New-York tribune., 1879-02-04


confirmed bv majority, and Mr. BuIt by J.
majority.
SCENES N SECRET SESSION.
rowrrrrL ATTACK BY sFN,roR coNEtING-f1-
rRAorp!N,rY EFFECT OF IHL LEI4LLs-Ii!L
p.rAus OF THE vorF.
my rrir5EArH TO TUE TEIRrNTl
1-.-uJ<croN. Tcb. ;.-NO contest over nolaira-
ems sapt to The senate bY me President has e.
,f..6 .o lrrs. interest among the lab..ues OF tie
,lpItol in several years as that over tie nomlua-
,lors for tine N,w-York Custom House, which was
1roucbt 10 q inul issue tuls evening after an eN-
,,ttnr executive session more than SIX hours IN
lorrth When q similar trial Of strength took
MACE bctvceu NJ. C1uklDg and tie adnA;ls-
tr.tjon during the first session OF the
,,asent CONGRESS. and the former came ont OF IL
,..tb victory for himself and for General Arthur
9.l Nj Cornell the result was greater surprise
10 most people and probably made deeper lmPiC'-
sion upon the country than The continuation ol
General Merritt and Mr. Burt to-day VIII; hut
there were no sach gatherings III the corridors
Of the senate wing of the Capitol as tmohseR
it to-day and no such anxiety to catch mnJ OF
what was going on within the closed doors, 10 such
,i,uning after aud butt0nhoIilC OF senators VINO
showed themselves even 70. momcat IN the lob
f5.s and NO such hard work as was doae on the
outside even after the session began, with view TO
rfD,r.c.ag the result as was witnessed this Il er-
L0oI.
Mr. ConklIngs friends ssemed 10 be in the ma
jnrtv among those who waited 1or the ycl,Lct TO-
fav: but no one on either side ycDtUed VtfF pos
tive opinion OF what that verdict would be- and 10
one expected that the majority either Tor or against
confirmation would he more than three. great
deal ofbard work has been done IL behalf OF the Ad-
uln.sr-aton and Of the Custom House appoint
la,nt. during the las few days, but there seemed
10 be little lobbying on that SIDE after the Senate
went into executive session this afternoon W
the other hand M. Conklngs friends were unTe-
uittiu2 in their work all the afternoon. Inc Seha-
Tor himself has been as busy as bee. DURING TIE
whole of the open session, and after the doors were
closed, Senators who were understood 10 be IL
Goubt as 70 what they ought to do, were called ont
and apparent urcoJ TO vote against the coaArina
ton of tho Presidents nominees.
The purposes of Mr.. Dennis seemed 10 give the
Copkling men much concern during The afternoon.
Hels i member of the Committee on Commerce.
and has aIwavs voted on the New-lor custom
GIouse appointments. both In committee ana IN the
SENATE in the way the senior Senator from NeW-
York has desired It has been known among
,be friends of the President and General
Merritt for several days that Mr.. Dennis had
changed his m,ud. and intended 10. vote -
confirm the nominations. Inis decision explains
his votes on TWO occasions 20 postpone the con-
-idrration Of tie report from Nj ConkAng- COM
iu1ttee. But the Couklng people seem not 10 nave
discovered this until this afternoon; and card
after car. went into the Senate to him, and the
strongest reasons that could he given are said to
have been urged why he should no; change his atl-
question ct Issue now. The loss OF the vote
ot Mr.. Dennis seemed 10 cause great decentralization
cr,,nr Mr. Conklinc's friends on the outside OF the
Senate and Fl was admitted by one of them that
II yould cost them three other votes which Woul'
b.c,,t for General Merritt's coufrmaton-othcr-
wise counted ON III. other sde-and thus probably
insure h,- success.
HOW DEMOCRATS WE'RE soUD17IrD.
Much effective work hq, been done among til"
Democrats Of n, Senate in tine last few days
When the contest began this session, the Demo
cratic Senator, generally evinccd very little IN
t,re,t in H. They had los; all idea of beng able 10
cagtro, the President and dictate his appointments
l the South a hope which they certainly cherished
when Nrs,r,. Roosevelt aud Prince were defeated ,
and they w. .re disposed 10 allow the President 10
hght his own battles without their assistance SUD
s,qucu,lv II was suggested that the proper course
1or ,hc Democrat, to pursue would be that winch
should make the division in the Repubhcan parry
the greatest and eavc the most bitterness bet" een
Finally now idea was suggested to them. i Is
said that two Influential Tammany Democrats
came to Washington q few days AGO and presented
the ca>cIua new light. They directed tie atten-
tou Of thcrpary friends 20 the fact that the Tam
many party in New-lOr5 vas jeatcn last Fan by
coalition Of Republican and all the Auti-TamWaDy
and irregular organizations IN the city; that Gen
rral Arthur was the active manager on thy
part OF the Republicans in bringing about
the combination against he regular Democracy 4;
and that II the Democrat, are beaten in NcN-lo OK
u the future ID vii. JcNy just such boiling arrange
mcnts as brought I1mmauy 10 grief last November.
Under these Circumstance, Democrats were asked
ii :; seemed 70 them wise to do anything IN the
Ncuatc that would give MI Ccnktng greater
power than lie now has IN Ncw-lorE politics
when there wa, not only great danger but IL
great probability that that power would be used
against the regular Democratic party and against
ihe only Democratic organization in New-lork that
would be recognized in a National convention.
These and some other similar considerations seem
to have had great weight with the Democratic
Senators for there has been. within the last two OF
Three days, a visible so'idrfying amongst them IA
layor Of the Presidents nominations.
BEHIND THE CLOsHD DOORS.
After the doors of the senate were closed this AZ
lsrnoon the first question winch came up was that
bt continuation the exact form OF Nr. CoHk.iug =
ooton being that the report OF I!s committee, rec
Onmending the rejection of the nomination Of Gen
Aa Merritt, he adopted.
A. trst it seemed as though this would be voted
upon without debate but one short speech led 10
another until the discussion began TO grow gene
raj, and three hours were consumed without much
progress being made. The speeches delivered
IurEg this time were none of them striking IN their
character. Most Of the speakers Democrats,