Wichita eagle., 1888-04-20
COMBINES KEEN THOUGHT.
Two Great Occasions When He Lashed
His Opponents With Bitter but
Eloquent Words.
Albany special to the Cincinnati commercial-ea

IN 1871: and, second, his reply to George
William Curtis in 1877.
Previous to the year 1871 the control
of the Republican party in this state had
been for some time in the hands OF
Governor Fenton, who was most
adroit and censumate politician. He
and Mr.. Conkling were colleagues In the
United States senate. At the beginning
Of Grants first term Mr.. Fenton quite
overshadowed his associate in the favor
of the new administration; but the tables
were soon turned and Mr.. Conkling be-
came the master spirit of the Grant rule,
and the great power in the dlspensatlon
of its patronage. The Two senators met
in the state convention OF 1870 and
engaged in a keen struggle for the
mastery.
The contest ended substantially IN a
drawn battle, though Mr.. Conklng S
friends were sharp enough to secure
possession of the state committee by
small majority. This gave them the
power to order a reorganization OF the
party in New York City, where 1t was
entirely under the sway Of MIR. Fenton
friends, and where the party machinery
was charged with being completely
under the influence of the Democratic
Tammany Hall. The FentOn-Greeiey
faction denied the right to reorganlze,
and the result was two delegations from
the city of New York to the state con-
vention of 1871. That convention gath
cred in Wieting Hall, Syracuse. amid
violent tumult, which portended storm.
A lawless gang of braves had been I'M
ported on both sides. As the doors We're
cd T,IStnlc 1ray and rUSh
and struggle followed to secure posses
sion of the hall. The leader on one side,
as he mounted the platform, was dragged
from his place; but finally the conven-
ton opened in peace. Mir. Fenton
was located in the headquarters
near by to direct the move
ments of his forces, with Chauncey NJ.
Depew as his lieutenant on the floor. MIR.
Conkling was present in person to lead
his own column. The whole fight turn
ed on the admission of the delegation
from New York Mr.. Conkling and his
party insisted that the Fenton-Greeley
delegation should not be received. The
Fenton-Greeley party demanded that
their delegation should be admitted,
without insisting that the other should
be excluded. 1t seemed a very serious
matter to exclude either. since each rep
resented large element of the party,
and the convention hesitated. AT length,
Mr. Hamilton Ward. one Of the Fenton
leaders offered a resolution that both
delegations should be admitted, and that
the difference should be adjusted. In
reality this meant defeat for Conkling.
But it seemed to mean peace, and 1t was
received with shouts of applause all over
the convention. The chair was about to
put the question, and had it been put
the resolution would undoubtedly have
carried by an overwhelming vote. just
then Mr. Conkling arose, and with a
wave of the hand, exclaimed: ''Not yet
the question:" and with these words
he began speech which was
recognized even by his foes as one of
the most powerful ever addressed to any
public assemblage, and which probably
produced a more immediate and signal
effect than any other which can be re-
called in the history Of our political con-
ventionS. 1t was one of those rare
speeches which actually influence votes
and sway body from one side to the
other. 1t was marked by all the extra
ordinary powers of oratory of which Mr..
Conkling at his best was an ac-
knowledged master. No man yentured
to attempt to answer, and under its spell
the convention, which a few minutes
before had been eager to adopt Mr..
Wards resolution, completely changed
its sentiment and rejected the PROPOSE
ton. The Fenton-Greely delegates We're
excluded; they took up their hats and
marched out of the hall. Mr.. Conkling
remained master of the field. With the
help Of the Tweed exposures the ticket
of the convention swept the state. Fen
ton and Greeley stuck the Republican
coIors to engineer the Liberal movement,
and Conkling's supremacy in the Repub-
lican party of New York was practically
undfsputed until he foolishly resigned
from the Z. S. senate in May, 1881.
CONKLING AND CURTIS AT ROCHESTER.
1t was not the resolutions adopted at
the Republican state convention of 1877
in Rochester that awakened such sudden
interest. They were no more pro-
nounced against the administration Of
President Hayes than those of Iowa and
Maine. But it was the clash of leaders,
the struggle of two factions cordially
hating each other, the one led by Conk-
lug and the other by Curtis, that acca-
stoned the furry and excited such wide
comment. The New York papers, Re
publican and Democratic, united vainly
in denouncing Conkling. IL is likely
that they would have criticized him
sharply even had he not deserved 1t.
That he did deserve it IN a measure,
therefore. lent force to their utterances.
To the outside world the scene between
Conkling and Curtis had its origin on the
floor of the convention, and grew out OF
the deliberations of that body. To such
the language of Conkling sounded harsh
and the taunts OF Curtis uncalled for.
But to those who had watched the
progress of New York politics the set-to
was not strange or unexpected, and the
sharp words not without provocation.
Mr.. Curtis had worried Senator Conkling
for years. He never missed an oppOr-
tunity to strike at the latter, and. as
editor OF Harpers Weekly, had ample
opportunity to crafty his taste. He
kept up an incessant war on Grant,
seemingly for no other reason than that
Conkling was friendly to him. He bit
terly opposed the candidacy of Conk-
ling at Cincinnati, and made his oDposl-
ton unnecessarily prominent by MS
public laudation OF Bristow.
SO far as known, Senator Conkilng
bore all these attacks in silence, seem
ingly disdaining 10 answer them, but
treasuring them up against day OF set
Element, which it seems finally came.
He evidently went into the Rochester
convention prepared for fight, and re-
solved to do whatever he had 70 do
openly and courageously, naking no at
tempt to saddle subordinates with
responsibility. or hide behind the skirts
of any minor parsonage. our
correspondent. who was a delegate, well
remembers the scene Mr.. Curtis made