The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-02-16
THE rIFrH AVENUE HOTEL PLEDGES.

THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL PLEDGES.
'sWas there not another reason why you op.
posed these appointments, or at least one OF
them? Had not Gen. Garfield pledged Sena-
tor Plat, Mr.. Crowley, Gen. Arthur, Lew T.
Morton, yourself and others thai New York
should have the Secretary of the Treasury,
and was not that pledge made in the presence
of the parties named ~
"Yes, sir, and if you want to know-though
don't see any good now, it's old history
will tell you about it. When we had our So
called conference at the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
a meeting was had in my room at which the
above. named persons were present. It's not
worth while to 20 into details in regard to
that meeting or of the so-callcd conference.
The whole matter is that the leading men OF
New York had been kicked around the coun-
try for four years by Hayes and didn't want
four years more of the kicking business. Mr..
Conkling was in no wise responsible for the
gathering or its results, but had like all other
prominent New Workers, thought the State
was entitled to recognition, and was not full of
trust and confidence. Gen. Garfield there
promised the persons above named to appoint
a New Yorker Secretary of the Treasury, it
among the names presented to him by those
present that of Levi p. Morton was included.
This of course was substantial pledge to Mr..
Morton. With this understanding, which
seemed to be perfectly clear, a committee on
finance was organized to raise all proper means
to conduct the campaign, and they raised the
money"
NWhen Gen. Garfield was elected this prom
Use that he had made was Enthusiastically
disregarded. He said he could not appoint
Morton. or any other New Yorker, Secretary
of the Treasury, but he wrote me letter au-
thorizing me to tender Mr.. Morton the posi-
ton of Secretary of the Navy, which did,
and to my surprise he accepted. The result
intended to be accomplished by this promise
was entirely for the benefit of the campaign of
Gen. Garfield, and on the part of the New
York parties was entirely carried out. When
the results desired by Gen. Garfield were &C.
complished it would appear that he had for
gotten the agreements above alluded to.
When he came to New York never saw
man so apparently hopeless, and when he when
he went home never saw one so hopeful.
"You are possibly the possessor Of other i'm
portant political secrets which may have made
It more desirable to punish you than other
parties when the opportunity offered ~
SIT is always better to be charitable than
uncharitable, to have confidence than suspi-
cion. | wouldn't care to say what the intent
was on the part of Gen. Garfield and his Cab
met. Of course everybody has secrets who
manages a campaign. They belong to the
times, and no one has right to divulge them"
HOW THE CHURCH HELPED.
"WhiIe in Indiana did Gen. Garfield write
you in reference to and suggesting the use ofthe
Campbellite Church to secure his election on
the ground that he was a member of it?'
"Oh yes, often, not only wrote to me, but
sent out most prominent men of that church,
among them Mr.. Philips, Of Pennsylvania, and
his own successor as President of Hiram
College. We did all we could, and used all
the methods in our power at the suggestion OF
Gen. Garfield to produce the result we desir-
ed. say this because don't think there is
any secret about it. If there is, it is so open
that tens of thousands of people know it,
"What method did he suggest to change the
political convictions of the members of his
church,
''Gen. Garfield seemed to think it best
where we found church in debt, that repre-
scented large number of voters, that if we
had the means, we should pay off the debt,
and where we found a community with good
number of Campbellite voters without church
we had better contribute literally toward
building one, and especially if the voters were
Democrats. / carried out these suggestions
to the best of my ability, under the guardian
ship of Mr.. Philips and others. We tried to
make the lonely way of the Campbellite as
pleasant as possible, and there were about
25, 200 of them in the State
s'Do you think the methods used to carry
Indiana will be used in this campaign y
'The methods you refer to think were
wise and certainly practical, and were used
alike by each party according to the ability of
the managers. The same methods will be
used in all campaigns, in all States, by both
parties, and the protests made against them
are mere phrase making. Nobody is deceiv-
ed by them. When parties are trying to OBJ
tain power, and men are trying to secure it,.
they don't stop at a rail fence or stone wall
which may bar their way to the summit of the
mountain of success. A man who looks at u
throne never sees anything between himself
and it. There is no limitation to ambition, nor
to the processes by which its aspirations are ac-
complished. But don't you know that ex-
perience has shown that the king knows no
friends when he is crowned-that with two or
three exceptions the great power of the Presi-
dent has always been used for selfish purposes,
and that the Presidents who have used such
power in such ways have drawn across their
names the black line of forgetfulness?
THE CAMPAIGN IN NEW YORK.
These methods which you used SO success
fully in Indiana were subsequently used in
New York;"
but do know what organization and effective
work means in politics as well as in business.
was charged with duty. If that duty in
volved methods adopted the methods that
would secure success. My business was to
win, not to lose. | adopted system at the
beginning of the campaign which ! intended
to apply to all the doubtful States and which
[ did apply SO far as | could. The defeat in
Maine seemed to- be disaster. The result
in Indiana seemed to be success. The Chair
man of the New York Central Committee,
Gen. Arthur, thought it settled the campaign.
| did not agree with him. He seemed to
know as much about the politics of New York
as of the internal affairs of Toorkistan. Box
hara was as near to him as Albany, Cash
mere as near as Geneseo. Arthur is great
man, no doubt, without wisdom and as good
as any piece of beef. When | return to New
York from the West after the success in In
diana found that there was no possible chance
of carrying that State in my judgment. 1t
will be seen upon examination that the Re-
publican majority in New York was Fl 600 and
that the Republican majority in the city was
increased enormously.
at has been suggested that you changed
the probable result in New York by an I'm.
derstanding with John Kelly. Is that sop
ssThere is not grain of truth init. Idon't
Delleve tnat eltner money OF ONCE couiu III
duce John Kelly to swerve one iota from the
line he lays down for his party and himself
If there is a perfectly upright man in politics
in this country-and l mean upright in poll
tics and political methods-that man is John
Kelly He never made trade or deal in the
world that he didn't make in open conven-
ton, and all the talk about Kelly selling out
to the Republicans to secure county officers
in New York, as against the National ticket,
is an absurd falsehood. John Kelly is an
able man, and his ability is eqnalled by his
honesty"
THE COMING CONTEST.
"Are you likely to take as lively an interest
in the campaign of 81 as you did in that of
'S0g'
II am not pining to 60 over again the work
of 1880, and | guess the fellow who takes my
place in 1884 will not worry to get it in 1883.
While the results that come to campaign man
ayers are always great, the labor is still great.
err. One Chandler is dead, and the other l
understand is building ships. They were the
only two worthy of the management given into
their hands, -