Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-02-15
MR.. ooNKLINa GETS HIS DESERTS

Mr. Roscoe Conkling. in q controver.
sy with the Administration, has been
badly beaten. The defeat is in many
ways disastrous to him. 1t puts into the
New York custom house, in place OF
one OF his own most popular and devot-
ed adherents, . tlreless worker tor q
hated rival. 1t deprives him OF much
OF the prestige of his recent triumphs.
1t smites and humbles his towering pride.
The defeat, too. shows that in inviting
delay. his tactics were at fault; as was
his judgment in Understanding the
strength OF the enemy. He should have
known that to a purchaser time affords
opportunity to increase his purchases !;
and when. few days ago, he once had
victory within his reach, he should have
grasped it, and made sure Of the advan-
tage OF his own present strength. instead
of calculating on the continuance of his
enemy's weakness. The defeat shows
him to have been mistaken calculator (;
= maladroit manager.
But this is not all. Were it all, the
case would not he so bad for Mr. ConK-
ling. BY whose hand has Mr.. Conkling
fallenP BY what shame Is he covered?
He has fallen by tho hand into which
he himself put the knife to slsy the con-
stitution OF his country. He is buried
deep under the shame which be himself
signally aided in spreading over the
whole land
In a debate con these very custom
house appointments, few days ago.
Mr.. Conkling is reported to have spoken
of MIR. Hayes as 1.-THE so-called Presi
| dent" That means that in the opinion
OF MIR. Conkling MIR. Hayes is not law
fully President at all. 1t Mr.. Cunkliny
believes SO now, he believed so a great
while ago; he believed SO from the be-
ginning; he must have believed so when
| it lay entirely and unquestienably in his
| own power to prevent Mr.. Hayes from
| being placed in an office to which he had
| not been elected.
No obligation could be higher, none
| could be more imperative, than that
which rested on Mr.. Conkling to inter
pose his objections. when they would
| have been potent and effective, between
MIR. Hayes and the great office at which
he was clutching without constitutional
or lawful warrant. To the voice of his
country, to the voice of duty, at the su-
preme moment when the great question
wv
turned deaf ear. He was absent irsm
his post. or when present, hesitat on.
doubt. fear. or some misoalcuiated per-
sonal advantage. sealed his lips 1t is
only when he finds himself overw helmetl
in the common calamity in which he
helped to involve his country that he
cries out in paia about the o-called
President"
Honest and earnest patriots need waste
no sympathy over the defeat of public
servant who was unfaithful in the great
crisis. Mr.. COnkling has received his
deserts. That is all.
OF course the administration traded
patronage Tor votes, as other admins
trations have done before it. A pity it
may be. if no more exalted censidera-
tiou could prompt him to duty, that it
never occurred to Mr.. Conkling that if
he installed a robber in the white house,
his own pocket might one day be pick
cd. II Mr.. Conkling had thought of
this THAT man Hayes"-'.the so-called
President"-might never have been 20
called.