Morning journal and courier., 1883-05-09
SournaI allo Courier.
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY
Wednesday,, May 3, 1883.
THE ssRAID UPON sUPERIoRITY.u

THE ''RAID UPON SUPERIORITY"
 Mr. Roscoe Ccnkling made speech few days since at @ club dinner This is 8 thing that MT. Conkling does pretty well, especial ly considering that he does it so often. In the course of this address he made some re- markable statements. In speaking of the Chicago convention he said that an unsuc- cessful attempt was made to nominates Gen. eral Grant, and that he firmly believed, as much as he believed anything, that the re- suits of that convention Chad held this country back as much as ten years" This IS rather strong statement, to say nothing of its being reflection upon the present administration. It takes good deal to hold back this country ten years, and it would have been interesting if MT. Conkling had explained just how it has been held back. It is possible that when Mir. Conkling said s'the country" he meant the Stalwarts who are. perhaps, to his mind the same thing. If he had said the result of that convention had held the Stalwarts back ten years the state ment would have stood scrutiny pretty well. He might have ventured even further than that without provoking much contradiction. How much the Stalwarts have been held back 1t would be impossible to say without know ing how far thsy meant to go ahead At present there does not appear to be much prospect of their catching up. Mr. Conk- ling was very severe unon the reformers. There is no end of men, he said, ''who think it desirable to pull down bosses" "The so-ealled fight against the bosses is the particular form certain class of men give to 8 raid upon su periority. Point out to me boss and will show you man who by virtue of his ability, deserves to be boss" According to the ex- Senator, being boss is a mere question of bralns and ''the so called fight against the bosses' is all due to wicked envy of their in- tellectual or moral superiority This is a rather peculiar view to take of bosses. MT. Conkling himself has been sometimes called boss, and perhaps it is not altogether strange that he should consider the fight against bosses as "a raid upon superiority. D or that he should think the country is held back by pulling the bosses down.
 Mr. Conklings bitterness was really an &C., knowledgment of the growth of public sen- timent against bosses. He might have taken 8 lesson from the effect of his speech upon his audience. Notwithstanding his real su- periority as talker his speech produced no demonstration. Everybody knows that men after club dinner will be demonstra- tive whenever they think there is the slight est justification for it. The Stalwart orator spoke to an audience which had just wined and dined and the Times reporter graphically says his remarks tselieited no tIemonstrs- ton" Evidently the sympathies of the club was with those who are fighting the bosses and holding the country back Unless MT. Conkling can divert the attention of the gal lant 3o6 from the work of pushing the coun- try ahead long enough to gather them around a common board we are afraid he will go far before he can find an after-dinner audience that will join with him in his lament over the 'raid upon superiority