New-York tribune., 1891-09-17
TIE OUTCOME 1T SARATOGA.

II is sham ticket and sham platform. Inc
nomination of Flower and Sheehan for the two
chief places on the Democratic ticket is an aD-
solute surrender of the cardinal principles upon
which the Democracy pretends to stand. FRO
fessins to be distinctively the party OF " the
nlain neople.n of the masses" of the bone
and sinew.. of the poor man." it selects for
Governor Wall Street millionaire, who Is diS-
tinctively what one of the Brooklyn qelegateS
named him yesterday on the floor OF the con-
yention-a Doodle candidate. No mtelhgent
person believes that Flower was chosen over all
competitors because he had shown hlmselt 10
he statesman He has not thus shown him
self. On the contrary his public career has
heen that of commonplace man with no special
ATTITUDE for public affairs. Neither did he owe
his success to his party services. Indeed the
last time that Flower had an opportunity OF
serving the New-YOrk Democrats he coolly le16
them in the urch by resigning from the STATE
ticket after the convention had adjourned. How
does it bappen, then, that he captured the prize
so easily? There can be but one reasonable
answer to this question. Tammany Hall dc
tated his nomination because he owns bari
and Tammany owns him. He was the favor
ite. the only candidate of Dick Croker Uou-
father Grant, John r. Fellows, Boulke COCHRAN
and the rest, because they knew that he was
very rich and because they believed thai ne
would food the metropolis and the state WiVn
his money big corruption fund always was
Tammany's main reliance in a campaign Inc
Brooklyn Democrat was perfectly correct
Flower is Doodle candidate
But if Flowers nomination is an lndlcuneho
of the Democlacy's pretence that 1t Is tpe masses
party its choice of Sheehan for LleutenanV-UoV-
ernor is fatal to its contention that 1t IS party
of reform. For Sheehan was so seriously COM
promised by the Assembly ceiling investigation
that # he had received his deSertS-such lnde-
niably was the public sentiment-he would nave
been retired in disgrace from public life two
wears ago. Last winter be again demonstrated
his gross unftness for public place. lie dehieu
the right of petition to respectable oouy oi
clergymen citizens of this State, who desired 10
place upon record their opposition to an ma
mons LIQUOR bill and he used his vote and IN
auence as Speaker to stite much -needed IN
yestigation of canal msmanagement. 1he con-
vention which nominated Sheehan, in order to
have been consistent ought to have resolved
that the great need of the hour is antl-reform.
II is fit and proper that such candidates should
he placed upon a platform which as whole
is tissue of abSuldities and false pretenceS
and which reads like one of those demagoglcal
stump State papers which Governor Hill has
been fond of transmitting to the Legislature
Mr.. Fassett and his associates on the Kepuo-
lican ticket have nothing TO fear from candidates
so weak or from platform so dishonest. The
Saratoga Convention has simply made the Re-
publican standard bearers stronger than ever
It's outcome has no other significance. Ihough
it does not bear his name it bears the stamp
of Hills methods, policy and system, in short
of Hillism, from beginning to end Ihe
men who nominated Flower have been Tor
years among the lowest of Hills creatures,
and arc thoroughly trained and adept in his
WAYS. 1t remains to be seen just how the Gov
ernor and Grover Cleveland will treat Mr..
Flowers candidacy. Doubtless both OF them
acutely realize that if the Doodle nominee should
conduct successful canvass he might prove a
formidable rival for the Presidential nomination.
The immediate friends of the two R!chmonds
already in the field are not engaged this year
in getting next years nomination for Mr.
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