New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-22
CAN KELLY HOLD HIS MEN'

MAY FOLLOW TIIiDEN's NOMINATION.
,FroM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
SYRACUSE N. Y, April 21.-The most Important
consideration connected with the Democratic Con
yention addresses itself quite as much to kepuDh-
cans AZ to Democrats. 1t is the question whether
Aha Rennbliean party will not be confronted at the
mills in November with united Democracy IN spite
f Mr. RelIy's Cincinnati delegation and his eecto-
raj ticket Union is certain if Tilden is not nom-
mated ard no one can now safely predict that there
will not be what will practically amount TO union
if Tilden is nominated.
tits inst as evident that the action OF the ConVen-
tion has strengthened him before the party III ths
State as that it has in other STATES
His majority was the largest The has ever obtained
The platform embodies Tildenism from beginning TO
end. The delegation is soidy his, mot only under
the INIT rule but in practical effect 1t is CLAIMED
that there are only six positive antTilden men OH
the delegation, with four men on middle erOunu'
giving him sixty active supporters out OF the sew
enty delegates. This is great improvement OH
1870 when twenty-five votes were cast Tor Sey-
mour in the meeting of the delegation, and Senator
Herman in casting the vote of the State was cbged
To add that the number of delegates named would
have voted otherwise but for the unit rule In
1876 also, these twenty-five delegates constituted
a force of active workers against Tilden. They
went from delegation to delegation in formal EN-
basses declaring in set speeches that I1lden could
not carry New-YOrk, and using all their influence
inside of the Convention and outside, TO produce
this impression upon the public mind. This work
will be done this year only by the Tammany bolters
who have now no standing in the party-haVlhS
committed the great Democratic crime. Even one
of the anti Tlden speakers in the regular Conven-
ton yesterday, Judge Miller, OF Seneca, censured
Kelly by name and professed indignation that any
0ne should urge any of his actions as precedents
When even the menI whoSprobably sympathize in
secret with Kelly feel that public references to him
must take this tone his loss Of party standing is
complete.
Isay that e. ere will be no active opposition within
the delegation at Cincinnati, because prominent
Tiden men say that pledges to that effect have been
received. Ex-Mayor Poncher, of Oswego, who 10
the most prominent of the six hosties, is said to
have promised that he will give no trouble. The
six are XIXth District--W. H. Sawyer and W. B.
Cantwell; XXIVth District-W. A. POncher and l..
B. Clark; XXvIIth District-Frank Rice and o. G.
shear1nan There are other spots in the delegation
where anti-Tilden sentiment certainly exists, such
"a the Oneida District But such delegates are al
ready giving assurances that they will act In good
faith under the resolutions Of the Convention
Some ofthe Tllden men even claim that 1T u not
fair to count all the six delegates named as anti
Tilden men, declaring that some of them are some
what neutral. But 1t sufces to say that the dele
CATION viii not only vote as unit but act as unit
Even II this were not So the resolutions adopted by
the Convention would put it in the power of the
majority to expel any delegate whose behavior does
not suit them One clause Of these extraordinary
resolutions declares that any delegate may be ex-
pelled from the delegation who fails to cooperate"
with the majority. Cooperate" is conveniently
indefinite word, and might be made very broad or
very narrow, as the majority chose.
All this must have powerful effect, not only upon
the result at Cincinnati but upon the campaign In
this State, If Tilden should be nominated. The
party organization is firmly in his hands until the
Fall of 1881 There are only three anti-Tilden men
on the State Committee out Of y-three-Messrs
Scramling Averill and Poncher, and the latter
seems already to be looked upon as friendly. The
Tammany men can hope for nothing from the party
80 long as they remain In their present attitude,
and it becomes practical question, therefore, how
long they arc likely to hold it Outwardly they
show brave faces of course, and they may mean all
they say. They showed last November that they
meant all they said in September. But their stua-
ton is much worse than it was then. Many OF the
anti-Tammany delegates represent their Tammany
friends as being in real detection. Privately many
of them are said to feel that the separate convention
was gross mistake Mr.. Kelly persisted in the
idea In spite, 1t is said, of much opposition. Ex-
Canal Commissioner w. W. Wright is stated to
have spent two hours in an attempt to persuade
him out Of 1t, and even Grady, who owes to Mr..
Kelly most of the silver his tongue has brought
him, argued against it. The course urged upon him
was to elect delegation to the State Convention,
and claim the NewYork seats on the ground of reg
uaty as derived from last years organizations pre-
lminary to the Conventions. But calling q separate
Convention. selecting q separate delegation, and
even nominating separate electOralSticket with
out waiting until the Cincinnati Convention had
nominated Tilden, puts Tammany much further
outside the partytoo far outside eye to get back.
rs an organization, except by complete surrender
The anti -Tainmany leaders predict that Tammany
will indorse Tilden within fOrty-eight hours if
nominated.
But if Mr. Kelly should attempt to hold his men
back can he do itf That Is the important question
which the overwhelming Tilden victory here brings
homo to such Republicans as arc relying too much
upon the Democratic division for success next Fall
It win take good deal of courage to oppose Dem
ocratic Presidential candidate who may have Gus
tom Houses to give away Last Fall Tammany had
atangible grievance against Robinson but 1t is not
atangible grievance against Tilden, who was merely
suspected Of connection with it. The grievance Is
purely local. The Cincinnati Convention will
hardly listen to orations about the unjust removal
of County Clerk. BY next Fall good many Tam
many men will care more for the possible piekings
Of the future than the lost pic kings of the past and
even the Vindication of tho interminabe Gumbleton
may have become q matter on minor Importance
There is grave question of local patronage in
yolved also. IL Anti i-TammaRy should get another
MayOr-which the members OF the organization
declare As possible, at least-Tammany's power
might be vastly reduced These arg some OF the ar
guInents used here to chow that John Kelly cannot
keep his nein opposition to the regularly nominated
candidate foR the Presidency. The campaign of
1850 Is cited as an example OF the force of regularity
when 90 popular man % James =. Brady running
for Goyernor as Breckinrdge Democrat. received
only 1851 votes, The comparison is not fair
a0ne however for reasons too numerous to mention
+ Eno5lgh has been said perhaps, to suggest to Re-