Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-03-09
THE BLAINE AND CONRLING
QUARREL

tween these two stalwart Radical
statesmen as follows:
'Last November money muzzlod the
suffrages, and pious Christian states
men did not blush at the task of brib
ing cities and citizens. There was
neither modesty nor concealmentin the
work OF corruption and terror. The
whole machinery Of the Republican
leaders was the purse and the lash
Enthusiasm was crushed, because the
Presidential candidate of the Republi.
cans was in position OF confessed
completely with wrong There was
no sentiment of love for the cause OF
the man. The double master motive
was the fear of the mass and the threat
of the master Every Northern State
had its slaye-driver over otliceholders
and oflicehunters. Every city had its
Republican boss. At the head Of these
satraps was Roscoe Conkling, of New
York. He proclaimed the plan Of pur,
chase. lie issued bis orders of insult
ing intimidation. No feudal chief was
ever more offensive, rude, and over.
bearing. As State Senator Woodin, oi
New York, said before the New York
Legislature 'You could only get on q
level with this oflensiye dictator by
means Of moral step ladder The
old leaders Of the past, the other new
leaders Of the present, were generally
gentlemen; courteous, refined, sympa.
thetio; such men us Clay, Silas Wright,
Breckenridge, Everett, Douglas, web
ster, Dallas, Cass, Seymour, Van Bu,
ren, and Dickinson. But this man toll
Grated nobody. He hated Blaine, Fen,
ton, and Garfield even after the latter
was nominated and made President
be hated him. He despised Ruther.
ford B. Hayes, Mr.. Evarts, the Secre,
tary of Stute, and John Shel man; not
only in manner, but in words The
habit Of his lie, bis contemptuous bear.
ing, insolence of tone, lofty sell.su,
Ipremacy, even the effort at politeness
was supercilious condescension. Such
was tho organ seli.appointed to deal
out bribes and threats. His status /:
proved by the fact that be has organ
lied against himself in Congress and
in his own State nearly all the cult
waited men of both parties. Most oI
the educated journalists in the city oi
New York and in the counties, includ
ing others Of the highest culture and
taste, regard him with disgust and
his position in Washington constantly
recalls the insolent superiority of Thos
II. Benton, in his dogmatic days, and
the bitter maledictions OF that carpina
rhersites, Tristram Burgess of Rhode
Island. He ls the most persistent and
unrelenting Of foes, and naturally more
malignant against those who fall un
der his displeasure in bis own party
Regarding all Republicans as bis slaves
he rs naturally most hostile when they
dare TO have an opinion of their own
The wonder grows that a man with
such iascinations to create hatred
should have succeeded in subordinat.
ing honest and manly spirits, and the
only solution OF bis success is that he
exciles fear by his savage threats and
sleepless prosecutions; and that he
forces obedience by keeping the vilest
and most corrupt influences at his con.
troll Conkling is the phenomenal ty-
rant of these lates times. He is an
anachronism. He belongs to the age
of the Spanish lnquisition and the We.
netion Council of Ten He ought to
have served in the ministry Of George
the Third against the Colonies, and
would have been capital confederate
in all but the battle.f field. Long ago,
fourteen years since, he marked out
James G.. Blaine for his scorn, and now
that Garfield has placed Blaine at the
head of his Cabinet, as If to mark his
defiance Of Conkling, we may look for
the latter's scorn Of the new President
as the outgoing President secured the
same resentment by refusing to obey
the same volunteer master On the
Both of April, 1866, Provost. General
James b. Fry, Mr.. Stanton's confiden-
tial officer, fell under the displeasure
of Lord Roscoe, and the persecution Of
General Fry reused the honest indig
nation, not only OF Stanton, but of most
of the Independent men in Congress.
Conkling was a member Of the House
at that time, and James G. Blaine one
of the representatives from Maine. In
censed at the bitter abuse of General
Fry by Conkling, Blaine came man.
fully to his rescue. lie charged that
Conkling was acting as the cruel per.
secutor Oft gallant soldier, and Charles
A. Dana, the Assistant Secretary Of
War under Stanton, and now the Re.
publican editor of the Democratic or
gan, the New York Sun, wrote manly
letter quoting the law against a mem.
Der of Congress acting as a prosecutor
OF public officer.
TO those who remember General
Fry, one Of the chiefs Of General Han.
cocks staff at Governors Island for
some years past, and particularly dur.
ing the last Presidential campaign, the
malignant course of Roscoe Conkling,
in 1866, against that amiable officer,
will come as new proof Of the intol-
erance OF the New York dictator This
IL the paeeacre nj arms hetw.en tho ixvo