The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-18
Some Things which had Better be
Let Alone.
springfield Union.

There is quite war of words just now over
some matters connected with the inside his
tory of the last Presidential campaign. Some
long letters from Washington, in the New
York Herald, have made, with great detail of
circumstances, the general charges that tho
Republican conference, held at New York,
last August, was suggested by Gen. Garfield,
and that promises or pledges made by him at
that time and later have been ignored or vio-
lated in the distribution OF offices. These let
tiers are credited to Senator Conkling, or at
least to his inspiration, but they place the
New York senator in SO unenviable position
as in intimating that his services in the last
campaign were bartered for promises of pat
ronage, that it is simply incredible that Mr..
Conkling should have taken this way of maxi
ing public what passed or is supposed to havs
passed between him and Gen. Garfield. Thorn
as NJ. Nichol who was Mr.. Garfelds private
secretary during the campaign, declares that
the New York conference was held at the sug.
gestion of Mr. Conkling and his friends, and
says that the principal object of that confer
ence was to insure Mr. Conklng's participa-
tian in the campaign. According to Mr..
Nichol, Gen. Garfield sent him on to New
York city to see what the situation was that
necessitated his presence there, and Mr.. Mich
oil says that he was told by Secretary Dorsey
that the desire was to arrange for meeting
between Gen. Garfield and Senator Conkling.
After consultation with Mr.. Dorsey and Gen.
McCook Mr.. Nichol returned to Mentor aud
reported in favor of Gen. Garfield attending
the conference proposed. AS to the promises
made or implied, there is of course no dis
guising the fact that Gen. Garfield was very
anxious to succeed in the campaign, and that
his earnest desire then. as it has been since
was to harmonic and conciliate all prominent
Republicans and their followings. Very likely
whatever he may have said in this regard was
assumed by those who heard it as meaning
moro than it really did, and it is very fair
presumption, taking Gen. Garfield as he is
and the pressing exigenc;es of the political
campaign as it stood last August, that intima-
tions which he meant to be general and repre-
sentative were understood as special and in
divdual.
But however that may have been, there is
nothing to be gained now by prominent Re-
publicans indicating that they favored Gen.
Garfelds election simply for the loaves and
fishes, and that they not only expected to have
loaves and fishes but to pick them out for them
selves Such talk Injuries the Republican party
very much more than it does the President, and
whoever takes the initiative in any course
which tends to disrupt the party Or belittle
the results of the last Presidential campaign
assumes a grave responsibility and will be
dealt with accordingly. Whatever may or
may not have been in the minds of individual
Republicans in the last campaign, that cam
paign was carried on and fought out on grand
underlying principles. Neither the President
nor the senators should forget that fact now,
and there is much more important work to do
for all concerned than to be INDUCING in Grim
nations and recriminations over alleged con-
ferences and promises while the campaign of
xuac M 1.al lao..
ed before the election last N ,veniber that the
great issue of the campaign was to reward one
set OF politicians and punish another set by re-
moving Collector Merritt to make a place for
Mr.. Robertson, there would have been very
much less hard work done by the rank and
file than there was