Daily globe., 1883-07-20
NIIT.


When the Garfield administration baoor
Mr.. Conkling lived on Fourteenth street,
between G street and New York ayepue,
The house is the only dwelling on the
block, and is a large, double-stuccoed
building, the upper rooms OF which are let
to lodgers. In the winter of 1881 Senator
Conkling occupied the whole of the first
foor,and after the 4th of March Vice Pres
ldent Arthur occupied the second floor.
They took their meals at Chamberlin's,
vino then had restaurant around the cor
ner on New York avenue.
The New York people were known to be
out of sympathy with Garfield and his
administration, and it was the presidents
desire that there should be a reconciIia-
lion. In his dread Of a difference OF
opinion with his vice president his post
master general, and so strong a man as
Senator Conkling, Garfield was will
ing to promise almost anything. Above
all things, he wanted to promote h armonv.
or at least he wanted to win back the sup
port of those whom he had already grew
| ously deceived.
1t was IN the house in which Conkling
and Arthur lodged, and in Conkling's par
lor, that a noteworthy conference took
place. Attorney General MacVeagh rep
resented the president, and it was at mis- re-
| quest that the conference was held. Mr..
MacVeagh had a soft side for the New
York senator, and desired his friendship
and support for the administration of
which he was member. A few davs be-
fore Robertson's appointment as collector
of New York, the president expressed to
MacVeagh his desire that Conkling should
be on good terms with the administration.
To this MacVeagh answered that he
thought that terms might be arranged.
and that he would undertake to conduct
the negotiation on behalf of
the president, provided the latter would
give him authority to state to Mr.. Conkling
precisely what was intended, what the SEN
ater might expect in the way of patronage
and also in the way of disappointment, and
especially that there would be no change
in the New York custom house, and that
neither Robertson nor any other bolting
Half Breed who had disturbed the Chicago
convention should be left unrewarded.
Garfield authorized every statement that
was afterward made by MaoVeagh to the
three representatives of the New York Re-
publlcans. He went to the conference at
| the Fourteenth street house as a minister
plenipotentiary. He was sent on his mis-
pressions of Joy and with the hope that he
was about to bring to an end a very un-
comfortable state of affairs.
On the Friday night before the New
York nominations were sent to
the senate, Mr.. MacVeagh and Mr..
James went to Mr.. Conkling's room.
They found there the senator and Vice
President Arthur, and the negotiation be-
gan almost Immediately. Mr.. Conkling
was not in pleasant frame of mind. He
had begun to expect a four years that
would bring a repetition of his experience
with the Hayes administration, and he had
been in opposition to the head OF the ted
eral power quite long enough.
Mr.. MacVeagh had uphill work for a
time, and it began to look as though he
could not coax Mr.. Conkling into friendly
relations with his chief. Finally he took
other ground, and in rather severe tone,
which was intended to mean business, he
said: ''Mr. Conkling, you must change
your tactics; you must recognize hereafter
that there is an executive branch of the
government. For the last four years YOU
have recognized the legislative branch of
the government, because you are a mem
Der of it, and the judicial branch because
you sometimes practice before the su-
preme court; but you have constantly ig-
nored the executive branch
Mr.. Gonkling was walking up and
down his room as Mr.. MacVeagh spoke,
but stopped as though he were rather
pleased by the attorney-general's boldness.
1t was the kind of thing he liked When
MacVeagh had finished he smiled and
said:
''Why, you don't consider that any part
nf oAp 81
executive branch of the government, do
your"
Mr.. Conkling then submitted to be ne
gotiated with about the future. A first
MacVeagh spoke in general terms,
promising in the name of the president
that Mr.. Conkling should be consulted in
the making of the New York appoint
ments, but that none but proper requests
should be granted, and that men who
were friends of the president should not
be punished simply because they were
enemies Of Mr.. Conkling's.
To this Mr.. Conkling responded with a
demand for the particulars. He wanted to
know precisely what the president intend
ed to do with the cases under immediate
consideration.
MacVeagh was very frank with the SEN
ator, because he thought that the president
was behind him, and he knew that he was
promising nothing that Mr.. Garfield had
not authorized. Therefore he told Mr..
Conkling that he might depend on the re-
appointment of Stewart L. Woodford as
district attorney, for which the senator did
not care cent, and on the other appoint
ments that were actually sent to the senate
on the following Monday, with the excep-
tion of Clinton ID. MacDougall as marshal
for the northern district of New York.
Mr.. MacVeagh said that this was what had
been determined on, and that the president
had given him authority to say so to
Mr.. Conkling, and to Mr.. Arthur and Mr..
James.
Mr.. Conkling at once protested against
the refusal to reappoint MacDougaIl.
why" he said, "MacVeagh, do you
mean to say that the president refuses to
permit me to name the marshal in my
own judicial district?''
Mr.. MacVeagh assured him that that
was about the presidents determination,
and that he must expect no favors except
such as seemed right to the president to
bestow.
Of course there was storm at this, but