New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-17
A TUC1TPICAL EXIT.


who excels our own Senator in getting into
duarrels without cause and out OF them without
dignity. He has kept the country in a hubbub
and the Senate in "A condition of nervous agita-
ton for nearly two months because an excel
lent gentleman who was opposed to third
term for General Grant was nominated for Col
lector of the Port of NewYOrk. Neither he
nor any one of his friends has ever made the
slightest imputatiOn against the ability, the
integrity and the high personal character OF
Judge Robertson. The sole and only objection
TO him is that President Garfield did not pre-
viously ask Mr.. COnkling's permission to noml-
nate him. Upon this pretext the Senator de-
clared war upon the President. He is an IN
veterate maker of phrases and his phrase for
this purpose was: "The President forces me to
commit murder or suicide | choose murder
TO do him Justice he has done his best to keep
his boastful threat. He has left no resource
untred, Of menace, of intrigue, or OF sandcr'
to weaken the Administration, to gain recruits
against it within and without the ranks of his
own party.
But every weapon has broken in his hands.
He boosted only u few days ago that he had
promoted the deadlock of the Senate for week
Hfttr week, to tIlt ul>Nl'htN WI ~ pi'H''N'''''
government and the injury OF public business,
in the hope that it might give him the oppor-
tunity TO accomplish the defeat of Mr.. Robert
SON. The Senate, moved by that singular mix
turc of timidity in the face of a quarrcSone
man and sort of perverted loyalty Ia "A col
league whom they knew to he wrong. winch
has excited the surprise and contempt of the
country have given him all the time he re-
Guired. all the opportunity he could ask for. to
ACCOMPLISH the defeat Of Mr. Robertson, bat
they were evidently not prepared to violate
their own sense of duty and dcccncy by voting
against the confirmation of a man against whom
not one word of valid objection had ever been
uttered Even il they had been inclined To 10
this mt the beginning the significant and al
most unanimous admontions of their constltu-
cnts were sufficient to convince them that such
action would he an irrcparablc mistake Oh
late, Mr. Conkling. dcspairing of whcedling
and caioling his brother Senators to join in his
warfare against the President sustained by
public opinion has shifted the field of his
"murdcrous efforts. and has been busily en-
gagged in the attempt to poison the popular
mind against the Administration by series OF
malignant communications, under various dis-
guises, to the newspapers in his interest This
effort has met with the same lack of success.
The public have rejected his libels with far
more prOmptitudc than the Senate his solicit
tatOns.
Confronted 10y the certainty of the coniirma-
ton Of Judge Robertson at the first moment
when a vote could be had on it, lac cast about
for some means tO save appearances III his
defeat. There are things which Don QuXotc
cannot do and SanchO PanZa must. Senator
Platt was therefore put forward in the caucus
last week to delny the final action which was
imminent by the prctcnce that means of com
promise had been devised which would be salts
factory to everybody The caucus once more
courteously adjourned to wait for the mystic
| rious developments promised. We had them
| Yesterday morning in Tia, IA rec Of resignation
| which the Knight and the Squire presented to
| the Senate. OF course no one takes these Tcslg-
nations seriously Neither Mr.. Conklng nor
Mr. Plat has any idea of leaving the Senate.
| There is "a character in French comedy who is
| forever quarrclling with his mistress and quit
| ting the house i'll rage. But he always leaves
Ills umbrella behind him rs a prctcxt for return
and means of reconciliation. 1t is safe to say
| that neither of our Senators has given up the
| lease of his lodgings. The farce at Washington
| will be completed by the farce at Albany, and
! they will have whatever glory they can get out
| of the theatrical performance.
| We are inclined to think that no objection
will be raised anywhere In the State to the
playing-ou of this opera bOuiie representation.
| Our Senators have made themselves rather
ridiculous, but the people who elected them
once will of course elect them again ana send
4 at. Al
| them back to serve out Their terms. only the
Senate should not permit so shallow trick to
interfere with the dispatch of public business
| i'm their absence. They can 20 on, get through
| with their work, and 80 home, not mourning
| over their sulky colleagues as those without
hope. They will meet them again IN Deccm-
Der, with nice new credentials, and We trust
with much more sense and better manners than
they have shown in the last few weeks.