New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-20
THE ARTHUR MASS MEETING.
LOOKING BACK -FOUR YEARS.

POINTS FOR MIR. WINSTON, AND FOR SOME OTHERS.
TO the razor Of Thc TrfbUne.
SIR: The suggestion that Chester A. Arthur be
nominated for President of the United States is to
be ratified" at meeting called for tomorrow
evening \ good many names were canvassed for
the great Office four years ago. but Mr. Arthurs was
not one of them In fact there is no risk in assert
Ing that the idea of his being Presidential guam
tity-cither an ayOwel candidate a dark horse
never at that time entered the brain of any human
being. 1t is edifyng, therefore, to inquire why he
was not included among the possibilities then and
nevertheless is seriously urged noe.
That Mr.. Arthur was entirely excluded from the
Republican calculation four years ago was not due
TO accident. Ii was due to the impression produced
bv his public career lie had failed to eyilce either
capacity or taste for staemanship lie had left his
impress upon none of the great questions that had
come before the country since he became Il voter.
His name was associated with no bencicent legisa-
tive measure Neither by tongue nor pen had he
contributed to the discussion of any. scheme of
practical reform. If lie had views on the tariff
finance education laborand related issues, the pub
lie was unaware of that fact. StIll he was widely
known. But how : He was known as an adrOit but
unscrupulous politician. For a number of years he
was prominent in the.p0tics of this city and of the
state at large. But he never rose above the level
of the wiIe-pulier and trader; his influence upon
politics was conspicuously bad. Will any OF the
business men who are backing the meeting to-Inor-
row undertake. to challenge the truth of this
count of thcmdnner Of man Mr.. Arthur was /
imagine not.
Certainly the prcsi lent Of a leading corporation,
who it is advertised, Will preside at The meeting.
will not appear in the role of such challen ger.
For he cannot have forgotten that in 1875 y direc-
tor of The Mutual Life, Who was then Governor,
preferred charges against the then Superintendent
of Insurance and that the accused would doubtless
have been dismissed from office had not his next
friend Mr. Arthur, imduStrlOuslv lObbied III ms be
half ANY one who is familiar with the inside ms
tory OF that insurance investigation II perfectly wen
aware of the important and d!sgracctul part that
Arthur played III 1t. Aud yet the president OF the
Mutual Life = To preside at the Arthur Tatihcatioh
meeting! But if tine president of the meeting Is
silent who will venture to take issue with US
Certainly one in thc.audience over which he Will
preside who. loving fair play, remembers that MIR;
that monumental fraud OF our state politics, the
Albany snap primaries. The Republicans OF the
captal sent committee of thirteen .tO the cOn' ven
ton to protest against the outrage, and ask that
TO his everlasting disgrace be 1t sad, was among
those who voted to lay the memorial submitted by
the committee on the table. . ,
Certainly there is no occasion to submit further
proof Oh this point-nOt So much as "a reference 10
the appearance of NIce-P president IN tue loDDy dt
Albany in behalf of the fortunes OF IA person VINO
had resigned a Senatorshlp because he couiu hoI
bulldOZe "a President. Ii only remains 10 lnuulic,
therefore Oh what grounds Mr.. Arthur Is now sup
ported. Will the speakers of the evening leeIhgiy
refer TO him as penItent Is Mr. Beecher to com
mend him a brand plucked from the burning
even the burden Of.the machine ! 40, but hes dohe
so well during the last three years Well, grant
ing for the sake of argument that he as done mega
lively WELL Is the proposition to he seriously ma'n-