New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-08
LOOK TO THE COUNTY COMMITTEE

planing with much volubility the causes which
oneratcd to defeat the Urion ticket on Tuesday
that they are leaving out OF consideration one or
tho most imporant factors in the situation. That
Is that the Republican County Committee does
NOT enioy the confidence Of the Republican
marty Mr. Lauterbach admits with much frank
moss that the committee was unable 10 raise
money enough to meet the necessary election
oxnensos II Is common rlmor that the sum
total Of contributions made TO the committee
u,os loss than S6O0-an utterly inadequate
omount But Mr.. Lauterbach, without stopping
10 thin, that the natural inference from this
circumstance is by no means complimentary
10 the committee, proceeds to criticise prom
inont Republicans who have heretofore been
liberal contributors to campaign FUNDS Tor nav
inc withheld their contributions this year from
the County Committee. He also charges inc
Committee OF Fifty with breach OF faith In the
non-fulfilment of promises, which he alleges they
made, TO furnish the necessary funcs TOT cam
palcn expenses in case he and his associates
on the committee would consent to fusion. III
NAV he remarked right here that the distinguish
inc feature of Mr.. Lauterbachs administration
has been the frequency and perslstency Win
which prominent Republicans have broken faith
with him. The temptation to break faith with
him seems TO be so irresistible that wellknown
citizens. whose integrity has never been I'M
pcached. fall down before it and indulge In all
sorts of treachey and deceit in dealing with
him. from mere ordinary lying to bunco-steerlng
and foollng him with gold bricks.
II does not appear TO have occurred to Mr.
Lauterbach that in the mind OF the average
man. listening TO his complaint that neither we'll
known Republicans nor the Committee OF Fifty
contributed adequately 10 the campaign funds
upon which the Republican County Committee
depended TO conduct It's work. the question
would naturally arise why there should be this
uncommon hesitation and reluctance. Nor has
1t occurred TO him, apparently, that the only an
swer to the inquiry is simple, easy and some
what significant. Another thing which Mr..
Lauterbach has apparently lost sight of is that
the rafting comments made by his associates
in the committee upon their failure TO get what
they demanded, the threats they uttered and the
denuncations Of the Fusion ticket in which they
freely INDUCED furnished a complete justfca-
ton for the Republicans who declined TO make
their contributions directly TO the committee, ana
the Committee Of Fifty, who In apporhoning
the funds in their hands limited the committee
TO an amount sufficient to cover the necessary
expenses Of Election Day. If there We're any
votes lost for the Union ticket on Tuesday they
were only those Of the merccnary hangers-on,
"heelers" and workers., who clrcumvent the
laws against bribery by taking pay from party
committees for "instructng voters and other
such feeble devices. They were the fellows who
threatened to "cut the liver out OF the ticket
because money was not forthcoming the night
before election. 1t may be that they did, and
thar Mr.. Lautcrbach Is correct in attributng the
local defeat to lack of money with which to
buy these fellows and keep them In line. III
so. it can only be said that the defeat was
thousand times more honorable and more useful
in the end than victory gained in any other
way would have been
Another of Mr.. Lauterbach's philosophic re-
Elections on the causes OF defeat Is that 1t was
owing to the adoption by Republicans OF the
Union ticket There will be no more such fool
ishness hereafter, he says. We shall go back TO
straight tickets. Shall we, indeed? 1t occurs to
us that il is a trfe early to be laying down
with such positiveness rules for the conduct Of
the party year hence. 1t may or may not
seem wise in November, 1896, to nominate a
straight Republican municipal ticket. The Trib-
me prefers 10 wait until the development OF
nolitical conditions shall make the line Of duty
and Of policy little palmer. Many things may
bappcn in the next twelvemOnth TO change the
situation But we have no hesitation in saying
that nothing has happened in the late campaign
or in its results that can furnish any sound
argument for change in the policy which the
Republican party Of this county has pursued in
municipal affairs at the last two elections. The
I ,,tta pha oh nd tntn
favor a straight Republican municipal ticket are
so obvious that they need not be dwelt upon
1t is upon strict party lines and with straight
party tickets that most Of the political dealing
has been done which for many years has been
source of profit to few Republicans and
cause for shame TO the many. These leaders
wanted straight ticket this year. and every
body knows why 1t was because they wanted
TO put on it Kerwin. Murray and Van Colt
Suppose they had effected 1t instead Of being
inveged into the support Of the Union ticket
as Mr. Lautcrbach says. by the false promises
of the Committee Of Fifty. What would have
been the result: Does Mr.. Lauterbach or any
body else suppose that ticket with either Of
these men on ii would have pollel $1,000 votes?
The defeat would have been overwhelming and
the disgrace wenigh irrerievable. And the
County Committee, which complains now that IL
was not Trusted directly with more Than 5000
would hardly have been able 10 raise So much
as that for its campaign expenses.
No; the truth is that the executive body of the
Republican party Of this county has not the CON
fdence Of the party. 1t is not trusted by any
body. And 1t does not seem to be guided by
sufficient intelligence 10 keep from publishing
The fact that II is not and has not been trusted.
II airs the fact and sets il up as a grievance
And its chairman announces as his conclusion