National Republican., 1881-05-21
Will the President Bolt !?

The Albany correspondent of the New
York Tribune, under date of the 10Th, says:
The announcement of the administration men
that they would not attend the Republican senate
rial caucus has embarrassed the action of the
COnkling men all the week. a confidence that IN
joint legislative caucus he could easily be re-
nominated seems to have been the OASIS
of Mr.. Conkling's idea that he could
easily be reelected by the Republican Legisla-
ture. The declination of the administration men
to put their thumbs under the caucus screws at
once dispelled this hope. Without their presence
and acquiescence in the caucus determination q
majority vote could not be secured in the Legisla-
ture. All through the week, therefore, the Conk-
ling men have been attempting to persuade the
administration men to change their minds. The
attempt thus far has not succeeded 1t is generally
believed that one caucus, perhaps two, of the Re-
publican members of the Legislature will be held
on Thursday next.
The editorial oracle of the same ad-
ministration organ says in yesterdays
issue:
Yesterday the question was whether Messrs
COnkling and Plat should be reelected. Now, 1t
is certain that they cannot be by Republican votes
That is, minority of Republicans will
refuse to vote for them. These extracts
are most instructive. They explain the
plan of battle on the part of the admin
istration. The Presidents half-breeds-
acting under his orders, of course-are to
desert the majority of the Republicans
in the Legislature and setup bread-and-
butter caucus. Into this will go
as many as dare do so of
those who are already so saturated
with hatred of Conkling that they pre-
fer Democrat to him. There are one
hundred and six Republicans in the
Legislature. Eighty-one are a majority
on joint ballot Thus it will be seen that
if the Garfield half-breeds number
twenty-five, the remaining eighty-one
being in the regular caucus, Conkling
and Platt would be at once elected.
If more than twenty-five could be
induced to stay out there would be a
deadlock. 1t is the Pennsylvania tao
tics of last winter over again, and prob
ably played by the same hands. The adj
ministration bolts in New York in
advance, having no hope of Sc
curing a majority of the Republi-
cans in the Legislature. And this
is the third month of Garfeld's
reign! Was ever party faithlessness
more shamefully displayed? 1t is plain
that the President has deliberately de-
termined to break up the Republican
party, and New York is a good field for
the commencement of his destructive
policy. What would become of conf
dence among business men if their
dealings were governed by such
a standard as that set up by him? The
New Workers will not be bought or bull
dozed. The Republican majority in the
Legislature will name for reelection the
two Senators who have just resigned, and
to their support will come more than
the necessary eighty-one. Roscoe
Conkling will not be defeated
by all the meanness and treachery now
engaged against him. His friends are
faithful to the party and to him, and they
are invincible. If the President and his
bread-and-butter followers bolt at Albany
they will prove their impotence as well
as their perfdy.