Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-01-20


senatorial contest is interesting to
your readers on account of the peculiar
facts it Is bringing out concerning Mr..
Copkling, about whom there is always
curiosity. | was sitting yesterday
among group of gentlemen, always
presumably Conkling men, and after
awhile one of them, putting me under
promise of secrecy, and with the con-
sent of all the others, told me such
stories as follows:
''Mr. Conkling has been losing his
grip on his own lieutenants ever since
he made Cornell governor. He is
strong enough by a direct and positive
interference to name the senator from
New York; but it will probably be his
last triumph. The cares and disap-
pointm ents of overwork, of sensitive
and repellant nature, of halfa dozen to
a dozen personal antagonists, with
lawsuits and scandals, have made him
so testy, that the men around him III
private prefer to lick each others
wounds, and conclude that the old man
is wholly selfish. He has hardly Mt
this moment a warm, unquestiOnlng
friend. He has soured on everybody
IN New York state of his own circle
who went in heartily for Garfield's
election. Even George Gorham, who
has always been his friend received
lick from him because GOrham pre-
ferred the interests OF the party to Mr.
Conkling's pique, land established cord
ial relations with Garfield and took off
his Jacket to work for him. There has
been no rupture between them and
that was only because Gorham did not
desire to retort in kind.
Nearly every one of Mr.. Conkling's
close friends, who buckled to work for
Garfield at the opening of the cam
palgn, received messages or letters
from him that it was mistake, and to
pull out and let the Ohio crowd ac-
Complish their own salvation Among
the persons whom Conkling rubbed
hard was Gen. Arthur, who had desired
to be vice-president year before the
Chicago convention. Conkling called
him apart after Garfield had been nom
mated, and said This man Garfield
is another Hayes. We are going to
have the Hayes administration over
again. They are perfectly willing to
let us work for them, and, after they
succeed, will have no further use for
us. They would not mind compli-
menting us with the vice-presidency if
they could get 10000 votes that we of
the so-called machine have to give.
Arthur is said to have been quite mild
and deferential up to this time, but he
now calculated, You don't want me to
keep off the ticket, Senator, so as to
lose the 10000 votes you refer to, do
YOU? This was equivalent to saying:
Art thou Catline? Is treason your lit
tie game| Conkling also pitched into
persons who were influencing Arthur
20 take the nomination, asking them
what they had to do with the affairs Of
New York.
This peeyishness, apparently born
of diseased nervous system, has at
last tired out the fresher more gener-
Gus instincts of Conkling's supporters.
They perceive it is Of himself he is
thinking all the while, and not chiefly
of his interests, which they would glad
" permit, but of his resentments,
which are often without philosophy or
any digniiied motive, and which re-
.emble the behavior ofoa jealous wo-
man, spoiled by pride and indulgence.
Gen Arthur and Gov Cornell have
both, to certain extent, set up for
themselves, and mean to do their own
thinking, and not inquire of Mr.. Conk
Ing every day what he wants them
10 do. They are men of about his
own age, both conversant with affairs,
and in such daily intercourse with
many men as to respect the obsery-
ancea of life, while Mr.. Conkling
setting up for a genius, wants to square
the world by his moods. Petruchio
was not more willful in MS treatment
of the shrew than Conkling to his asso-
GATES Yet said my informant, "up
TO the present time it is wholly little
discord in the family, and we are all
trying to accommodate our disgusts to
harmony in the party. We want Conk-
ing to work in with the new admins
tration.'
But, / asked, did not Conkling go
INTO the battle and stump in the west
for Garfield"
Eyes; but he had to. There was no
other hope for him. He had done his
best to deter his friends from taking a
prominent hand in the campaign, and
when they all went over to Garfield he
had to follow"
Is there liable to be considerable of
a break in the New York party ma
chine?"
Probably not: but there will be
more independence in it. Just at this
moment the friends of Dick Crowley
...-. -. I'D. H.. L.. IL u