New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-14
ENn OF A nEITSION.

TIE SENATE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THAT
MR. GARFIELD WILL BE PREsIDENT-A VOTE IN
TIE CASE or JUDGE ROBERTSON PROBABLY 10
BE TAKEN N A FEW DAYS.
rBY TELEGRAPH To TIE TRIRUNE.l
WASHINGTON, May I3.-Thc Republican Senators
still hesitate squarey 90 face the issue which they
have been trying to dodge for nearly two months of
whether General Garfield Senator Conkling is
President in the State Of New-York. An encourag
ing feature of the situation however. is that there
are few now who imagine that the President can bc
persuaded, if crowded hard enough and long enough
to release them from their dilemma by himself
deciding the question in favor of Conkling
That delusOn, which has hung over the Senate
Chamber like fog shutting ont or dstorinG all
sights and sounds from the world of healthiui
manly political influences outside. Is fast vanishing
There the slightest cause for It's existence
The President has not wavered a moment rs L" ms
duty He has believed from the beginning OF
the controversy that the moral and political
strength of his Administration depended upon
his standing firmly upon his right 10
nominate the man of his choice for the
second financial Office under the Government with
ont regard 10 Senatorial courtesy or 20 the
threats, denuncatons and Interpretations oi
Mr. Conkling He has expressed this view canddy
and explicitly to every Senator who has called upon
him And yet up 10 within two days majority ot
the Republican Senators huggcd the belief that the
contest would he "harmonled' in some way II
they put off bringing it TO vote long enough None
OF them could suggest any way of harmoni/ng 1t
other than for the President 10 withdraw Robert
sons name and thus surrender all De has been con-
tending for None of them made any efforts 10 per
suade Mr. Conkling 10 yield. When asked If they
did not think il would be the becoming thing for
him to show some signs of willingness 10 treat the
Presidents nomination with respect, they admitted
that il would be, but said ne would not do it-oh
no he would not do II There was no use OF
| asking him. He would not talk of any COM
promise that did not begin by the withdrawal OF
Robertson. That is to say, he would entertain no
proposition short Of full surrender of the President
at discretion. Conkling was terrible fellow they
said and if he were beaten he would never get over
being mad and would begin 20 smash The party up
right away Not only would hc throw Now-Yofk into
the hands of the Democrats next fall but hc would
rally the old Grant faction in other states and play
the Inisoisisf with the RepRhlI0aR Organization al
| through the country So these terrified triminers
talked not thinking that thcv were all the uu" put
ting themselves in the attitude Of towards ho did
not dare take hold OF the big bully OF the senate ad
make him behave himself.
Sometimes in the conversations i'm the cloak rooms
of the Senate Chamber a Senator who did NOT Shows
the prevailing decentralization would suggest 20 the
| trnlmers that CouAlng would not bee likely to
| scuttle the ship IN which he WAS himself embarked
with all his political fortune; but they would reply
! "O Oh YES ne would YOU don't know him. This D.
! personal matter with him. II this aiirout is put
upon him he Will have his rcveuge.' And then they
would saw with sigh and q solemn countcuanc':
"If the President would only see The danger We dIe
| in and fix the matter up hamOnou~ly.
| But the President Will not ia 10 up. ahd pretty
] much all of the Senators who have hccn carrying
water on both shoulders are convinced hy tins time
| bv pcrsona interviews with him That his backbone
| is rit1d. so they must face the music Of direct
! vote and they begin 10 think that the sooner the
! agony is over the better. Most Of the tnmmrr-,
| prrh9ps all Of them, viii vote 10 confirm
Robertson partly from fear Of the people who are
| almost unanimously the side of the President.
| partly from "A conviction that If one or the other
must be beaten il is better for the party that n
| should be COnkng than the President. Only the
| handful of men who have been from the first Mr..
| COnkiugs avOwed partisans will be likely 10 stand
| nv him when the vote cOmes-siX or seven Rcpub-
| licans and less than a dozen Democrats viii make
up his entire force. ,,
| Perhaps he will not rally them al all. Thisis
suggested today at the Capitol Perhaps he viii be
| obse,,t on "important law business when the
| Robertson nomination il taken up Perhaps. II IN
his scat he will only hold his nose and 60 into the
! cloak room and his followers viii permit vote Of
| confirmation 10 pass without opposition. Every one
now looks for a q rect vote by The middle Of next
| week II will probably be preceded by a motion 10
nostpone the consideration of RObert6on's nOInlna
tion until December and this will IN reality be the
| test question.