispered around
among n privileged few in this city early in
June. II took this form: "Smyth's committee
have refused to call n State Convention. Their
conduct In revolutionary. and they must be
dealt with accordingly. The Republicans Of tho
State demand Convention. and they will have
ono. the Committee TO the contrary not
wthstandlnR. keep IL a secret" When Prince
John Van Buren, spoke In the Capitol grounds
in this city on one occasion. In the presence Of
five thousand people. he said: Il am about to
tell you a secret viii some gentleman close
the Eates?' He meant that to be funny but
this idea OF keeping secret what was to DO
done by one Of tho leading political parties
in the state wns unconsciously iunnier.
although 1t was said in dead earncst. But
allowance must be made for the difference be-
twecn tho words and the meaning Of those who
unfoldcd the scheme. They meant that a select
few wero To meet for the purpose Of calling
State Convention. and secrecy was imperative.
that all who came might be Of one way Of think
ing The invitations were distributed only 90
those who were known to be active and open in
their hostility to Mr.. ConklinR
Tho list was necessarily inconRruous. A COM
mon hatred is not good bond Of friendship.
mans enemies are not necessarily at ono
among themselves. For instance. when Mr..
Woodin was here In the Senate he was mover on
good terms with Mr.. Lowery. who represented
the Oneida district. Lowery was always oppos
ine Woolins pet schemes and would not vote
AZ he WIS told to. After Lowcry left. Spraguc
came from Buffalo to serve out Sherman
Rogcrss uncxpircd term. and he IN turn be-
came the object of Woodin's dread and sus-
picion He was n respectable lawyer, with q
large practice. who had not taken M active part
in politics. and. rs he did not want n reelection
he prided himself on his ability to vote as he
pleased. sometimes TO the great disgust Of Mr.
Woodin.
But this conference brought woodn. spraRue.
! and Iowcry together on common ground.
and forced them to pool their issues"
| that thoy might wage common warfare on Mr..
! Conking. Each had different reason for OPP
posing the Senator. Mr.. Lowery lives in Utica,
/ and his grievance Is probably local and per-
| sonal. Mr.. Woodn quarrels with the fate
! which forced him to retire from the canvass In
| the Cayuga district last year. and finds fault
with Mr.. Conkling because no did not come In
and save him from the effects Of his own evil
deeds Mr.. Sprague's position ia explained by
the fact that sort Of Damon aud Pythias friend
ship exists between him and Mr.. sherman ).
Rogers. AS Mr.. Rogers ran for Lieutenant
| Governor in 1875 on the ticket with Edwin ID.
Morgan. he now feels II his duty 10 support
Morgan for Senator. and Spraguc follows suit,
In Albany it was sufficiently amusing to those
"a th.. ~ aft Io
past dozen years 10 see Henry Smith and DR.
Swinburne locking arms 10 attend this gather.
ing The Doctor was Health Officer Of tho Port
Of New York under Gov. Fenton. | suppose the
fees of tho Office are large, for he went away
comparatively poor and came back very rich
He followed Fenton into the Liberal ranks II
1874 and rather astonished the Albaninns b,
demanding honesty and economy In tho pubil'
service. Earlier in that same year ASIA Henri
Smith was elected Speaker Of the Assembly ~
tho Conkling Grant candidate o. the party. Hi'
opponent in the caucus was Thomas O.. Alvord
who had the support Of Greeley and Fcnton
and therefore Of DR.. Swinhurnc. Mr.. Smitl
has not received what he expected bu, he thinks
he will got it-whatcvcr 1t is-when Morgai
goes TO tho Senate while the worthy Doctor ma
he harborinG the delusion that there is q Healtl
Oflce in Washington.
Be- that as II may. they have now unite
their strength to crush Mr.. Conkling. an
Qest II should prove insunlcicnil they ar
ioined By Commander" Palmer. who is sup
posed to live by trading his alleged intucnc
in the Grand Army 81 the Republic II PC
litcnl huckstcrs. Hayc7 who encourages thi
sort Of dcker. permitted Palmer To- consult
him. not long ago and promised him nm one
which he will yet for he Is rs porsistcntas a
Ohio man n soon as tho dccapitating axe bC
gins to fall again.
The prominence given 10 Mr.. Elliot {. Cow
dn's namo did not strengthen the dIscontcntc
Conference ma much as that gentleman probnbl
. imagincs il did. | know nothing about NJ
Cowdin's political influence IN New York. 81
in Albany lie has none. H. has appearc
! occasionally before legislative committees
believe. as on accredited representative
metropolitan respectubility But what h. sal
. was inconsequcntial and whnt he accomplhhe
l has escaped my memory. Tho ordinary pol
c tician in tho interior. particularly nj the cap
u tai is suspicious Of the Cowdin class of leader
|. men whose distinction Is social or mercantile
!, and who appear to think that their position
the clubs or on the street entities them TO spoc
:, consideration in public affairs. Some remen
I Der how the late William NJ Tweed used 10 tai
u gentlemen Of this order at their own yaiuatC
r. and use them Mt his. He would seek thoir a,
Nlre Win que uelcrcncc, lOuOW II Win Scrup'
q lous fidelity Uor it mover went beyond Il
u non-essentinlsl. and then. in an emergency,
would call on them to certify o. the correctnc
i, OF his or Connolly's crooked accounts. And th'
+. usually compiled. Assuming that Mr.. Cowd
~ possesses ability and conscience. tho idea pr
T walls that he WAS used by those who posse
~ neither for purposes which he would not a
prove II he fully comprchonded them.
The name of L. Bradford Prince meant bu.
n ness. II Mr.. Cowdin's influence is underrat
e. here. that Of Prince is exaggerated. He can
as up to the Assembly several times. a Republics
r. with Democratic constituency. and he tn
~, appeared in the Senate from n district viii
IL was also Democratic. As the process 10y viii
CT he baGEed votes was not explained. he pass
ct for man whose imposing personal popular
n, at homo entitled him to consideration ahrol
NJ But the politicians began To ind him out befc
he the end Of his term, and many rcioiced IN,
~ heartily that he WINS tho man whom tho SEM
W defeNtod for Naval Officer of New York He
III tricky and insinccrc. His connection with I
Saratoga gathering conveyed tho first intin
ton to those unfamiliar with its oria,in thin