New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-10-09

lfR. CONRLING on CAMPAIGN ISSUES
Mr. Conklng Is always heard with interest
This year the occasion gives even greater
weight than usual to his opening speech. II
may have been supposed 10y some that the
Senator would find opportunity in this speech
10 cliticise those Republicans who have not
agreed with nina. On Che contrary, his OPEN
lng sentences appropriately contrast the prac-
teal uuanimity of the Republican party in
" the presence OF an urgent duty" with the
position Of the Democratic party. lie wastes
40 time in referring to those political sore
beads who propose to help the Democratic
candidate because they were not asked 10
dictate the Republican nomination, and the
brief mention OF the fact that the parry of
LOYALTY and public honor is virtually united,
IL perhaps the severest possible treatment of
their plotcnsions. The Senator deals only with
the grave and serious business of the contest,
and treats the main question with great force
of statement and of reasoning.
At the outset he brushes away the flimsy
pretence of Governor Robinson, that the pco-
pie are to be principally engaged this year in
deciding upon State issues and the merits of
his administration. There is contemptuouS
tone in the reference 20 this pretcncc which the
Governor merits the more because lac has So
shameleSsly prostiiutcd his official position, as
the Chief Executive of the State, to serve The
most unworthy and discreditable uses of
faction in National politics. The main qucs-
ton of the campaign Mr.. Conlllmg holds 10
be this: How much and how little WAS set
" tied aud achieved by the war , 1t has be-
come rather the fashion to put the matter in
some other way, and men who look back to
the war rs a startng-pont are often lidculed
AS waving the bloody shirt" But ii is time
for the North to look back to the issues OF the
war. when the South has been made solid by
crushing out every man or set OF men who
will not take the standpoint of the Rebellion
as the beginning of all political action.
Every voter ought to read this argument of
Senator Conkling. Ii is not too much TO say
that if every voter could read it and would.
the result of the election would need 10 fur
Their anxiety. The fault of the speech is that
it does not enlist the attention or address it
self TO the Judgment of those who regard the
whole contest from point of view different
from that of the Senator. It's merit is that,
within the scope which he has marked out
for himself, the Senator has treated the ques-
tions at issue with remarkable power. To HIM,
the contest involves everything for which
" the war was fought. except African slavery
" by name.n The desperate effort of the South
TO grasp control at the next election is well
explained by showing that the Southern
States after the next census will be de-
pllvcd of portion of the power which the
solid South has unlawfully secured, because il
really denies every political right to those whose
theoretical possession of political rights
gives il large share of its power in
Congress and in the Electoral Colleges. The
North has but one recOurse-tO meet this new
ana dangerous assault at the ballot-box with
intelligence and firmncss.
Mr. Conkng shows that the repudiating
tendency of the South. which is shown in
dealing with the honor Of the States, although
the States are regarded as more sacred than
the Union, would be given fun rein in deal
ing with National debt which was created
in The suppression of Il Southern rebellion.
He shows. too. that the same outrageous
pretcnsion of State Rights which threat
ened the Union III the time of jackson,
and attacked 1t in the time of Lincoln, now
seeks 10 undermine and destroy it by the
revolutionary measures adopted by the Demo-
clats in Congress. The review of Democratic
action at the regular session, ana afterWard
AT the extra session, is forcible and complete,
and il is properly connected with the recent
shameless attempt to get control OF the Police
Board and election officers in this city, so that
the capture Of tbirty-five electoral votes by
fraud may be facilitated. With good reason,
Mr.. Conkling maintains that the Federal Elec-
ton law has not been terror to one honest
voter, and has only contributed to give to this
great city measurable fairness in elections.
instead of the cheating which prevailed when
Mr.. Tilden was Chairman of the Democratic
State Committee, and when no Federal Election
law existed.
Mr.. Conkling only refers briefly to the pc
culiar ideas entertained by those who follow
Mr.. Lewis INTO the Greenback camp. 1t will
certainly be mistake if other speakers do not
pay more attention to that phase of the can