New-York tribune., 1880-06-23
THEY HdYE CONDONED IT.

They seem to be, as Rip would say, pretty
much all the same kind of fellows 1t can
hardly be that they prefer to have the world re-
minded every five minutes of the great con-
spiracy to buy the PTeSidcncy-wc beg MIR. Ill
denis pardon, to "ransOm it-in 1876. The
Truth probably is that, not being in the least
ashamed of the plot themselves they do not
realize how it looks to the rest of mankind, and
they see no particular reason therefore to keep
the ciphercrs and such people in the back
ground When the New York delegation met
on Monday evening to make arrangements for
disposlng of Mr.. Tdens mortgage, 1t was
Smith NJ. Weed who presented the subject Of
debate and made the principal address, the
purpOrt of which was that New-YOrk ought to
he spry, or else some other State would con-
trve to memo the successful candidate, and so
establish the first claim upon him in case of his
election. Smith NJ. Weed also received the
honor Of an appointment as New YOrk's repre-
sentative in the Committee on Credentials. Yet
if there we're any sense of decency IN the Demo
cratic party, Weed could never sit in Demo
cratic Convention, after his appearance before
the Cipher Committee. He is an avowed c0rrup-
zionist. lie has made public Acknowledgement
that he offered brbes to State CanvJSscls; lie
has declared that he did all he could to buy the
chief magistracy for his employer; that he is
rather proud of his conduct that he would DO
the same thing again if he had chance. He
does not shock his party in the least. Appar-
emily he is regarded rs an excellent type of
useful working politician; and now, when the
National Convention meets again 10 arrange
new campaign, he is cordially received as enc
of the most conspicuous mcmbers. AObOdy at
Cincinnati appears to think that his transIc-
tions with Peton and Hardy Solomon werc at
all to his discrcdt.
They are pretty much all tho same kind "f
fellows. They were neither disgustcd nor
amused when Mr. TIldcn attributed the failure
OF his canvass to virtuOus refusal to
"ransom " the Presidency; on the contrary, they
called his letter the nbcst paper that ever
"came from the hand of man." Aud now, to en-
phasiZe their lack of mOIal sense, hey OIHn the
Convention by studiOusly icviving that
chapter of the cipher conspiracy i'll which the
term ransom cannot be supposed by the most
credulous of Democrats to have any Place.
Judge Hoadley, who was set up on exhibition
as temporary chairman is identified with the
rlsc llity in Oregon. He furnished, after an
extensive correspondence with Colonel PctOn,
the opinion upon which Governor Grover acted
in starting the Cronin Electoral College. He
published pamphlet in defence of that fraud
ulcnt organization. lie went before the Elec-
toral Commission, and argued for judgment III
favor of that scandalOus device for setting
aside the undoubtcd will of the people of
Oregon. Judge IIoadlry was employed as
counscl-for Tildcn. for Grover. for CrOnin, for
Pclton-he best can tell who his clicnS was. 1t
is not our purpose to inquire how far his pro-
fessiona duty in such n case should have al
lowed him to go But he cannot be chosen for
a position of prominence in n Democratic
National Convention without reviv!ng tho
rccoIections of this affair, and arOusing the in
ouiry whether the Democratic party il likely to
try such q trick again.
Clearly, if the gentlemen now assembled at
Cincinnati ever were displcased at the cipher
plot. they have entirely cOndOned it and we
see no reason to believe that they arc at all
concerned about the practical destruction of
selections by the people," which Mr.. Tilden
drcods as thr proximatc result of leniency with
fraud.