New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-29
A MAD BOSS.

4 MAD BOSS
Senator Cameron has one of the chief ee-
ments of n Bourbon as well rs all the ele-
ments of q Boss. He is unable to learn any
thing. In this respect he closely resembles his
twin Boss, Mr.. Conkling. With defeat and
political ruin staring him in the face, he de-
liberately decides upon fresh proceeding
which can have no other effect than To IN
crease the already dangerous Republican hos
tility TO him and his ticket Ii was open to
him to fill the vacancy or that ticket either
by appointment from the State Committee or
bv calling n new convention. He has declined
to take either course, and has determined to
reassemble his Harrisburg Convention to make
the nomination. He has no authority what
ever for this act, which is bossism of the most
fragrant kind. The Harrisburg Convention was
adjourned sine die, and is rs completely an
extinct body as the Convention of 1876, or
any other year. Only the people can make
new convention; and even they could not re-
vivify this one.
On this point the opinion OF ex-Attorney-
General Lear, the chairman of the Harrisburg
Convention, is interesting. He said, when Mr..
Marshall'S dcclnatlOn WAS announced, that he
adjourned the convention sine die, that 1t went
out of existence, and that "there is no power
on earth to call it together again." lie ar
gued that the convention solemnly agreed that
all similar gatherings hereafter should he com
posed OF delegates elected III the same manner
that nominations for Senators and Representa-
tives are made now, and declared his belief
that the great body OF the delegates were III
earnest in making that pledge. As for his
own course, he intended there should be no
doubt about that: 81 intend that everything
:" promise or agree to shall be carrie ont III
"good faith. and if any nomination during
"this campaign or hereafter be made in disre-
"eard of the platform Of the late convention,
81 shall consider myself absolvcd from all OBJ
"hgations to support any fragment Of what Is
cleft of the platform, or any part OF the
"tickct placed upon it, And furthermore /
"shall denouncc the whole platform as a cheat
"and Il fraud, to deceive and bcgullc the m
"noccnt and unsuspecting into the support OF
"the ticket placed upon it. There must he
"another convention under the new rcgula-
"tions, or there viii be Il c0mmoiion around
this State which will be more earnest than
pheasant"
1t is easy to see what the effect OF an opln-
ion like that will be upon the masses OF Re
publican voters. Why should they hesitate to
vote against the so-cacd regular ticket when
the chairman of the convention which nomi-
mated it tells them that they are absolycd
from all obligations to support It! Mr. Cam
crons audacity III rushing to meet his Fate Is
much more impressive than his discretion.
The work of his convention, even when regu-
larry assembled, has stirred mp a revolution
which even he must admit has divided his
party nearly in the centre. Yet he decides to
reasscmblc the same convention, without au-
thority, adding thereby hundredfold 10 the
original affront and giving every Republican
in the State ample excuse for voting against
him. He is much more like Mr. Conllling
than we supposed. Mr.. Conkling did more to
secure his own overthrow ,han all his oppo-
nents did combined, and Senator Cameron Is
following precisely the same course. Truly,
Boss opposed is a Boss dcposed.