Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1881-05-30
TWO VIEWS OF coNKLING.

NOW that Conkhng Is begging Tor q V1ndI-
| cation and a recognition of his great servi-
ces to the State of New York and the coun-
| try, it is naturally asked what those services
are. One of his organs, the Commercial Id
| gertiser, of Buffalo, New York, answers the
| inquiry as follows:
During long years of service in Congress
has Roscoe Conkling ever forgotten New
York; has he ever disgraced New York? He
has been in service at time when tempta-
| tions have beset our public men on every
side. and how many have fallen? Has he
On his record is there stain? Is there an
entry on it Of which New York cannot feel
proud? Is there citizen of this great State
who has ever had blush brought to his
cheek by hearing men say of the great Sena-
tor, ''He is venal he is corrupt; he has an
itching palm?" All this has been said, and
said many q time, of men who are now de-
manding Conkling's death and insisting that
New York shall sacrifice him because che
made great mistaken Can the State afford
to make that sacrifice? And how is it with
the Republican party of New York? Has
Roscoe Conkling ever been untrue, disloyal
or cowardly in its service ? Has he ever
turned his back upon its affairs to bow low
before strange gods {? Has he not to the full
and to the end been the party's faithful
earnest. brave soldier; it's upright, able gal
lant leader? Is all this to be forgotten and
the one mistake of his life to be all that is re
membered of his brilliant political record
Can the Republican party of New York af-
ford to sacrifice Roscoe Conkling
This is well and forcibly said. 1t means
that Conkling has not taken bribes and has
been good Republican. Few, we believe,
are unwilling to grant him this praise But
great senator ought to have a more extern
sive record than this. 1t is good thing that
he has not had an t'itching palm, I" and it is
a good thing Cor at least has been for him,
that he has been Republican. There is,
however, decided and growing conviction
that he has not taken the advantage of his
opportunities which he might and should
His dear friend whom he once called s.the
professional foreigner" and who now edits
the New York Ecening Post, remembers
some of his omissions to do what he ought
to have done, and thus seeks to bring him to
a late repentance.
IF the turmoil of the contest at Albany
ever leaves him an hour for quiet meditation
it may dawn upon his mind to what better
account he might have turned his abilities.
He may perhaps remember that while he
represented in the Senate the great financial
and commercial centre of the continent, the
mighty interests that sent him there found
in him no voice; that when the best efforts
of craftsmanship were required to restore to
the country sound currency, public debate
heard nothing from him except few feeble
words of assent to what his constituents
were known to demand; that in the i'm
portant and exciting struggle caused by the
Silver bill he had no opinion that during
the many years he was a prominent men,
Der and even chairman of the Senate Com
mittee on Commerce, no commercial meas
ure of great consequence came from him
that with regard to all these subjects
no man ever heard, nay, no man ever
expected, from him signal of leadership, or
even suggestion of value. He may ask him
self whether it would not be better, when
he quits public life, to leave behind him
statesmanlike thoughts to be remembered as
a contribution to the mental wealth of the
country, instead of the conspicuous series of
political and personal quarrels, brilliant in
part but barren, that cannot be too soon for
gotten whether he would not occupy far
more honorable and indefinitely stronger
position before the country had he aimed at
being statesman rather than ''boss, a
leader of opinion rather than a leader of fac
ton. He may inquire what it was that made
him lower his ambition as well as his USE
fulness to SO humble standard that made
him care more for the appointment of fis-
cal agent than for the financial policy of the
eyes to the selection of 1. revenue officer than
to the subject of taxation; that induced him
to devote infinitely more time and energy to
the question who should be Collector of Gus
toms than to the whole question of the tariff
with all its Importance, and impelled him at
last actually to throw up his high commission
as a Senator, not because he thought it his
duty to appeal to the people on a disputed
point of.great policy, but because a man WAS
to be put at the head of the Custom House
whom he disliked.
1t will be seen, from the above, that man
may be averse to taking bribes and may be
good Republican, and yet fall short of being
statesman or even a man to be relied upon
to represent and stand by the best sentiment
of his party and his constituents. Had
Conkling but served his country half as well
as he has served himself he would not now
he cleft