Year: 1879




Blaine's New York Reception-Pauper
Voters-Theologica Strength of Tam
many Hall-Character OF Tilden's Sup
porters-The Kelly Ticket.


NEW YORK, Oct. 9th, 1879.
One of the significant indications of the deep
interest taken in politics this year is tn large
attendance at all the Republican meetings


that are held. The weekly gatherings at
Cooper Institute have all been densely
crowded, and great many more went to them
than could get in. Mr.. Evarts, you know, is
not stranger to New York audiences. 1t is
not so pleasant to hear his speeches as to read
them. His voice is not melodious, and many
of his sentences are so long that it is difficult
sometimes to remember the beginning till he
gets to the end of them. Still, he always has
plenty of good things to say and is sure to draw
great audiences. The large hall was jammed
full of people on the night of the 21st inst,
when he delivered his long promised address,
and if there had been twice as much room it
would all have been occupied The accom-
plished Secretary made one of his very best
efforts. There is no milk and water about his
Republicanism now. There is generally a
marked contrast between the opinions of a
man of affairs, an actual participant in the
scenes whereof he is descanting, and the views
of the literary recluse who dashes off from the
point of fluent pen trenchant criticisms upon
policies which he does not comprehend and
upon acts which seem to him to be obiectiona-
BILE, simply because he has no possible oppor-
tunities of acquainting himself of the motives
which prompted them. There have been oc-
casions when Mr.. Evarts has stood on the
same platform to pass Judgment upon the
measures of an administration of which he
was not member, and when his arguments
were fallacious because they were not based
upon an accurate knowledge of the facts of the


case he had in hand. But now he knows what
he is talking about and every thing he says is
opposite and in perfect accord with the historic
record. There is strength and vigor in his pre-
sentation of the Republican creed, and he will
bring good many votes to the State ticket.


The attitude of the President and his two
principal cabinet officers in reference to the
New York canvass, is highly commendable
and patriotic They have shown real practical
good sense in giving hearty support to the
candidates of the party. Their course is an
emphatic rebuke of the querulous malcontents
who have been making frantic effort to cre-
ate diversion in the ranks upon frivolous and
inconsequent issues. Surely if they have no fault
to find with the action of the State convention,
the superservceable followers who have sought
to make disturbance in their name are left
without excuse for their ill., timed endeavors to
get up a conspiracy. Mr.. Evarts's ridicule Of
the amateur reformers who seem to have i'm
agined they were doing the Administration
service by organizing miniature bolt, was in
his best vein. 1t was cruel, but after all it was
no more than they deserved, and on the whole
it was compliment to them that he should
have noticed them at all, for they are by no
means formidable either in numbers or influ.


enee.


Mr.. Blaine's appearance upon the stage
little in advance of the orator OF the evening
was the signal for tremendous outburst of
welcome, and vociferous demands for a speech.


When Mr.. Evarts did finish, the calls were
renewed with so much JUNCTION that the Maine
statesman found it impossible to resist them.
His remarks were very brief, but he succeeded
in crowding as much solid common sense into
his compact and clear cut sentences as was
ever compressed within an equal compass 1t
was most admirable finish of an unusually
choice evenings entertainment. An occasion
will probably be made before the close of the
canvass to give our citizens an opportunity to
hear from your Senator more at length. The
merchants are intending to convene meeting
and invite him to address them on the 31st
inst.


Every year the question comes up whether
certain inmates of Bellevue Hospital, servants
and attendants of the establishment who were
originally transferred thither from the work
house or aims house, and have remained after
they got we'll, doing chores and the like for
their board, receiving no pay, were entitled to
register from that institution and vote. The
question depends mainly upon whether they
are paupers or not. Judge Donahue of the
Supreme Court, has just decided that they are
not pau pers, and that their ballots must be re-
ceived in the district in which the Hospital is
located. The decisions of this particular Judge
are so seldom right and so often in fragrant de-
fance of common sense that this one will not
change anybody's mind as to the merits of the
case. The men unquestionably are paupers,
for they have no visible means of support and
derive their subsistence exclusively from pub
lie charity. There are not many OF them-a
hundred or two-and the bulk of them are
likely to vote for Kelly, and won't therefore
do the Republicans much harm this year.
But the eagerness with which they are pressed
into service shows what methods the Demo.
Gratis will resort to for the purpose of in
creasing their poll lists The hardship of CIV
ing these fellows voice in affairs falls with
the greatest severity upon the Taxpayers.
Every vote they throw counts exactly as much
as that of the heaviest contributor to the City
Treasury, and they can always be calculated
upon to favor lavish expenditures and oppose
every form of retrenchment and economy.


At least four ffths of the Democrats of New
York are foreigners; three fifths of them are
Irishmen. Some of these were born here, but
they have the Celtic blood and characteristics
They are peculiarly clannish. They follow
the lead of their party chiefs and their spiritual
guides with unquestioning obedience. Mr..
Kelly has such hold upon these people that it
will be extremely difficult to detach them from
his support. He represents them quite as well
from the theological as the political point of
view. His standing as churchman is high.
He is bound to the Cardinal by family ties,
having married his niece. The power of the
church in politics is very potent whenever it
is exercised. That it will be in this campaign,
quietly but effectively, there is little reason to
doubt. 1t is worth while to take this element
into account in estimating the strength Of
Tammany HALL When so many of the faith
full are already predsposed in favor of Kelly,
word from the Cardinal would be of great SER
vice to him on election day. Ecclesiastical in
fuence can be brought to bear upon voters in
such way as to prove effective without being