Bowing Themselves Out

The earnest protest of the more respectable New York Republicana against the nomination of the "machine politiciaa" Cornell for Governor, having proved unavailing against Conkling's corrupt manipulation of the caucuses, au extensive bolt lias been organized which is spreading and growing more formidable every day until it is beginning to créate sometblnglikeapanic amongthe party leaders. ïhe journals which countenance the bolt and advise decent Republicans to "scratch" the ticket include such staunch and iiiiluential Republican papers as the Evvniny Post and Harper's Weekly. In consequence of some dissatisfaction with the outspoken e.'litorials of the latter, the editor, Mr. George Williarn Curtís, has sent a letter to the Republican organization in Richmond county resigning the presidency, in order to ascertainby ita acceptance or rejeetion whether tlie liepublicans of tliat county approvéd his position or not. Mr. Curtis has for a long time believed in reforming the party on the iiiside. I[e has vigorously protested against the insolence or Ocmklmg and the quality of politics ground out iy the machine. But at the late State convention at Syracuse, where he was welcomed with applaase, he let the machine do its work. Then he wrote a succession of editorials for Harper's Weekly, regretting the nomination of Cornell and advising respectable llepublicans to scratch him, but vote for the rest of the ticket "to save the party." Ilis course bas iiiled "loyal" Republican s witli aatonishment and anger. The expressions of ill-will in bis own county, where he has been regarded with respect and pride as a scholar and orator, were calculated to woünd him to the quick. But now he learns to bis dismay that liis resignation was almost unanimously accepted ! he Republicana do not want a scratcher at the head of a county ganization. Tlie following is Mr. Curtís' letter, and according to his' statements in the Weelky there are hundreds of Itepublicans in every county in the State who hold the same sentiment aad who vvillfollow his example in scratching Cornell's name f rom the ticket. II s the election of liobinson who is not a macliine politician in any sense, is assnred bevond doubt. Mr. Curtís says: My Dear Sik : I iim very sorry, as I w rote you gome time since, that I am unable to return to the island liefore the irth inst, and that 1 shall, therefore, be absent at the reassembling of the County Convention on the lltli. I regret my absence the more as I uuderstand that serious dissatisfaction has been expressed witli some recent a,rticles of mine in Harpers WeeJtly. These articles assert the rightand duty of every Kepublican to scratch the name of any candidate upon the ticket whose election he thinks would be injurious to tlie Kepublican cause, with the specific advice to exereise that right at the pending election. ïhis is -i I'-iiipi ulo ivlii(.l T li-ii-ii oIu-.j-ö al,(.iily advocated, for the-only effective way tliat 1 know in a Government like entra to correct and purify tbc management of parties lies in the independent action of the individual voter upon the nominations reeommended to Mm by a convention. To question this principie is to assert the doctrine wliicli was stated in its extreme and most odions f orm in the familiar phrase : "I would vote fortlie devil if he were regularly nominated." Regular nominations may be the result of intrigue, corruption and treachery, and as they are but recommendations, the individual voter must be encouraged to judge them for himself, and to disregard them when he is satisiied that they ought not to be supported. Any other doctrine than this seems to me to be unworthy of a party of freemen, and as I have said that it is one which I have always preached, I ought to add that it is one, also, which I have always practiced. That ! was a delégate to the late State Convention does not alïeet my right or my duty to assert this principie. If it be alleged that a delégate is bound by the action of the convention if he makes no protest- a preposition which I do not adniit- then it is enough to say that I protested in the rnanner which seemed to me to be wisest, by voting against the motion to make the nomination for the Governorship unanimous, a vote which was recognized by the President of the convention in declaring the mol ion carried. Of course, good faith is always supposed, and, as experience provea, delegates, for the sake of the party, will usually acqui esce in'the decisión of a convention But the theorv of a delegate's duty, as sometimes stated. would imply that when he is overruled as a delégate he is in every case bound, as a voter to support whathemay tbink tobeinjurious'to the party and to the public welfare. This seems to me to le neither eound Ilepublican nor American doctrine. It is with sincerest regretthat 1 have learned that recent expression of my views has deeply pained many Republican friends in Richmond County whose good opinión is very dear to me. But these friends, with whom my politica] association lias been so long coi tinued and so cordial, will understan that while 1 deplore my grave diffei erice of opinión, I can ask the assui anee of my Republicanism only froi my own eonscience. We may honesi Iy difieras to the methods by whic the cause is to be advanced, but kitherto, wilh-some natural difflerenoes ef view. there has been no Berioua misunderstandkig between as. ünder existing eiicumstances, howeyer, there ought to be no misapprehension whatever, and I beg, therefore, through yon, respectfully to offer my reslgnation as Chairman of the convention, that the members may have an opportunity of declaring wnether in their judgment the niterests of Uw party can better be promoted by Lts acceptance.