Year: 1879

Tammany's Protest.


denomination of Governor Robinson, which
appears in another column. must be ad-
mitted even by the supporters OF the Gov
ernor to be forcible document. 1t is
calm and temperate in tone, concise and
clear in language, and succeeds in showing
that the opposition which has arisen to Mr.
Robinson's denomination is neither simply
factious nor unreasonable.


1t must have, we should think, at least
the effect upon those democrats in the in
terror who have hitherto held aloof from
the quarrel, of convincing them that it is
not judicious to renominate the Governor.
The protest is the more likely to produce
this effect because it does not in the least
even squint ut any general opposition it
does not propose war upon anybody and
in this particular we are glad that Mr..
Kelly and the other Tammany leaders have
been we'll advised.


TO renominate Governor Robinson in the
face of such protest, coming from large
and we'll organized body of the party. would



the election. 1t cannot justly be claimed
by Mr. Robinson's friends that he is
the only man in the party worthy to
be Governor, or that he has what
might be called prescriptive right
to the nomination. In making q nomina-
tion the general sense of party is always
supposed to be consulted, and common
prudence would say that even an unreason-
able objection to any one candidate, if it
were made beforehand and by considerable
portion of the party, ought for the sake of
success to be respected. Much more does
such an objection claim regard when it is
supported in the manner of this protest.


We take it for granted that this will end
the plan for the Governors denomination.
It will certainly do SO if Mr.. Kelly and
those who are acting with him shall con-
duct their business in the Convention in as
moderate and inoffensive spirit as their
protest discloses. What Tammany wants,
and what all the democrats of the State
want, is harmony, because that is necessary
tosuccess. But mutual Cancellation is indis-
pensable to harmony. Tammany is on
strong ground when it objects to one can
didate out of many; it would step on weak
ground if it should in addition appear as
insisting upon another candidate out of
many. Mr.. Kelly may have his favorite
for the Governorship; but he must
be willing to give him up un-
less the Convention adopts him unani-
mously and with cordial agreement on all
sides. His opponents cannot deny that he
has SO far acted in an entirely frank way.
Tammany has given fair and timely notice
of it's objections to q single candidate; that
cannot be called factious or impracticable.
for it would be ridiculous to hold that the
democrats of New York city ought. not to
have O voice in the selection of a candidate
who cannot hope for election without their
votes.


Nor will it be forgotten by many dem
ocrats in the interior that the people who
have insisted upon the denomination of
Governor Robinson are they who in this city
last fall made bargain with the repub-
licans in order to defeat their own party.
That kind of bargain is not merely con-
trary to party usage. but it is in
furious to the public interests, be-
cause it introduces confusion in the public
business, as we have all seen in this case !;
and lessons in an important and mischiev-
Gus degree the responsibility of officials to
the people. Coalitions are almost always
corrupt and always corrupting; they lead
to the formation of rings and to selfish and
sinister attempts against the interests Of the
people. We hope we are not to see another
such bargain this fall.