The herald., 1898-12-09
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9 9 WILLIAM II. ROBERTSON a
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The death of William H. Robertson of
New York calls to mind some notable incl
dents'in political history. Robertson was a
prominent and influential man in what is
called the Westchester district, just above
New York City. He was a shrewd and in
dustrious politician and personally popular
among the bucolic population. For several
terms he was representative in congress
and became warm friend of James G..
Blaine. Robertson was man of solid tai
ents and independent character
He naturally rebeled against the auto
cratic methods of Roscoe Conkling, who was
the head and front of the stalwarts of the
Republican party. Robertson was the
Hampden of the dissentients known as the
half-breeds, though George William Curtis
and Chauncey NJ. Depew were the Ruperts
In 1880 Conkling and the stalwarts origi
mated the candidacy of General Grant for a
third term. As is usual the New York state
delegation elected four delegates at large
and each congressional district elected two
The state convention assumed the preroga-
tive of instructing the district delegates as
well as those at large, to vote as majority
of the state delegation should dictate. A
large majority of the delegates were favor
able to the candidacy of General Grant. Ros
Arthur and James ID. Warren were dele
gates at large and all were supporters oil
Grant.
Robertson denied the power OF the state
convention to instruct the district delegates,
and he engineered bolt which carried away
twenty of the seventy delegates which com
posed the strength of the delegation in the
national convention. 1t was no secret that
this was done under the manipulation of
Blaine. | was member of the Republican
national convention held at Chicago in 1880,
and remember when the first vote of New
York was cast. Conkiing said fifty for Gen
eral Grant and twenty said to be for Mr..
Blaine. Under the lead of Robertson the
twenty remained firm ard continuously
voted for Blaine, except two, who were Fed
eral office holders ana voted for Sherman
until the last ballot when the whole twenty
voted for Garfield.
This action made Robertson marked man
and singled him out for the vengeance OF
lConkling and the stalwarts The election
having gone for Garfield and Arthur,
Thomas c. Platt communicated with the
half-breeds secretly and succeeded in being
elected to the senate ostenslbly as stalwart.
lConkling to demoralize him, telegraphed
and ironically congratulated him on not
being obliged to apologize for being stall
wart.
Blaine having been selected for secretary
of state, felt under obligations to remember
Robertson in the distribution of admlnistra'
ton favors What should be done tor Rob-
ertson became burning question with both
Blaine and Conkling.
Garfield had the impression that a contest
with Conkling was inevitable. He abstained
from making recommendations and his con-
versation on the subject of patronage was
practically confined to expressions OF oppo-
sition to recognition of Robertson. Conk.
ling, however, anticipated that Garfield
might feel under obligations to Robertson
for the twenty votes, given him by the New
York delegation, and hence he said to Gar
field: IF you feel obliged to do something
for Robertson send him abroad and when
his name comes up for confirmation in the
senate will go into the cloak room and hold
nv nose" From what had been said to him
Garfield believed that Robertson 5 confirma-
ton would be supported by Platt for any
thing below a cabinet portfolio.
Believing, as l have said that contest
with Conking was unavoidable. Garfield
adopted the plan of taking support from
Conkling by appointing New y York stawarts
to office. He made Thomas L. James post
mastergeneral, Elmer second assistant
postmaster-general, Tenney attorney for the
eastern, and Woodtord attorney for the
southern judicial districts, Payne marshal
for the southern and McDougal for the
northern district; Pearson postmaster OF
New York City, and Craig OF Albany, and
Charles A. Gould collector of customs of the
Buffalo district. These men were all stal.
warts and had been supporters of Conkling,
though he had recommended none of them
Not knowing what all this meant, Blaine
became alarmed, and said all that James A
Garfield had to do to turn the state OF
New York absolutely over to Roscoe Conk-
ling was to give him the first postmaster
generalship, who appointed all the postmas
tiers below the grade which required sena-
torial confirmation.
Garfield intended to do something for
Robertson, but just what he had not de
termined General Merritt was collector ot
customs at New York, but he had two
wears vet to serve and he did not belong TO
the Conking faction. After what had been
done for the stalwarts, Blaine determined
that something heroic should be done for
the halfbreeds. He proposed that Robert
son should be made collector of customs at
New York, which would be the severest
blow that could be given Conkling, and un-
less it was done he threatened to resign
from the state department. He rallied to
his support all of the anti-Conkling men
of the nation, who literally flooded Garfield
with kilograms which declared that the
administration would be wrecked and the
Republican party ruined unless Conkling
was sat down upon.
Precipitately Garfield yielded to the pres.
sure and sent Robertson's name to the sen
ate for collector The result the world
knows. 1t caused Conklng to resign from
the senate and to pass into political oblivion
and Garfield to be the victim of pistol
shot from an unbalanced assassin.
| was guest at the White House all that
time, and state that of which / was person.
ally cognizant. / have had experiences in
the ugly politics of the south during the re-
construction period and | aver | never wit
messed anything more malicious in spirit
that the assaults upon the administration
by the servitors of Conkling, especially after
they were reinforced by the star reuters
after Garfelds order that the frauds in the
mail carrying service should be investigated
The attacks upon him in the newspapers, on
the streets and in the hotels were beyond
doubt what inspired Guiteau to commit
his horrible crime. But the act can in no
way be traced to Conkling, for no man alb
borred violence more than he. His battles