New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-10
yUE r1ECTOF1L COLLEGE CAUCUS.

II will no doubt be said that the acton OF
tbe eminent statesmen composing the Electoral
College Of this state in passing resolutions APP
proying the candidacy Of that other eminent
Statesman the Hon Edward Murphy. jr., for
Iruitcd STATE, senator was unprecedented and
illtimed II may possibly be said that these
gentlemen were not elected delegates 10 SEN
at,rial caucus. and that even ii they were 1t
Was not good Judgment nor good taste 70
recommend for senator a candidate oil "hom
the gentleman who received their votes IL
Electors for President OF the United states
saws he is unfit for tho Office. Unpleasant per
sons Mugwumps, Anti-Snappcrs and SUCH VIII
Ina likely to crticise this action on the
ground that the mon chosen by the voters OF
thi, State 10 give formal expression to their
desire 10 seat Mr.. Grover Cleveland IN the
Presidential chair have while discharglng their
official duty in periunctory way overstepped
their legitimate functions IN order 10 put a
bent hin in the chair They will probably say
that ,choolboy tricks of this kind pass the
bounds Of playfulness; that they cannot be
laughed Of A a practical joke, but that they
show "A dopraved disposition and a bad heart.
But they should remember that we are in an
epoch making period. This was said several
times on the stump last fall. We are not only
br, aking preccdents a, in the nomination OF
Mr.. Cleveland for a third time against the
most violent opposition OF the delegates from
his own state we are making them as well.
Under the Democratic regime now In process
Of initiation old things are passing away and a
new order of things II coming in. little more
than year ago ono man was holding the oHce
Of Governor and United States Senator ut one
and the same time. A little later ono man took
il upon himself 10 revise and reverse the action
# the voters of tho State and constitute Il
legislative majority 1t was so popular move
that he was made Judge of the Court OF
Appeal, Tor it, Mr. Richard Croker. private
citizen Of this town, casts the vote Of its repre-
scn,a'vcs IN the Legislature, appoints the
legislative committees and names tho United
states Senator Mr.. Mclaughlin, private
citizen OF Brjoklyn. casts the vote of the mem
beers Of the Legislature from Kings County.
And Mr. Cleveland. who is still private clt-
zen. feels aggr.cycd and all his friends are
angry because n is not permitted to say who
snail or shall not be United States Senator.
II is not strange then that the Electoral Col
legc. the members OF which are VIGOROUSLY
,cloc ed because OF their stateSmanlike capac lty
for public affairs should ovcrwork their pre-
scrbcd narrow functions and establish another
new precedent in constituting themselves a
Democratic caucus for the nomination of a
Senator. Especially when the "honored chair
man. under whose wise, sagacous and brill
iant leadership they were elected, is a can
didate.
These gentlemen. finding that under the law
they had only two proper functions, one OF
which was to cast tho states electoral vote and
the other to select some leading statesman to
carry the vote to Washington. no doubt felt
that they had within them unused powers and
ncNcrcscd capacities for useful service to the
State that ought to be called into action. 80
they said let us devote a part OF our unspcnt
energies in nominating Murphy for Senator, and
they did it; for two reasons, distinctly stated
in "A Whereas" One was that " there does
not seem 10 be any candidate III opposition ;
the other that they believe " hc will be wise
counsellor and Il faithful supporter of President
Cleveland in all his sincere efforts for the pro-
molten of Democratic principles" Carping
critic, will perhaps sniff at that word " sin
ccrc" and intimate that it conveys Doubt, but
who will believe that any such idea ever en-
tered the minds Of the ingenious patriots VINO
adopted these concilatOIy and swcctly phraScd
resolutions?
The Electoral College on the whole acted
with great discretion. They anticipated the
action If the legislative caucus, TO be sure, and
advised the handicappng of Mr.. Cleveland but
they did not undertake TO elect a United States
senator themselves, or set themselves up
permanently as a Constitutional Convention.
II was very becoming in them to exercise so
much Self-reStraint
LIBERTY IN TIE PRESBYTERIAN CHCRCH.