Year: 1877

FERENCE IN PoLIrIcs-soUTHERNERs LIKE THE
ORDER.


IBr TELEGRAPH TO THR rRIBUrB.I
WASHINGTON, June 25.-The Presidents views as
to the improperly of Federal ofice-hoders engaging
in the machine work of parties have not been
imbbed since he entered the White House. 1t is
interesting now recall the fact that while Governor
of Ohio he required A. Q. Wykoff, his Adjutant-
General to resign that Office when he took the
position of Chairman of the Republican State Com
mittee.


In conversing with personal friend lately, the
President spoke of an affair that to his own
knowledge, which illustrated the extent to which
the Federal officials sometimes interfere to control
the action of nominating conventions. In certain
city in which there is a cus0m-h house Congressional
nominating convention was not long ago held One
of the candidates had large majority of the dele
gates pledged TO him. and of felt certain of
the nomination. The convention met, and went
through the preliminary work of organization, and
was about to ballot, when a man in buggy
drove rapidly up to the door of the building.
He walked into the hall, stepped upon the
PLATFORM and held whispered conversation with
the chairman. A few delegates came forward and
engaged in the mysterious confab. AS soon ~ it
was motion made to adjourn aud was in
stantly declared carried by the chairman. The next
day when the convention reassembled the same per-
Torrance was repeated. The man in the buggy
drove up and the chairman adjourned the convention
after a whispered colloquy. The candidate
naturally annoyed at this proceeding, and inquired
who the individual who seemed to have the
power of preventing the convention from proceeding
with its work. He learned that he was an official in
the Custom-house dispatched by the Collector The
candidate waited upon the Collector and demanded
to know the meaning of this extraordinary per-
formance. The Collector told him very frankly that
it was necessary TO expend a certain of money,
which he named in order to carry tho district that
he doubted whether his visitor would DO able TO put
up that amount; and that consequently the Custom
house people looking around for wealthier
candidate. The expectant nominee satisfied the Col
lector that he had the money and was willing to
spend it, and when the convention rcassembled ho
was nominated without delay.


The politicians here talk about nothing else than
She Presidents order Most of them think 1T will
weaken the Republican party in the campaign oi the
coming Fall Others maintain that the elioct will
be beneficial, aud that any falling off in votes occa-
stoned by lack Of the usual efforts Of the office
holders Will be more than compensated fCr by gains
from class of people who will welcome the order
an honest eory i'll the direction of Purifying poll
ties. 1t is argued that the ntIiguca and eXerti0ns
of men IN Government pay disgust and drive away
from the Republican party more votes than they OBJ
tain. a Virginia Democrat discussing this subject
said to-day that he thought the order would 90 fur
ther toward breaking down the color lins in the
South than anything the President could nov DO.
The negroes in every locality are accustomed to
being organized by tine Federal ofhce-holders, and
the white people have come to regard the United
States Government a. inimOal 10 their interests be-
cause lis representatives constantly engage IN the
work Of keeping negroes together AZ solid body on
politics. "lf the oiiice-hoders refrain from further
efforts in this direction" remarked the VirgInian,
"the blacks viii soon dlve, G.l the white popua-
ton, no longer frightened by tire specter q feSro
supremacy, will also soon separate iDtO c1ntend'ng
parties.