Year: 1875




Senator Copkling in New York Politics.


His Position On the Common School


Qaesiion-A Clear and sharp Issue


Made Between tho Republicans and


tho Confederate. Catholic Democracy


Warm Work Ahead-Etc.


New YORK, October 10, 1875


The mail will bring you the full report of
Senator Conkling's speech at Albany. 1t is
confined mostly to State issues, but one fea-
ture of the speech deals with leading and all
absorbing national issue. The State issues
are of interest because they have an indi-
rect bearing on the contest Of 1876. The
national issue having more direct bearing
on both State and national interests, will,
of course, prove most interesting to the
country at large. propose briefly to allude
in this letter to both sides of Mr.. Conkling's
speech. The position and influence of the
New York Senator justify me in thus sur
rendering this letter to him.


Before taking up the speech let us glance
at the Senator himself. Conklipg is cour-
ageous, pronounced, clear-headed, far
sighted Republican. Furthermore, he is a
warm and trusted friond of the national
administration. For these reasons his ut
terances are regarded with unusual interest
by political leaders Of all parties. The
advent of Conkling as popular leader in
the present campaign, therefore, to use q
common expression, means business" The
fact that he has concluded to enter the arena
of public debate is significant. The fact that
the people crowd to hear him is still more
significant. The fact that in his opening
speech, while dealing with purely local
questions, he steps aside to strike the key.
note of the great contest of 1876, shows that
there is warm work ahead if Conkling lives.
When he gives "notice" that the Republi.
can party will stand by the common schools
of Protestant Amerios, against all comers
now and hereafter" there is'a sweep given
to the issue now joined in New York which
embraces more than appears upon the sur
face.


In dealing with the purely local issues
involved in the present State canvass, Mr..
Conkling assumes the aggressive and makes
the accusation of fraud and corruption 80
plain against the so-called reformers of the
80 called Democracy that those gentlemen
will find it hard work to defend themselves
from the attack. The Performers" we're
not prepared for this. They expected to
see Conkling stand hat in hand and enter
upon long explanatory apology in behalf
ofthe party the President and himself. They
were, of course, amazed to find themselves
arraigued before the public and held to
strict accountability for their past
acts. We all know how foolish it
is for a man who lives in glass house
to throw stones. This folly is illustrated
in the case of Tammany thus turning re-
former, and Fernando Wood turning Con
servative." Conkling has demonstrated the
absolute absurdity of this Democratic make
pretense and the destruction of glass is con.
sequently, fearful. 1t is not necessary to
enter upon this portion of the debate in de.
tail. To do 80 would be to fill your paper
and these details after all could possess NO
great interest for the great majority of your
readers. 1t is when Mr.. Conkling strikes
the common school question that the heart
blood of this great canvass begins to stir
and beat, and throb and glow.


In reproducing this part of the Senator's
speech will give him the advantage of his
own language, correcting only such inac.
curacies as are plainly manifest upon the
face Of the printed report as it lies before
me.


EAT the foundation of safe and regulated
liberty and selt-government," said Mr..
Conkling, "lias popular education. The
common school is at once the bulwark and
corner stone of our national ediice. The
common school is for no one nationality or
scot, race or olass more than another. The
common school, is for the benefit of all, and
must be supported by the just taxation Of
all and maintained as q system one and
entire. The Republican State Convention
of New York, standing on this platform,
has entered protest against all attempts
by any scot to divide the school fund or to
divert 1t to sect tarian, race or class educa.
ton. In other States the Republicans have
taken the same ground, and the Repub-
lican party is thus pledged everywhere
throughout. the Union to guard and pro-
tect the common schools as the bulwark
of our liberties and national unity.
This attitude of the Republican party is
timely. 1t is devoutly to be hoped by all
good citizens that all religious issues may
be kept out of American politics, but while
this is OUT desire, we can not conceal from
ourselves the fact that movements are on
foot in which an alliance, dangerous to our
tree institutions. is sought between political
parties and religious creeds. We can
not longer close our eyes to the
fact that organized hostility to
our common school system ,s making its
appearance simultaneously in different
States. We see this in far of Texas. We
see it in other States of the South. We see
its developments in Ohio. We have seen
these same portentous developments in the
cities of this State and in the halls of our
Legislature. We see also that the Demo
cratic platform in this State is entirely
silent in regard to these facts and develop
ments. This silence is eminous. But this
silence of the Democratic party in regard
to the common school question should not
surprise us. 1t should teach the country
that the Republican party, and the Repub-
lican party alone, is to stand for the COM
mon school system of the United States.
We therefore put free schools on our
banner, and we mean to keep these words
there ag uOtice that the common aohOol