Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-13
THE poL1rrcAL SITUATION m NEW YORK.

opinions as to the outcome. The Repub-
lican party is in very uncertain condition.
The death of President Garfield has re.
stored hope to the stalwarts, /" and these
people are never content with anything
less than absolute control of the organiza-
ton. They submitted at the late Conven-
ton to take the second place, simply be-
cause they could not help themselves.
But they have been breathing threatenings
and slaughter ever since Conkling was
foiled in his effort at vindication, and
though they are ostensibly reconciled, none
who know them believe that they have
abandoned their revengeful purposes.
They believe that their best policy is to
help the Democrats to a victory in the
State. 1t is said that the most intimate
friends of President Arthur wish New
York to go Democratic, because they think
such an event would be accepted as an
awful warning of the evils certain to fol-
low any attempt TO do without the aid of
the 90 stalwarts." These politicians desire
to make Arthur's administration COM
pletely stalwart," but they want an
excuse for reversing Garfeld's programme,
and they believe that Democratic victory
in New York would furnish it. OF course
it is not intended that the Republican
"stalwarts" shall retire openly from the
fight. The intention is for them to affect
to take part in it, but at the same time to
do nothing that could help the party.
They are in short to make-believe until
after the election, and then to confess
frankly that they could not find it in their
hearts to assist in bringing about a shalt
breed" success.
The idea that the " stalwarts" will bear
no malice for the series of rebukes admin
istered to them during the past summer,
and that they will relinquish the purpose
of paying off their debts of vengeance
just when their side has come to the top
again through the change in the Admins
tration, is incompatible with any intelli-
gent theory of their character and tenden-
cies. It is popularity of this class of
politicians that they can never persuade
themselves that they have been in the
wrong, or even admit that anyone who op.
poses them is in the right. They are, how.
ever, shrewd enough to see that they must
be dm Cesar aW nutIus that there is no
reason for their existence in secondary
role. And it is because of this conviction
that they contemplate the present handing
over of New York State to the Democrats
with perfect placidity. Had their op-
ponents proposed such policy, the stall
warts would have been furious, but as
the policy is their own, they can see no
inconsistency in it. What they want is to
convince the country that the Republican
party cannot do without them, and there.
fore that they must be allowed to have
their own way. And there can be no doubt
that the Democrats would be perfectly
willing to assist them in their treacherous
design, but for the fact that the Democrats
themselves happen to be in good deal of
trouble just now, and are consequently not
at all sure of their own ability.
For the Democratic camp is rent asun-
der by gigantic effort to throw off the
shackles of Tammany Hall. John Kelly,
the representative of the latter interest,
has been manifestly driven into strait,
and in desperate endeavor to save the
situation has solemnly posed as an anti
monopoly champion. The sight Of this
Tammany chief hebnobbing with Messrs.
Thurber, Fred Conkling, ct al, and de-
nouncing vengeance upon the monopolies at
public meeting, must have been almost
unique. 1t was SO droll spectacle that it
could only have been possible as forlorn
hope. Kelly thought that by taking up
the cant of the anti-monopolists he might
be able to secure a diversion for Tam
many. So far, however, his experiment
seems to have failed entirely. Everybody
laughs at his appearance in the new role,
as the best joke of the season. Nobody
thinks the movement has serious side to
it. And following close on the heels of
this, the Democratic State Convention has
excluded the Tammany delegation, thus
practically reading John Kelly out of the
party. 1t will be seen from this that the
situations of the two parties are curiously
alike, and that there is on either side a
strong faction which seeks to compass the
defeat of the organization.
John Kelly says that Tammany can cast
fifty thousand votes, and that none of them
shall be cast for the ticket of Convention
which has had the bad taste to put him
and his friends on the wrong side of the
door. His estimate of the voting strength
of Tammany may be open to revision, or
he may have had in mind the somewhat
singular methods by which Democratic
majorities have been hitherto obtained in
New York city. But there is no doubt
that Tammany is formidable power, and
that if its weight is thrown against the
State ticket of the Democratic party, the
result must be problematical. And 30 it
appears that while the Republican stall.
warts desire the defeat of their party, the
Democratic Tammanyites are equally dis
affected towards their organization. Both
the parties, in fact, are heavily handi-
c spped, and in neither is there any proba-
bill 'ty of a reconciliation being reached
befol e the election. Kelly is fighting for
power and plumber, and knows that it is
his last chance. The "stalwarts think
it indispe usable that their party should be
beaten. in order to show their Importance.
And thus he New York fight assumes a
singular and Itogether perplexing aspect,
and the widest aad most experienced poll
tician can do no more than guess at the
outcome. 1t dept uds principally upon the
question whether the stalwarts and
Tammany will neutl ,sl;ze one another, or
to what extent they W. II do SO. But it is
=" anybody's race" at present, and it
threatens to remain SO u. ss5l the close of
the polls.
THE NEW YORK VIE.