Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-03-17
The Garfield end Conkling Contest.

DTOGuO Las hiosotlS ibUCiSoi 4AC
narrates that being on the Senate floor
soon after the nomination of Robertson for
collector of New York was sent in. Mr.. Conk-
lirg said to him.
1.-The nomination is the result, sir, Of
perfdy without parallel. 1t SHOULD never
be confirmed by an assemblage of American
Senators-or gentlemen"
Shortly after the same gentleman had an
interview on the subject with President
Garfield. After some other conversation
Gen. Garfield said:
What the consequences Of the struggle
may be ! know not, but do not Inake any
mistake about the intention of it on my
side. | do not want TO break down Mr..
Conkling in New York State, and do not
suppose if he was President that he would
want to break mo down in Ohio as Senator
from that State, which l would have been
if this place had not come to me. All |
want is to haye some recognition Of those
who displeased Mr.. Coukiing, but to whom
! owe my nomination as truly as TO all OF
the Republican party owe my election as
President. There is no desire to destroy
Mr.. Conkling, and wish that could be I'M
derstood."
Falling in with his new thought, said:
Between control and overthrow the mind
Of Mr.. Conkling makes no pause. He has
never ruled politics on any other than an
absolute plan. There's no peace i'll this
war
Mr.. Garfield rejoined ut may be as you
say, but he will have to take the fight TO
that stage himself, and if be does, he will be
politically ruined. 1t will be suicide and
not murder. And ia such O contingency
the Republican party in New York would
not be long great loser. l know you, as a
democrat, don't see that. The best thing ID
YOUR party is the machine. The best thing
in ours is the rank and 6le When demo-
Gratis want 10 carry out reforms, the machine,
made up of strong, far seeing men, puts the
screws on, aud the rank and file fall in and
the organs do the ordering and the
talking. Your organs play one tune.
They interpret your leaders better Than
our papers do ours. We have to start our
reforms down among the people in their
homes and in the weeklies. Then 1t
works to the top. We never had but one
very great despot that was successful
one-Thaddeus Stevens. Yet bis death
was the birthday for young republicanism.
When he died, | went to Blaine and Allison,
who entered Congress with me-they have
always been my friends-aud said: 'Boys,
this is loss to the party and to the country,
but we needn't be afraid to do our own
thinking any more IJ's the emancipation
Of the thought of this House. Aud it was.
Now, if Mr.. Conkling should carry his policy
| to the point of self obstruction, New York
republicans would learn how to do their
own thinking as we do out in Ohio, which
is the freest free State in the Union.
"But, Mr.. President" said, "the ques.
| ton of the struggle in New York or with
| Mr.. Conkhng, with its consequences, de-
bends primarily on what view republicans
| take of the merits Of this issue. l do not
mean to regard it as mere matter OF pa
tronage. In that respect it is unimportant.
| I do not mean to regard it as claim on
YOUR side to select your agents. MIR. Conk-
| ling's friends claim that in New York last
MINER, ia Mentor last February and in
this house on Sunday night before this
| Wednesday morning of Judge Robertson's
nomination, YOU agreed not to make any
appointments for New York or New York
ers, or others to places within the State
unless they were satisfactory to the Slate
organization of your party they claim that
at that Sunday night conference it was
agreed that no New York nominations
should be sent in at all without notice be-
forebaud to the gentlemen then alleged TO
be- then present, and that Judge Robert
sons name was used by all of you on that
OCCASION" As stepped, General Garfield
said, flushing considerably and talking
slowly like o man who is forming his
sentences for reporters, as he goes along,
II suppose that is the nub of the
famous private statement which Mr.. Conk
llng makes to select listuers and makes in
way to overwhelm them. / wish he would
make it in some public speech or in some
newspaper, where it could be weighed and
met, have told james and others that Mr..
Conkling has my permission to make The
statement as publica as he pleases and as soon
as he pleases. He doesn't seem to prefer to
do so. He, as | am told, talks to his friends
privately and then tells the reporters that
his lips are sealed They are not sealed
by me. There is that mixture of half truth
and half 'ron-truth, if you will let me make
a word, in his statement which readers 1t
ehective-as long rs he is unqueslioned and
not disputed. The facts OF that Sunday
night interview are these in brief: Some
of the gentlemen you have named were
here. There was general, formal, but not
important talk at first, and expressed my
self DESTROYS of being on good terms with
all the elements in the party, but added
that I would have to recognize my own
political friends as well as the personal and
political friends Of other gentlemen. did
not propose that it should be a punishment
to have been for meas it was to some
Ohio men in the case of Hayes. Judge
Robertson's name was mentioned and by
me, and before had got beyond the men
ton of it, Mr. Conkling took the floor and
made speech, a regular speech and a long
speech, with all the defamation and GEES
ture and Characterization of platform
harangue or a stage piece. at first was
surprised that a social call should be turned
into speech, and all but the speaker into
an audience. Then studied the manner
of the man, deliberate, intense and at times
angular, and at times graceful. He had IL
in him and it came out of him, but am
convinced that he had thought or written |
out what be would say, to the very words
for some of the sentences were such as no
man gets off without preparation. He
said nothing about principles. 1t was
sx,1., - ,,ah nf