Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-05-19
The ResiG nations.

Roscoe Conklng the distinguished
Senator from New York. in connec-
ton with annex Senator Platt, on
Monday laid their commissions a. SEN
ators upon the Vice Presidents table
and resigned their seats in Senate of
the United States. This is a strange
and startling act. For the first time
in the history Of our government two
Senators of the United States. dclibcr-
ately throw down the gauntlet and
challenge the executive branch to bat
tie with the legislative. Mr.. Conkling
has had little difficulty with Presi-
dent Garfield in relation to the fcdcr-
al appointments in New York. The
most obnoxious Of those appointments
was that of Judge Robertson to be
collector of the Port Of New York
City. Judge Robertson, who led the
Blaine forces at the Chicago conven-
ton and j. the chief friend of the
plumcd knight, took occasion TO tell
the lordly Roscoe upon one occa-
sion that he was liar. Senator Conk-
ling wouldn't have cared if Judge
Robertson had come to him and told
him this quietly, but the Judge took
the entire convention into hi. conf
dencc aud therefore the curlcd and
exquisite darling of New York,
took umbrage. Finding that he could
not scare the administration into with
drawing Judge Robertson's nomina.
ton, Mr.. Conkling put Senator Platt
in his pocket aud withdrew. The
resignation of these two gentlemen
leaves the Senate democratic. When
the men who started out so valiantly
10 make Gorham and Mahone's man
Riddlebcrger officers Of the Senate,
who strained the constitution to en-
compass a majority with the vote OF
the Vice Pre- sident who shamclcssly
and in open market bought Dem
ocratic apostaie with the promise Of
the good thing that would lay in rich
profusion on the table of patronage,
glance around the Senate chamber
and see after these months Of defiant
battle, a Demo cratic majority and
that by the desert ion of the only great
leader they have in their party, ihey
must inevitably feel that they are un-
fit for the positions they 50 feebly try
TO fill. The lovely Dawes who is wab-
hing around in Senator Summers
chair must feel very lonely, now that
there is no longer any necessity for
him TO make his monotonous motion
to proceed to the election of Senate
officers. Instead of that the Repub-
lican caucus mildly and obsequiously
inform the Democrats that they shall
elect President pro temporo and
they will not object. "To this com
plexion have we come at last" This
is the end of the mighty struggle to
break the Solid South. This is the
melancholy end of our osyn Senator's
magnificent crusade in favor of "a
free ballot and fair count" To
Conkling and Platt the country will
gladly say farewell, and if a few more
of the great men of that kind who in-
sist on serving their country would do
likewise the feeling of relief would be
intensified. They hope of course to
be reelected and returned in order TO
be vindicated. If there il any man
on the face of the habitable globe who
needs vindication, that man is Roscoe
Conkling. His private life il scan.
dial and disgrace, while his public life
represents NIL this is vicious and bad
in the administration of our affairs.
our Republican friends do NOT ex-