Year: 1875

ers and the adyeuturers are all swarming 10
Washington Each candidate has his friends
and each hour brings with it a new flock of
rumors. We do not pretend to say how u
will end. Mr. Randall's strength makes him
lead the campaign, but it is just possible
that il may be weakened by the officiousness
of his friends" He represents the back
bone Of the democratic party. If he is sup
ported judiciously upon his merits as man,
his conceded efficiency as Speaker, and the
| skill he showed in leading the democratic mi
nority of the House against the Force bill last
session, he will be elected. Mr.. Kerr came
into the canvass with the positive strength
that always attaches to a man Of convictions.
But his campaign is injured by one or two
influences. We have the indiscreet zeal of his
friends" also, who vaunt him as the only
honest democrat in Congress, vaunt
strengthened by the World in its
extraordinary assertion that if he
is elected he ''would add five hundred thou
sand votes to the democratic ballot boxes of
next November" Mr. Kerr is also injured
by the fact that his nomination is pressed by
the friends" of Governor Tilden. These
gentlemen believe that Western Speaker is
necessary to elect Governor Tilden to the
Presidency To make that election sure the
Speakership should go to the West. In
other words, the claims of all the democrats
of the East, of men like Cox and Walker
and Hewitt and Wood and Randall and
others, to the recognition which would
naturally be given them by an unprejudiced
party, are to be thrown aside to strengthen
the possible chances of probable candidate
for the Presidency. This course is marked
with so much selfshness on the part of the
friends of Governor Tilden that it naturally
excites resentment. The democrats of the
East, and Of New York especially, say, and
say truly that while they are willing to
consider the claims Of Governor Tilden to
the Presidential Office when the time comes
to nominate q candidate, they do not
think them so absorbing and paramount
as to justify the overthrow of every ambi-
tion and every well-earned promotion which
belongs to other democrats especially those
representing these Eastern States. There
fore, so far as Mr. Kerr S nomination is the re-
suit of the ambition of Tilden and the resolu-
tion of the Governors friends to destroy
every leading democrat whose promotion
may in any possible event interfere with him,
it has injured Mr.. Kerr Democrats, es-
pecially Congressman, after all are human,
very human. They have their hopes and
their aims they do not care to be marched
up to the block and have their heads taken
off one by one in democratic caucus either
in Washington or elsewhere to strengthen
the doubtful candidacy of a democratic
leader


1t is this fact that has done more to throw
the rank and file of the democratic party in
Congress with Mr.. Randall than anything
else. Then we have had the argument dill
gently forced upon the country that the
election Of Mr. Kerr will be tribute to
man of unusual honesty The country
says if the democratic party in its
''tidal wave" triumph was not powerful
enough to elect men who would be free
from jobs and corruption men without sin
gle exception honest and worthy, and if in
this, the first caucus of the democratic ma
iority, it is to be assumed that honesty is so
rare quality that its conspicuous rep
resentative must be made Speaker, then that
party will not retain the confidence of the
country Other members will resent the
imputation thus thrown upon them by the
arguments Of the friends" of Mr.. Kerr. This
especially when they see this imputation
strengthened by the declaration of the World
that Mr.. Kerr rs one Of the men whose cleo
ton by the House for its Speaker would add
five hundred thousand votes to the demo-
cratic ballot boxes Of next November" If
the House Of Representatives, by the election
of Mr.. Kerr as Speaker, indorses the state
ment Of the World, it puts the stigma of sus-
picion and incapacity upon every can
didate who has been named for the
Speakership with the exception Of
Mr.. Kern. II throws upon the coming
| House the inputation Of havingsin its coun-
spicuous members, who could not be elected
to the Speakership Of the House without
driving from the party flag half million Of
votes. If we understand the human nature
Of members of Congress they will not be
willing to indorse by their vote any such
/ declaration.


Beyond and above this we have the baneful
influence Of Tammany Hall Now we are
told by the wise men of the democratic party
that Tammany Hall has nothing to do with
the Speakership. Well, let us see about
that Tammany Hall has been striving to
control the nominations for the Presidency
and the legislation Of the country since the
time Of Aaron Burr Tammany Hall as
sisted Aaron Burr in his conspiracy to throw
ont Jefferson from the Presidency by an
intrigue. If he had succeeded in that almost
successful scheme we should have had the
most desperate, audacious scoundrel in
hrnfnrr- a La rr