New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-20
TO GOVERNOR NORTON.

TO GOVERNOR MORTON.
From the beginning of your administrator"
Governor-indeed from the first mention Oh your
name for the office you now hoid-Ihe tribune
has given YOU credit for good intentions. III
has not been blind worshipper, to De sure pu'
it has not failed to award You praise lor Tue
service you have rendered the Republican par!
and the cause of good government, municipai
reform and honest politics. with which ana 1or
which the party must stand or 1aii' lha, STR
vice has not been small. 1t has been or the
greatest importance, and it has been the more
appreciated because of the peculiar emDarraSS
mcnts in which YOU have been placed by the
circumstances preceding and attending your
nomination. 1t has criticised with the faithful
ness of a friend what have seemed TO be mis-
takes in your policy. These have been chiefly
in the matter Of appointments, and It's criticism
has been tempered by the charitable reflection
| that in making them You have been anlma'"d
as much by sincere desire TO heal differences
| and promote harmony in the party as to redeem
| in official patronage the obligations you con
| ceived yourself TO be under for the past ana
prospective services of the self-consituted lead
ers who surrounded sou and made themselves
barriers against the approach of those whom
| friends
| The Tribune has never been under any HUI
| sion regarding your candidacy for the Presi-
| dency Through It's manifold sources OF com
municaton with the politicians who brought
about the action Of the last State Convention
| in that behalf, as we'll as from its facilities for
| gaining trustworthy intelligence concerning the
currents Of public opinion, 1t was enabled to
| weigh that action ntelligently. and measure, as
it believes with some accuracy, both the mo-
tives Of its promoters and the public judgment
regarding them 1t was very high compliment
to you personally and formal recognition OF
the merits of your administration. 1t was cheer
fully and unanimously accorded, and TO your
great credit be it said. without solicitation on
your part The Tribune cordially approved It.
1t put you before the Republican party Of the
country in the attitude of one who had by n
| satisfactory and successful administration as
| Governor entitled himself to the confidence Of
his party to such an extent as 20 be placed by
| the party's unanimous vote in the list of Presi-
| dental candidates Nor was there any doubt
at that time that in the early blllotings in the
| National Convention, and until the lines were
| fairly drawn between candidates of greater Ma
tional reputation and more conspicuous renOwn,
| YOU would receive the unanimous support OF
| the State delegation That did not imply, how
ever. that either the managing politicians or an
intelligent public seriously entertained the idea
that your nomination was probable or hardly
possible. 1t was intended as a compliment, and
not an empty or unmcanlng compliment either;
for it had the great significance Of being the
highest possible tribute to your personal popl-
larity and the excellence Of your administration.
You should have so taken it, and been content
to round out your public career with such an
Endorsement Had you followed the dictates Of
your own good judgment instead of selfseek-
ing and bad advisers we believe you would have
done So But under their advice you have
chosen to take it too seriously, and. submitting
yourself to their direction, to make an active and
aggressive campaign. They have led you into
| several bad mistakes 1t was not wise, for
| instance, to send such men in your name
were sent through the South TO influence South
ern delegations. Had Mr. Depew or Warner
Miller or Frank HiScock gone on this mission, II
would have taken on high character and nc
question would have been raised as to the nature
| Of the arguments they presented. No scandal
would have then been possible. But you know
| who did go. One of them was drawing pay
from the State while thus engaged and the
. | others were men whose names alone were
enough to convey to those who know them 4
clear and definite knowledge Of the sort
| Of argument they might be expected to use
That a serious blunder, and has done you
much harm. Not as to your Presidential pros
| poets, but to your own reputation a pure
minded statesman and upright citizen Fol
, though we do not for an instant credit the in
timation that this embassy was sent on sucf
: an errand with your personal knowledge. III,
r shadow of 1t falls your good name, since i
| was Ostensibly undertaken in your interest
Z much more serious blunder has been com
e mitted In your trusting yourself so entirely t.
r the guidance and dictation Of faction in th.
. county, the leader of which has publicly pro
5 / claimed that you will as Governor not only ap
{ prove bills whose sole intent is to strengthen
that faction. but that you will actively co-operat,
, with the leaders in so executing the provision
\ Of those proposed laws as to build up grca
| political machine in this county, under who's
. domination it's opponents-the so-called bette
element'-will hardly know they ever existed
You could not help but know that these mel
r | were banking on their assumed power owe
|. YOU md their absolute control Of your action
= You have done nothing to contradict this as
, SUMPTION nothing whatever that could be b.
, the largest stretch Of charity construed as al
, assertion OF independence. You know as wei
that the methods by which these men game
, | and hold their control Of the county organiza
l | tion are much worse than "smart" politics; tina
g they are both brutal and lawless; In violatio
Q | Of the statutes and of common decency. 70
8 know by general repute what manner OF me
I they are and how they stand In the community
: i And you know. for you cannot help knowing