The sun., 1890-01-12

| fortunate because. had Il suoceeded, the Hous,
OF Representatives would have become the
dominant factor In Federal legislation and wC
! should have had parliamentary government In
the United sthtes-ConklinR co0perated with
those Senators that did their best to cripple
and handcuff the President whom they had
been unable to destroy. From the moment
however. that Mr.. Fenton became his col
league he entered into fight rather personal
and factional than polltlcal-s struggle. name
", for the control OF the Federal patronage
and, inferentially, OF the party organization In
the State OF New York. As handshaker and
letter writer and as wirepuller at primaries
and conventions Fenton was the more dox-
ferrous. but In the Senate he was borne down
andl extinRuished by Conkling's immense su-
periority OF weight and talent In debate.
Conkling' victory over Hayes was won under
very different circumstances and against far
heavier odds. The Incidents which preceded the
quarrel with Grants successor are interesting,
and the reader will be glad to see them re-
counted In this volume with candor and accu-
rscy and without any expression of personal
opinion on the part OF tho bioRrapher. There
seems to be no doubt that Hayes owed his
nomination at Cincinnati to ConklinR for the
latter had advised that In the event Of his own
failure to receive the nomination, the votes OF
the New York delegation should be given to
the Ohio candidate. His counsel was followed
and on the decisive ballot sixty-one out OF the
seventy votes from New York were transferred
to Hayes. Early In the ensuing canvass Mr..
Hayes wrote to Conkllng urging him to speak
In his behalf in Ohio and Indiana as well as In
New York. The Senator determined TO deliver
four speeches during the campaign, and made
the first OF these in Utica on Sept. g. 1875. He
did not speak again, fact which was inter-
preted by Mr.. Hayes and his personal ad-
herents as q proof OF hostility to the party can-
didate It is probable enough that ConklinRs
failure to participate In the canvass caused
the Republicans to lose New York. He
himself remarked that the State could
have been won II he could have made trip
through it. and the biographer reminds us that
In the preceding year t1S75) the Democratic
plurality had been only $4,000. It was no
fault OF Conklings that his intention to take
vigorous part In the campaign was not carried
out He did not gulk In his tent. he had no
cause to sulk having himself contributed
more than any one man to the nominating OF
Hayes. From tho charge Of disloyalty on this
occasion he Is entirely absolved by the memoir
before us. 1t was a dangerous illness that
withheld him from the canvass. His speech at
Utica had been made against tho earnest re-
monstrance OF his physician, who In letter
suffering from great prostrstion. due to mala-
ria. and that his eyes were excessively sensi-
tive to light He was, 1t seems, confined for
seven weeks to dark room at the very time
whom he was accused Of Indifference to the re-
suit Of the election. He was" says tho biog-
rapher. too proud o man to make an explana-
tion. and no friend OF his. without his consent.
ever dared explain anything for him" To our
thinking. pride was singularly misplaced un-
der the circumstances, But Mr. Hayes. on his
part, might easily by inquiry have learned the
facts. and he was too hasty in placing wrong
on Conkling's silence.
W
Many pages OF this biography are devoted to
the part which ConklinR took In the creation
OF the Electoral Commission. Here again Mr..
Hayes and his friends suspected the New York
Senator Of desiring to further the success OF
Mr. Tidsn. The facts set forth in this volume
scarcely justify the suspicion. 1t is not true,
1t seems. that ConklinG suggested the idea OF
tho Electoral Commission or took the chief part
In planning the bill which called the extraor-
dinary tribunal into existence. OF his own
volition he would not have thwarted Senator
Morton's determination to insist upon the
OF the electoral votes by the (Repub-
lican) President Of the Senate. 1t was Grant
who sent for the New York Senator and told
him that an Electoral Commission ought to be
appointed. Conkling answered: Mr.. Presi-
dent Senator Morton tthe acknowledged leader
of the Republican majority OF the Senste), is
opposed to it; but II you wish tho Commission
carried, I can do it." Grant said: II wish 1t
lone :" and so It was. 1t follows that without
The advocacy of Conkling and the influence Of
Grant tho Electoral Commission would not
have been sanctioned by the Senate but it does
,ot follow that the New York Senator was
mainly responsible for the bill Among |
he principal trainers Of the measure. besides
Jonkling. were Edmunds and Froling-
luysen on the part OF the Republicans, |
3ayard. Gordon. Randall and Hewitt on the |
part Of the Democrats. It is also to be noted |
hat whom the decisive vote was taken In the
senate all the Democrats but one were recorded
n favor OF the Commission. whereas sixteen
voted against 1t. Tho biogrspher
describes ConklinR's speech ON behalf of this
Measure. in the phrase that sfterwsrd came to
70 sneeringly repeated, as "the greatest effort
4 his life." 1t is well known that the Senator
efused to servo on the Commission which he
sd helped to render possible. but 1t was as
erted at the time that the refusal was not
together voluntary. as Senator Morton was
iolently opposed to permitting Conkling to
ccupy the seat finally assigned to FrelinR-
uysen. Should we. however. credit the asser-
lon that Conkling did not believe Mr. Hayes
D have been elected President2 On this point
be biographer is qualified to speak with au-
hority. He AYERS that "Conkling felt that
either Mr.. Hayes nor Mr. Tilden should be
laugurated. His views. as matter Of infer
nee from his remarks. may be thus stated:
There are charges Of fraud made by each
olitical party against the other. and there is
ome evidences in support Of these charges. As
Republican. prefer that the doubtful title
lould be given to the Democrats" Even II
le New York Senator considered that Hayes
cid the Presidency Dy q title valid in point
law. hO did not deem tho title the
limo In point Of equity with that pos
'ssed by Presidents who had been un-
1estionably elected by tho people. We have
reviously referred to the speech delivered by