New-York tribune., 1885-03-18
THE PRESIDENT AND TAMMANY.

A delegation from Tammany Hall is now IN
Washington. According to one report the
gentlemen composing it went to the capital
simply for recreation. But it is generally De-
leved that their visit has an ulteriOr>deslgn not
unconnected with desire to learn whether
Cleveland has determined to act like father or
a stepfather toward Iammany. The delega-
ton called at the White House on Monday. 1t
included an ex- Congressman, a Coroner and an
ex-Civil Justice. They wanted to learn at first
hand where they and their brethren were TO
come in in the new Administration. But 1t
would seem that they retired from the Presi-
dents presence with their cOnundrun unsolved.
aBeyond a fair number OF fine words and
phrases,n our Washington correspondent re-
ports, "the warriors are not thought to nave
secured much cOmfort-not even promises.
aThe President is described as having been cool
aand reserved in the extreme throughout the
interview"
What is Mr.. Cleveland's attitude toward Tam
many likely to be7 1t is nice question. lie
has personal grievance against the organlza-
ton since its representatives in the State Senate
prevented the confirmation of Mr. Murtha, his
nomination for Immigration Commissioners.
EVERYBODY is aware that Governor Cleveland
took the hostility of the Tammany Senators
greatly to heart. His distress and Indignation
were shown in the extraordinary message in re-
gard to the Murtha nomination addressed by
him to the Senate and in the letter which he
wrote to John Kelly protesting against tho re-
election of Senator Grady. This circumstance
obviously is not calculated to induce the Presi-
dent to give Tammany any recognition
save that of absolute exclusion from the
favor of the Administration. There is an
other circumstance of the same sort, but
still more serious, which will operate against
Tammany. Mr. Cleveland's main political reli-
ance. his Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel
Manning is the sworn foe of Tammany. 1t was
only a year or two ago that his newspaper. The
AIbanu Argus, ferociously denounced "the
Tammanyism that betrayed Lucius Robinson
and Winfield Scott Hancock" Add this party
grievance which Manning nourishes to the per-
sonal grievance which Cleveland nourishes, aud
the future of Tammany under this Administra-
tion might well be considered hopelessly dark
but for one thing.
That one thing is Tammany's strength. Two
of the Democratic organs of this city urged the
President to show Tammany no quarter. The
Times argues tQaU Uu6Tc 10 uO pOooiDiC oCtdsioii
for negotiations between him 1.-THE President
and Tammany" The Post observes that Tam
amany is not only about six months late in
soffering its goods, but it Is offering them in a
smarket in which they have been already
@several times rejected without any serious
9harm." This sort Of come-On- -whos-afraid
talk is brought to naught by the simple state
ment that if the Democracy cannot get along
with Tammany they certainly cannot get along
without it. Lucius Robinson undertook to defy
Tammany. What was the consequence He
went to the wall, while John Kelly, who ran
against him, polled 77,566 votes. That was in
1879. In 1880, according to Mr. Manning and
other shrewd Democrats, it was Tammany that
sbetrayed," that is to say, defeated the Demo
cratic candidate for the Presidency. How many
votes Tammany will poll next fall cannot be
accurately determined, but no one will pretend
that the Democrats will stand ghost of a
chance Of electiDg their ticket, if Tammany
should repeat the tactics of 1879.
All things considered. therefore, it is by no
means clear that the President will decide tt
snub Tammany. Manning may tell him that
the record shows the party cannot afford tt
do So