The Republican journal., 1881-06-02
Conklingism VS.. Republicanism.

CO ldI Hull IL lllJullllS luo NcpuDllCdI
party, as few Republicans have feared,
and asther opponents hope, it will prove
positive benefit. The Republican party
in New York will be stronger without
Conkling than with him and even should
he succeed in securing a re- election he
will be shorn of his strength and cease to
be an important factor in political affairs.
| The people are on the side of the Admin
istration in this contest against bossism
End the aggressions of the Senate upon
| the constitutional prerogatiyes Of the
| President "The aggressons of the Sen
ate saysa contemporary, "haye become
one of the chronic evils of this country,
and the more conspicuous the act which
brings the public to consider them, the
shorter will be the license granted the
Senate. The whole genius of Anglo-SaX-
on government rallies about the EXecu-
tive. Notwithstanding the growth of the
Commons in England, they have adhered
to the Monarchical feature as containing
the idea Of permanencc and stability.
| Parliaments die and are dissolved: but
the Queen sits forever, and from her body
is born the Sovereign to come. Here we
use the name of the people but the yisi
| bic representative OF that people is the
President, whom all the people elect, and
hn,. n
save the Vice President" Conkling fur
nished the conspicuous act" when he
undertook to establish, on the basis of
senatorial courtesy" the principle that
single Senator may prevent action on a
nomination sent to that body by the Pres
ident He builded wiser than he knew;
and for this, and his subsequent resgna-
ton, the country, and the party OF which
| he has proved so recreant member,
should feel grateful. There would per
haps be cause for complaint because of
his 50 soon eating his own words ard de
handing a reflections but the humila-
ton is all his own, and it is satisfactory
to know that he has dug his political
grave with his own hands. He has help
ed to drive better men than himself from
the Republican ranks, and the party has
survived. 1t will not feel the loss of a
Conkling other than in the sense of a pos
tive gain
Mr.. Conkling's friends have laid great
stress upon what they term his command
ing abilities They have profanely called
him the Webster Of the Senate. That he
has intellectual power is not denied but
he has rarely manifested it. In all the
years he has sat in Congress he has never
been the author of any large or useful
measure. He figures in the records solely
as perverted, quarrelsome, opinionated
man, whose only aim has seemed to be
to secure and control the spoils. He
quarreled with President Hayes for four
years, and had laid out the same course
toward the present Administration but
in President Garfield he found a different
kind of an opponent, and so has tried to
drag the great State of New York into a
warfare OF his own, waged for his own
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We much mis-
take the temper of tie New York Repub-
licans if they become party to any such
schemes.
TO understand Conkling's attitude for
the past four or five years it is necessary
to go back little. When he was elect
ed Senator in 1866, he was regarded as Il
bright and promising young man with re-
form tendencies When President Grant
came in he gave over unreservedly the
whole patronage of New York to Senator
COnkling. This was enough to turn the
head OF almost any man and it turned
the head Of Conkling completely. Con
trolling absolutely all the Federal APP
polntments in the Empire State he weld
ed an influence only exceeded by that
OF the President. How he welded it
need not be told now He ruled with a
rod of iron. Those who dared to dispute
his will he crushed or drove out of the
party. The offices were filled with crea-
lures OF his own, who obsequiously did his
bidding. There are said to be about
three thousand appointments under the
Governor of New York, and perhaps six
thousand more under the Federal and
local administrations of Conkling's ma
chine. 1t was the control of these offices
and office holders which gave Conkling
his supremacy, and not his abilities as a
statesman. Shorn of this control he is
Invested of all power or influence. His
quarrel with President Hayes grew out of
the appointment of an anti Conkling Re-
publican to the Collectorship of New
York, and the displacing Of a Conkling
man. Why did not Conkling resign then
He would have had better reason for
doing SO than now, for Collector Merritt
is no more friendly toward Conkling than
Judge Robertson.
1t is evident now that Mr. Conkling
has shaped his conduct during the past
six months with view to securing the
absolute control of the New York patron
age under President Garfield that he had
exercised under President Grant His
allies and henchmen have endeavored to
make it appear that the Republican cause
was lost until he was induced to enter
the campaign; and they are claiming
now that but for Conkling New York
could not have been carried for Garfield
This is not true; and writer who does
not stop to coin smooth phrases says Of