New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-11
BOLTERS AND THEIR PRETEXTS,

| This week will determine whether there
shall be forty political funerals in New-York
or only one. Out of lee Republican mem
| bers of the Legislature, 67 voted for one
| and SO for the other of the candidates
nominated at an untramelled and regularly
called caucus of the party. Some others
| have said that they would do so this
week, but there are also some others who are
| reported as intending to break faith with their
| associates. There are about forty members
| whose course is said to be in doubt The
| Republicans of this State have dispensed with
| the services of Mr. Conling. Among other good
reasons, one is his deliberate surrender of the
| United States Senate to the Democrats. Every
| Republican member who votes to defeat the
regularly nominated candidates of the Repub-
lean party will be guilty of precisely the same
| crime, and may be sure that the voters will
punish his treachery in the same way.
Ii the candidates nominated were in any
respect Objectionable it would still be a grave
question whether Republican member had any
right to set his personal objections against the
Judgment of two-thirds of the Republicans
so far as to keep the Democrats in
control OF the Senate. If no better oh
lection could be raised against either
OF the candidates, however, than was raised
against MIR. Depew, the people would be very
sure to condemn any boiling on such grounds.
| But 1t happens that neither Mr.. Lapham nor
| Mr.. Miller is open to objection neither of
| them has been an attorney for important
corporation, and no friend of either of them
has been falsely accused of an attempt to buy
votes for him. The candidates are men al
ready honorod by the sufirages of Republicans
| in their districts MIR. Miller had 3,7S9 ma
jonty when the same counties gave 3,7l3
majority for General Garfield and Mr.
Lapham had 3,174 majority when the
same counties gave $50 majority for
General Garfield. Their constituents, therefore,
! lndorse these men rs III every way worthy of
confidence, and two-thirds of the Republicans
voting in the Legislature have avowcd the
same opinion. He who bolts such candidates
convicts himself of deliberate treachery to the
| Republican party.
| The pretence that it is dangerous to choose
rs Senators persons who are now members
elect of the next Congress Is not worthy of
serious attention, and. with most of those who
resort to it, is contemplate cheat. For the
same members have been voting for Mr.
| Crowley, whose majority was only 1857
when the majority for General Garfield was
1913. Each of the candidates nominated
| has stronger Endorsement than Mr.. Crowley
| from the Republican voters, and there is
| greater certainty of the election of other Re-
| publicans in the districts of Messrs. Lapham
and Miller than in the district of Mr.. Crowley.
An act can be passed in an hours time to pro-
vide for special elections TO fill vacancies in
| Congress, whenever the Governor shall deem it
proper to order them, and there is no prospect that
an extra session of the House will be called so
that the seats be regularly and lawfully
| filled before Congress meets in December. In
| telligent Republicans will never forgive n
| bOlter for throwing away control of the Senate
| on so filinsy n pretext.
Some members who have professcd to be
active and earnest friends of Mr.. Wheeler are
taking course which his own manly and
patriotic conduct most kcenly rcbukcs. Mr.
Wheeler himself openly and most earnestly
| insisted that his name should in no way be so
used as to impair Republican unity or success.
How will he feel TO hear that any profcssed
| friends of his are boiling regular nominations
| and trying to keep the control of the Senate
| III Democratic hands, because IL majority in the
caucus preferred to nominate other candidates
How will it please a manly and honorable gentle
man like Mr. Wheeler to hear that men who pro-
| fessed to represent him, after going into eau
Gus and distinctly pledging themselves to abide
by its decision and vote for its candidates. are
now breaking that pledge because they could
not have the candidate of their preference ?
1t is hardly possible that Mr.. Wheeler will
leave the Legislature long in doubt az to his
| own wishes, or his opinion of such behavior.
The followers of Mr.. Conkling number thirty
one while sxty-seven Republicans voted, and
four or veabsentees are expected to vote, for Mr..
| Lapham. The contest can be terminated ut
| any time, when few of Mr.. C0nklngs fol-
lowers fit to respect the will of their con-
stituents and the decision of Republican caucus.
| Greater concessions have been made to them al
ready than they had any reason to ask They
are left without decent pretext for refusing
their votes to regularly nominated candidates.
| They must be aware that, whether or not
| they have had any excuse for their course
hitherto, the Republican voters will hold that
they now have no excuse. Their own action
will be quoted against them by voters who
may see fit to bolt if they should again be
nominated to any Office. 1t will be held against
them, as long as they attempt to have any
thing to do with politics, that they deliber-
| ately betrayed their party by giving the con-
| troll Of the Senate to the Democrats, if the
Legislature should fail to elect The RESPONSE
bility has been finally and definitely located.
| The men who do not want to bear it cannot
possibly gain anything by refusing their votes
to the regular Republican candidates a single
day longer.
|
| CIVIL SERVICE REFORM