The Portland daily press., 1878-12-10

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The Northern Allies of a Solid Sonth--
The Ostrich Policy-New York Custom
House Appointments.
NEW YORK, Dec 9th 1873.
1t was perfectly natural and appropriate
that the first exh ibition of officiating on the
assembling of Congress should have been made
by New York representative. The alacrity
with which Mr.. Fernando Wood proceeded to
abase himself before his Southern masters was
iu keeping with the record of his political life.
For once he has displayed the quality of COL
sistency, jewel that has rarely adorned his
scsnty group of meretricious virtues. He was
always an obsequious vassal of Southern rule;
there were no humiliations exacted of Northern
Democrats when the Shareholders cracked their
whips over the backs of their followers in the
National halls of legisl alton whereat his gorge
ever rose. Even after the Rsbelion had taken
form in the withdrawal Of the represen-
tatives Of several of the seeding States,
Mr.. Wood, then Mayor of New York, wrote
an official apology to Robert Toombs for the
Police authorities of the city, who had arbitra-
rily interfered to prevent the transportation of
munitions of war to Georgia. He expressed
abject regrets that it was out of his power to
control their action in the matter. He had oc-
casion very soon afterwards to affect change
of sentiment on the subject, but that was at
time when the patriotism of the people had
risen to such an altitude, that they were in no
humor to brook any manifestations Of disloyal-
ty to the flag and it wasn't safe for any man,
whether in Office or out to evnce the slightest
sympathy with treason. He followed the bent
of his inclinations in the first instance-in the
last he was driven from his position by the re-
sistless force of public opinion which he hadn't
the power to stem nor the courage to defy.i
Mr.. Wood was recently reelected by some
800 plurality, in district where the votes ran
in the proportion of two Democrats to one
Republican. If he had had but one Democratic
competitor he would inevitably have been bea-
ten. He escaped defeat by paying the expenses
of keeping a Republican candidate in the field.
1t was not cheap nor an easy victory and GER
tainly not one to be proud Of, but he probably
feels that he Is secure at home for couple of
years at least, and is desirous now of strength
ening his influence among the Southrons who
from the point of view of his party affiliations
are to be the future arbiters of the fate of
Northern statesmen. But somehow or other
these imperious overseers are dreadfully hard
to please. They do not even tolerate an act of
funkyism unless it is performed in obedience to
orders. They expect their servitors to be as man
ageable as the keys of harpsichord, and to
emit no sound till they are played upon by tie
appointed performer. For neglectipg to wait
for his cue Wood got numerically snubbed
and was sent to the foot of the class uuder
cloud of displeasure. His long experience in
meeting all sorts OF charges with the plea of
mot guilty. led him into the indiscretion of
denying what everybody knew to be true.
"Pompey,' said one colored man to another as
he observed the extremities of a fish ticking oat
of his companions pocket, "Pompey, whar did
70 get dat var ish?' 81 dun got no fish, yon
niger you" replied the unblushing Pompey
''You dun got no fish, eh! Yah! yah! yah! look
yere Pomp, mex time you 60 to market just
mind and steal smaller fish or carry deeper
pocket" The pretence that there were no hin-
ORANGES to free voting in the South at the last
election was altogether too bald to be adopted
as line of defense. The best way was to say
nothing about it. The wrong had been done
and there was no remedy proposed. That part
of the Presidents message that discusses these
performances is the mildest kind of milk and
water. There is nothing in it to disturb the
sensbilities of the most open ballot-5ox suffer
in the land. All he need to do is to gather the
fruits of his crime against suffrage and declaim
Justify in favor of the right of the people to
govern themselves. The occasional throwing
in of sentence or two about the extraordinary
peace and quiet reigning South will not come
amiss. There is no occasion to say that it is
the kind of tranquility that is produced by
snbjugation. That is fact which for obvious
reasons should not bo alluded to. The time
has not come yet when it is safe to throw off all
disguses. The Northern allies of solid South
have abundant causes for unessiness.
The symptoms of Gisaffscton among
their immediate constituents are sig
| nifcant enough to fill them with alarm.
The stake they are playing for is the Presiden-
| cy, and there is no system of arithmetic by
which they can cipher out electoral votes
enough to secure that prize. What they want
now is to be let alone till the popular excite
ment has abared. They are on the defensive
1 but delay will serve their purpose better, they
fancy, than agitation. They have nothing tc
fear from the administration. 1t is too weak te
be aggressive, even if it had any convictions tC
| impel it in that direction. 1t is not to bs won
dered at, therefore, that the more polite of thi
Democratic leaders earnestly deprecate thl
opening on their side of discussion in which
they are absolutely certain to get the worst of it
| Nevertheless the ostrich policy will not pre-
vail. The Republicans have the vantage
ground, and they will maintain it. The invio
liability of the right to vote is principle which
will rally to i.s support the best citizens of the
Republic in sufficient numbers and with an
its ultimate and early triumph secure, if W,
may judge of the future by the past
There is considerable speculation as to wha
will be done in reference to the federal appoint
ments in this city. Some of the newspaper
have already begun to put out feelers touchin,
the matter, which bear inherent evidence o
their origin within the purlieus of the Execu
tive family. Mr.. Conklng is persuasively en-
treated to acquiesce in the confirmation of tn
Collector whom the President appointed afte
the adjournment in contempt of Senator's
L
own professions in respect of civil service re
form. One of the most amusing argument
adduced in support of this appeal is that th
friends of Mr.. Hayes made no effort to defes
the reelection of the Senator. Iudeed it
intmated that they contributed material
towards the result. Now anybody who know
anything about our State politics understand
perfectly well that the Presidents follower
did all they possibly could to organize an ant
Conkling.moVement. They held Conferences
and carried on correspondence, and tried pc
sistently to elect hostile delegates to the otat
Convention. They failed hopelessly becaus
there were so few of them. Their restles
| activity was in ludicrous contrast to their nj
merical weakness When the Convention mi
and they discovered that they didn't count a
, ! told as many delegates as could have been pile
on wheebarrow, they made a virtue of nece
sity and threw down their arms. Yet eve
after that they busted themselves in trying
make coalitions with the enemy for the purpo'
of defeating the election of Republican cand
II dafa for tha