Year: 1879

democratic and particularly in Tammany
democratic circles, and is to. the effect that
Mr.. Kelly has determined to fight Mr..
Tilden and the Tilden and Robinson people
''to the DEATH" and without listening to
compromise or Cancellation; that he means
TO make the struggle decisive and final. SO
that either he or they shall perish politically
in it; and that he means to open this cam
paign by attacking Governor Robinson per-
sonally as well as politically, as he did In
his somewhat notorious conversation with
HERALD reporter several weeks Ago.


/ If the HERALD were democratic journal
it would protest vehemently against such a
suicidal policy. II the Herald were a
Tammany democratic journal and the next
friend of Mr. John Kelly it would warn
him anxiously against blunder which
must be fatal to him, and which would
prob ,bly be fatal to his party. We take'it
for granted that Mr.. Kelly wants his party
to carry the State in November. There
have been reports to 'the contrary
rumors that he had some sort Of
secret understanding with the re-
publicans, and that in fact he had
planned to pursue the same policy this
year ana in the State election which the
Tilden faction followed last year in the
city election; that, in short, he was making
a coalition with the'republicans. We have
not paid attention to this rumor, conoeiv-
ing it to come from Mr.. Kelly's opponents.
who are as ready to ascribe dubious and
evil motives to him as he is to them.


OF course if these rumors are founded ON
fact-if Mr. Kelly actually proposes to
hand over the State to the republicans, so
far as he can-we have nothing further to
say, except that we think it will be fatal
policy for him. But it, as we prefer to be-
lleve, and as, in fact, we do believe, he'sin-
corely and earnestly wishes the democratic
party to carry the State. then we frankly
tell him that he will make the
mistake of his life if he carries
out any such disorganizing plan as that
which report ascribes to him. He could
not afford to do this even if it were true
that Mr.. Tilden and the Tilden faction
were making an uncompromising warfare
on him: much less can he do so when the





made an important concession to him and
to Tammany, in giving up their own choice
as to the place where the State Convention
should be held, and voluntarily naming
Syracuse, which was one Of the two places
selected by Tammany. Whether this conces-.
sion was extorted, as the anti-Tuden jour-
nails are over-fond of suggesting, or whether
A.
shrewd, by which an astute man binds his
opponent to Cancellation, does not mat
ter. The fact is that, instead of standing
out for their own choice, the Tildcn men
in the State Committee themselves pro-
posed Syracuse, and by SO doing offered
opponents. When they did this they laid
an obligation on Mr.. Kelly and Tammany to
work for harmony; and they made it i'm
possible for him, without putting himself
outside of the pale OF his party, and what
is of moro Importance, without so far as in
him lies defeating his partysat one of the
most important elections ever held in the
State, to continue the warfare to the point
where he will make breach in the party
organization.


1t is understood that Mr.. Kelly's purpose
to reject all movements looking toward
Cancellation and harmony has become SO
generally known in the State as to lead to
a determined effort by democrats in the
interior to bring about a good understand
ing between the Tilden and Kelly factions.
Leading anti-Tilden men in the interior
have determined to labor with Mr.. Kelly to
this end. in order to prevent what they
plainly and rightly see would be fatal to
their party in November-a faction fight, in
which the demands of one side would be
of such nature as the other could not
be expected to accept.


We repeat that we do not credit the ru-
mors which have asserted that Mr. Kelly
had planned or is planning o coalition with
the republicans to give them the State in
November. This would lay him open to
the feshpots of New York than for tho sue
cess of his party this year in the State and
next year in the country. But he must see
that he cannot carry on ''war to the
death" against Mr.. Tilden without
exposing himself to just suspicious
OF party disloyalty, and of ulterior
and personal neutrality-suspicious. which
would destroy him, evea if they failed to
defeat his party. His decided and out
spoken opposition to Governor Robinsons
denomination has borne fruit. The Tilden
people. compelled to harmony, have volun-
tarily accepted syracuse as the place of
meeting of the State Convention. and have
openly given over their determination to
renominate Governor Robinson at all
hazards. That ought to be enough for Mr..
Kelly. Having succeeded SO far if he has
tact and good sense he will now use every
effofk ITO harmonize and solidify all the fac
tinna and nlannania q Of hic md h.,