The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-07-30
a ddress by tf,e Democrats of the
New Work Legislatures, 10
the Citizens Of the state Of
New York Upon the Re.
suit of the Albany
Contest.

ic members of the Legislature, by
their joint caucus committee, have
issued an address to the Democratic
citizens of the State of New York,
and to the citizens of the State, with
out distinction of party. The adj
dress says:
Discords and quarrels in the Re-
publican majority have separated us
from our homes and business for
nearly two hundred days. The chief
cause of this uncalled for detention
was quarrel with the President of
the United States on one side and the
Vice President and two Senators on
the other side. The source of this
discord was the question of official
patronage or spoils of office. The
Collector of the Port Of New York
was forced to resign in the midst of
his term, from the place where he
was serving with general acceptance
to the public and appointed to place
abroad, uncalled for by his friends
or by the public, in which he has no
experience. This change, against
which the merchants of New York
protest in large numbers, was made
in total disregard of every announc-
ed principal of civil service reform,
and was not called for by any prin-
ciple of political duty, nor in the in
terest Of the public service. The
purpose of the act seemed to be to
reward those who had been person
ally successful in securing the Presi
Dental nomination, and to punish
those who had resisted the leading
member and the members of the Ma
tional Republican Convention, claim
ing the right of third term of ex
ecutive service for previous Presi-
dency. The unseemly quarrel at
Chicago in the summer of 1880 was
transferred to Washington after the
Presidential election at the close of
the same year. The same strife has
been continued with more bitterness
at Albany through the whole ssof the
present session of the Legislature.
1t commenced with great yehemence
at the Senatorial election in January,
where a third-class candidate was
nominated and elected over first-class
competitors for the first office in the
gift of the Legislature, and hardly
second to any office in the gift of the
people of the State. The office then
filed after great strife, was vacated
by voluntary resignation, and when
it had only been held for less than
one fourth of the first year Of the
full six years Constitutional term of
Office. The man who inspired this
resignation was the senior Senator of
the State, who had been for three
terms elected to The United States
Senate by one party of the State,
whose longer service will new be re-
fused, and simply owing to the fact
of the nomination to the Sen ate of
one of the chief offenders who had
opposed his ambition and wishes at
Chicago and elsewhere. The useless
| resignation Of these two men have
cost the State not only large amount
of money, but, what is more valua-
bic, its honor, dignity and self-re-
spect. The two factions, known by
the vulgar, bnt expressive names OF
"Stalwarts' and "Half Breeds" have
governed the Senate and Assembly
of the republican party and State
through the whole session. The
Democratic members have many
times asked and demanded an appeal
to the people, but by force of num-
bers, in defiance of public opinion,
and in denial of the opportunity Of
timely public Judgment upon the fact
of leaving the State without its Con-
stitutional representatives in the
higher branch of Congress, the re-
publican majority refused to leave the
choice of succession to the people of
the State. These demands by the
Democratic minority that an appeal
should be made to the people, were
met by the insulting declaration
that the possible choice of Demo
cratic Senators in Congress would be
a public calamity to the State, and
this after electing Thomas C. Platt
as the successor Of Francis Herman,
and after following this succession
with the choice of a man named War
ner Miller, a member of the present
and previous House of Representa-
tives, where he was only conspicuous
and notori Gus as the direct and per-
sonal beneficiary of one Of the worst
monopolies in the country, and where
he has supported that monopoly by
voice and influence, and with the
threat that other public interests
should suffer if his special interests
in wood pulp and the manufacture
of paper were not protected. Most
distinguished and capable men of the
dominant party, not in place, apart
from Conkling, but including men like
Fish, Wheeler, Curtis, Rogers and
others, who have served the state with
ability, have had to give place to the
two men elected to Congress, and
their nomination made an excuse for
passing law to fill the vacancies
made by their election and for no
other reason.
These special elections thus pro-
voked will be as untimely as they
are unnecessary and expensive. The