Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-10-06


The New York Campaign.
The political campaign now in progress in
the state of New York is one which possesses
several interesting and unusual features
Judge Folger, the Republican candidate and
at present Secretary of the Treasury, is a man
of marked ability, of pure personal character
and in every way upright and above suspi-
cion. Under ordinary circumstances he would
be said to be the strongest candidate whom
the New York Republicans could have nomi-
mated but, unfortunately, the manner in
which his nomination was comprised is open
to grave objection and it created at the out
set q well-founded disaffection on the part Of
a very large portion of the Republican voters
of the state 1t is alleged, in short, that Judge
Folger is the candidate OF the national Ad-
ministration that the patronage of the Admin.
istration was corruptly used, in the form of
brides and promises of office, to secure his
nomination, and that in the convention it was
through fraud and trickery in the shape of
forged proxies that his nomination was effect
ed. Moreover, it is felt by a very large sec
ton of the party that all this effort in Folgers
interest was work done to defeat the reGlec-
ton of governor (CoruelD whom the party
was bound by every consideration of policy
and honor to continue in office.
On the other hand, the Democrats are CON
coded to have acted with great prudence and
wisdom in opening their campaign. To begin
with they harmonized all their fractional quar-
rels, so as to present united front and in
the next place they nominated a man for gov
ernor-Mayor Cleveland of BufTalo--who pos
sesses many marked elements of strength with
the people. Mr.. Cleveland is not profess
sional politician, and hitherto he has not been
widely known but as mayor of Buffalo he
has had the training and shown the qualitie S
out of which good governors are made He
was elected to the mayoralty by majority of
5000 votes in city which usually gives a ma
jority of that size to the regular Republican
candidate. He has used the veto power free
ly, has been the unyieding enemy of rings
and jobs, and neither Republican nor Demo
crat has had occasion to regret having given
him his vote. The Buffalo Express, a leading
Republican (but anti-Adminstration) organ,
supports Cleveland, and declares its belief and
| hope that he will be elected. Other leading
Republican papers in the state, and not few
prominent men, do not hesitate to let it be
known that their sympathies are with Cleve-
land.
Until this week it was held to be an open
question whether Judge Folger would accept
a nomination which came to him under such
| circumstances but on Tuesday all doubt on
this point was dispeled by the publication of
his formal letter of acceptance. The docu-
ment is long one, and much of it is devoted
to explaining and defending Judge Foger's
position. He declares, in brief, that he had
no part or lot in the crooked work at Sarato.
ga says that the action of the convention
was in no way yitated by whatever irregular
ity may have transpired before the convention
met, and he therefore considers that for him
now to decline the nomination would leave
the Republican party without a candidate and
result in the certain election of a Democratic
governor, and that besides it would cause the
complete dsorganization and disintegrator
of the Republican party, with decidedly ad
verse consequences, state and national. Thi,
responsibility he considers too grave for him
and he says, that, if the Republican party is tC
be defeated at the coming election in New
York, other men than he must take the re
sponsibility of making that defeat possible
Judge Folger states the case so strongly, suC
announces the issues involved in Democratic
success so clearly, that his letter is likely t.
aid materially in recalling doubtful and disaf
fected Republicans to a sense of their respon
sibilities and duties Indeed that such will
be its effect is already evident from the chang
ed tone of several of the leading Republican
papers of the state.
To this statement of the anomalous condi
ton of things in the New York campaign, il
is possible to. add but little in the way of in
telligent comment. That machine which
thwarts by corrupt means the will of the ma
jority of great party in the choice of it,
candidates for public office ought to be smash
ed admits of no doubt but with Thousands
of anti-machine Republicans it will be a seri
GUS question whether the best and, in the end
the most effective way to smash the machin,
will be to defeat so worthy and eminently fl
a candidate as Judge Folger. 1t is pretty Ger
tain that the votes of the great bulk of well
grounded, thoughtful and far-seeing Republ
cans will be given to him but whether the
tide of popular sentiment can be so turned al
to assure his election is at present a very Sc
rious and doubtful question.