New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-14


than the late Mr.. Fox, whose Humpty Dumpty
is immortal; and without meaning 70
take away one laurel from Humpty
Dumpty, we must say he is funnler lie sKlI,S
into the midst of debate or a crisis with such
queer propositions and remarks, ana I'D
such palId, GREATNESS way-much aS
man might break into riot WIN
the remark that he had lost lead pencil
that he really ravishes public attention Win
his stupendOus righteousness. HAD ne oeen
at Gettysburg and on the Union slde-"hlch Is
hardly pOssible-he might have been eApecV'"
to ride up to General Meade's headquarters a'
the turning point Of the battle, with the request
that he be permitted to take division OF
two off on the Baltimore pike and divert
the attention of the enemy by an attack
with rotten apples or cold huckleDeIry Iar'S
on an exceedingly offensive corporal dong
picket duty on the enemy's extreme HANK
He is lust 10 that degree abrupt ana suduen
in his methods and profound in his strategy
Mr.. Wood is the leader of his party In Con-
grcss That is the position ana rank 10 winch
his nloce on the committees entities him. And
il NAV be said for him that no leader OF any
sort political, civil, or military, ever ="
amazed and bewildcred both followers
and opponents by strokes OF inc most
unexpected strategy, not always successful, 10
be sure. but always original and always rs un-
expected and startling as if we may be allowed
the eypressIon. sneeze from dead
man. To 90 no further back than the beginning
of the war-and in abiding to the war we
beg to dsclaim any desire to revive the am
mOstics of the past-It Will be remembered
perhaps. that in the midst OF that great Crisis
he undertook to divert the attention Oi
the encmy-that is, of the loyal North
by seriously proposing the secession Oh Ihe
City of New-York and the establishment OIL
an Independent government. mat bclhE
time of unusual seriousness, the proposition
did not divert anybody. But now orig
inal if was. and what an ingenious
piece of strategy 1t showed the bent OF
the great mans mind. No one but Mr..
Wood would ever have proposed or
even dreamed of scheme Ike that
But his political career has been dis
unguishcd by just such Innovations lie
may be said to be, in the language Of the
street, dlvcrtcr "irom away back" He al
WAYS aims to divert the attention OF the
enemy, and usually succeeds in diycrting every
body.
Last year he undertook to divert the public
with a tariff bill 1t Is not too much to say
that he succeeded. At the opening of this
session, the President having directed pub
lie attention to condition OF affairs
in the Southern States which reflected dis
credit upon the Democratic party, Mr. Wood
1 l., fl lf.
an immediate diversion; and with the swift
ness and originality which defy prcccdcntS'
but which are the Characteristics of all
great leaders, hc, without moments delay
" hurled back the imputations In the Message,
and asked the attention of Congress and
the country to the state of things
in Ncw-York. where, under the iron
rule of the tyrant John |. Davenport,
thousands Of citizens were dragged from their
homes and frcsidcs and confined IN loathsome
dungeons, and thousands more were COM
PEELED to abandon all they held dear and
seek safety in flight, almost dcpOpulating
the city, and cutting down the Democratic
vote to the extent of not less than
10000. II was clever bit of strategy.
There were leading Democrats in Congress who
Mr.. Wood was a-wclI we don't like To keep
repeating the remarks leading Democrats
make about each Othcr-it Is enough to say
that they called HIM just what they
have got in the habit Of calling the
investigating Glover. And the Democratic
nrcss echoed the sentiment with much tcrvOr
in readings between the lines. Still, we insist,
it was clever diversion. Itdycrted the pub
lie amazingly.
And on Thursday he gave us anOthc. cy''-
btion of strategy in the same line. Senator
Blame having moved in the Senate for IN
Investigation of the methods in vogue IN
the recent elections in the South, and
called attention TO their practical effect
upon the system of equal representation,
the Democratic leader Of the House saw
that the necessity had once more arisen
for dlycrtng public attention. lie SEXES
the occasion. With two whercascs and one
resolved he alleges that the tyrdnt Daycn-
port was guilty of an illegal, un-
"just, and oppressive exercise of pre-
" tended authority, III causing the arrest, dctcn-
" ton and Imprisonment of citizens innocent
" of offence, by which he deprived them
of the right to vote, and subjected
" them to indignIty, insult and intImldaton,'
etc, etc, and directs the Judiciary Committee
to investigate the same without delay. There
being question as To jurisdiction, the TesO-
luton was laid over but before acton
was taken Mr.. Wood insisted that the
petition and alldavits upon which it
was based should be printed IN The Reeord,
just to make that paper interesting. Mr. Con-
ger objected. Object TO the printing OF a
" petitlonP' said the horror strIcNen leader.
" Yes" SAID Mr.. Conger. "Thcn," said Mr..
Wood, in accents wild, IL want the whole
" country to know 1t; )" and the matter went
nycr II il 100 carly. OF cnnrse 10 nrnd1ci