The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-05-21
CONKLING'S COUP D'ETdr.

ment.
!
CONKLING'S COUP D'ETLr.
Diverse Views about tho Right and the
! Wisdom Of the Great sonsntlon.
A sTALwART EDITOR SPEAKS.
Mr.. Hastings, Of tho Commercial
Advertiser, in lengthy interview cx-
pressed an admiration for Conkling,
but thought he had little regard for
policy. He never beats about the
bush and never swerves from what he
believes to be right. 1t would be as
impossible for him to be sycophant
as to become a Mongolian or an Ati,i-
can. He never could be induced to
write letter 10 My Dear Hubbell' to
secure favor from 4 third party if
twenty presidential terms hung in the
balance. lie hps none ofthe Juggling
subscrviency Of the average placeman
or so.callcd statesman.
Like the true knight III the days Of
chivalry he throws down tho gage Of
battle which he might easily have with
held, and rides into tho liz : re :dy to
| prove at the risk Of his political life
| 1
regard the designations as an act Of
Senators were elected, aid Of generos-
ty to the President, who may have
boon honestly deceived as to the scnti-
ments, wishes and interests ofthe New
York Republicans"
"You have known Senator Conk-
ling a long time, have You not, Mr..
Hastings" .'>
~ have known him, boy and man,
for over thirty years."
.''Then You are familiar with hia pe-
culiarities Of character"
II am. He has been accused Of
pride aud liahteur.' There is some
foundation for this. charge, but the
characteristics are peculiar tothc fami-
ly. His father was proud, reserved
man. His brother, Aurelian, a strong
Democrat, by the way, was the haughti-
est Of tho race. Col. Frederick A.
Conkling Is not behind hand IN those
qualities. But dignity and self.rcspect
are not generally regarded as faults,
and probably It would be better if they
charaoI Ierized more Of our public Off.
cinls than they do. Senator Conkllng
Is not what may be termed stuck
up person. Indeed, he is genial and
sociable ina marked degree, among
those who enjoy his personal friend
ship, and he Is distinguished for bold
hess, frankncss and manly bearing.
He added that the manner Of Robert
sons nomination was All insult to the
whole party, and the trouble all grew
out OF Gariield's bad faith, and cx-
pressed a codviction that the Lcgisla-
ture should rc.elcct the Senators at
once.
AN OLD GUARDS VIEWS.
On the other hand Thurlow Weed,
the old Republican war horse, crti-
cised Conkllng freely. He said: IL
was stunned when the news was first
wired to me, and l could not believe
that 1t was authentic. I knew that
Mr. Conkling was impctuous and per-
haps n little apt to give way to i'll tenn
per, but was unable to persuade N.Y.
self that he could havo committed so
unwise and, as am inclined to regard
1t, so fatal an act as to resign his scat
In the Senate Of the United States for
"lt is said that Mr.. ConklinH wants
I publican party as represented Mt AL
MIR. Robertson. But the Legislature,
having already unanimously indorsed
Mr.. Robertson, would stultitv itself by
now indorsing Mr.. Conkling. What
would its Judgment in such an event
be worth, and who is to tell whether
F it faithfully represented the Rcpubli.
cans Of the State at the time it imdors.
ed Mr.. Robertson or at the time when
it should do so, it indorses Mr.
Conkling" With MIR. Conkling IN
appeal 10 the Legislature looks q little
like bombast and sensational policy
With Mr.. Plat. who has only recently
been elected by the very Senate and
Assembly to which he now appeals,
4 is simply farcical and ridiculous.
J.. can sec no justification for m act
whicll puts the Legislature into q need.
lcssly embarrassing position and forces
them into a controversy against their
will"
J "Do you think the Legislature will
return the two resignilig ScnatorsY' ,
81 know so\littlc of the. members
that I "cally am not in positioii to
offer an opinion as TO what their action
} Is likely to be. can only say that il
. men arc now like they were when we
were in Albany, and are nctuatcd By
the same feelings and principles,
the Legislature would be certain moi
to re.elect either Mr.. Conkling or M.
j Platt. They would resent their ulr
necessary and nmcallcd for resignation
and would put less quarrclsome Re
publicans In their places" =:
"Wou)d you regard their rcicctio,
as just punishment, Mr.. Wccd?' :,
THE DEMOCRATS OPPORTUNITY. ="
81 certainly regard the resignation
t Of these gentlemen at this tine as an