Republican Recriminations.

The Cortland News, Friday, November 17, 1882. F. G. Kinney, editor.

The Election.

   Complete semi-official returns are now being received from the counties in New York State, and in nearly every instance they either decrease Mr. Folger's vote or increase Mr. Cleveland's. Only eight counties in the State have given majorities for the Republican candidate for Governor, and footings of the latest figures at hand show a majority for Grover Cleveland of over 190,000. The Congressional delegation is 21 Democrats and 13 Republicans. In the Assembly the lower house now stands 84 Democrats and 44 Republicans. In the House of Representatives of the Forty-eighth Congress the Democrats will number 201 and the Republicans 124.

THE RULE OR RUIN COMBINATION.

   The members of the Standard Ring which has just succeeded, by joining with the Democracy, in defeating the Republican party in this county, are now seeking to draw attention from the villainy of their own acts by crying out that "popular indignation has crushed the Ring that has controlled the Republican party.”

   Let us see about this. Had any Ring controlled the Republican party, or had not, rather, the Republican party risen above the control of a Ring which has now struck it down out of revenge? For several weeks before the convention the Standard Ring had its meetings, sometimes at the Standard office and sometimes at Geo. Waters' office, and agreed upon a combination or slate which it thought would surely control the convention and make certain the nominations agreed upon.

   Clinton, of Harford, was slated for Member as it was thought he would bring in the strength of Harford and Lapeer. Dennison, of Truxton, was slated for Sheriff to capture Truxton and Cuyler and assist in the capture of Homer and Taylor. Harrington was put down for Clerk and was expected to bring in the Cincinnatus and Solon delegates and with Dennison's help make sure of Taylor. Pierce was slated for District Attorney and was to capture Homer and Willett, and assist Clinton in Lapeer. The matter of Superintendent of the Poor was left for general utility—to put where it would do the most good. Although Pierce carried Homer and telegraphed the result to Clinton, who fixed things for the slate in Harford to the detriment of Mr. Surdam—the Harford candidate for Sheriff—the combination failed to work. Dennison was not allowed to name the delegates in Truxton and Cuyler, as those towns were favorable to Bushby for Clerk, while Taylor came to help nominate Borthwick tor Sheriff, and Willett had a candidate for District Attorney—Mr. Burlingame.

   The Ring was desperate and resorted to the despicable plan of carrying Cortland by tissue ballots—a plot inaugurated at the Standard office, but discovered in time to be played back on its originators as the only means of protection against it. The ninety delegates came together—six from each town—with their conflicting interests in favor of the many different candidates for the different offices. No Ring could control them and the slate of the Standard Ring was broken. That Ring sought to prejudice the convention by raising the cry of fraud in the Cortland caucus, but when it appeared that the Standard was largely responsible for that fraud, it there was any, it found no favor. As the vote of the contesting delegates could not affect the result, the proposition was made to throw them all out, but the Standard Ring opposed it, and for the sake of harmony the convention decided to let both contesting delegations sit, with half a vote each, and recommended measures which would prevent a repetition of the trouble.

   The convention went on in the usual way, submitting to no control or dictation. That its work was well done is unquestioned. The Republicanism, integrity or ability of any nominee has not been attacked. But the baffled Ring—all the members of the combination that failed to control the convention—again met at George Waters' office, made a compact with the Democrats, and raised the mad-dog cry of "Ring " upon the Republicans who stood by the convention and the party. Though a majority of the party has ratified the action of the convention, the Standard Ring added to the Democracy has been able to defeat the candidates, the Ring furnishing the mud and the Democrats paying the bills.

   Clinton's friends say that if Clinton had been nominated he would have been elected. This is a compliment to Mr. Gage's friends and shows the bad faith of the Ring cry of Clinton's friends. It is the same as it Mr. Clinton's friends should say: "If Mr. Clinton had been nominated we would have declared the convention pure, and we know Mr. Gage's friends are not bolters."

   Harrington's friends say, in effect, that "if Harrington had been nominated the ticket would have been elected for they would then have seen no harm in the tissue ballots they originated, and Bushby and his friends would not have bolted." So we might follow through the list of names of those whose plots failed to carry the convention, and show the groundlessness and falsity of the Ring cry with which they have insulted the delegates and hoodwinked the people.

   The men who have stood by the party now stand stronger in the party than ever before, and the party alone has been crippled. This the bolters know and they intended to strike the party, for their congratulations were for the Democrats elected and their condolence was for the Democratic candidate for Sheriff who was defeated. They had no congratulation for Borthwick who was on their ticket before election, but not on election day. They sought his and Hiscock's defeat, for it was the party they were striking at over the shoulders of the men they abused.

[Filler] Advice to capitalists: Invest in Confederate bonds; they are on the rise. [reference to election victory of Democrats—CC editor]

HYPOCRISY.

   Now that election is over, what shall be said of those who, like Elder Putnam, have, under the cloak of religion and temperance, helped to bring about a result so disastrous, not only to religion and temperance, but to morality as well? Those men went in with their eyes open, willfully intending to accomplish the very result which has been brought about, in a great measure, by their efforts. They knew the men and cannot now even plead that they were acting in good faith but were deceived. They have accomplished the defeat of Charles W, Gage, a practical, outspoken temperance man, a business man full of enterprise, generous to all objects which tend to improve society and build up communities.

   In his place they have accomplished the election of a Bourbon Democrat, of conservative aristocratic tendencies, which did not sufficiently commend him to the laboring men of his party to keep him up with his State ticket. With men of his stamp the people are liable to lose all the legislation in favor of temperance which the Republicans have put upon the statute books in the last twenty-five years, for he believes in license and opposes prohibition. The same men tried to secure his election last year by the same means of interposing a third candidate, and their acts this year were premeditated.

   For County Clerk they have elected another Bourbon Democrat, a former member of the Kelly county committee during the double-headed management of the Democracy in this county. They have recommended him as a temperance roan knowing him to be otherwise. Whisky flowed at his expense in the no license town of Cortland to celebrate his election and its triumph over temperance.

   For another important office, having the censorship of the morals of the county, they have elected a loudmouthed reviler of all things holy, a scoffer at morality; one whose blasphemies against Christianity would shock Ingersoll or Bennett. His accusation of criminals would be a parody on Justice—Satan rebuking Sin. To do this, they defeated a believer in the Christianity, which Elder. Putnam professes a member of his own church.

   There is no need of going farther.

THE TRIUMPH OF THE RINGS.

   The disgraceful and wicked Ring which has been a nuisance to this county for several years, and which has annually met at the Standard office or some of its annexes to plan deviltry against the Republican party, has this year triumphed—such men as R. W. Bourne and I. H. Palmer can be considered a triumph.

   This year they met at George Waters' office without any preliminaries of election by any constituency; otherwise they could not have met. They nominated George at request of the Democrats, as that was thought to be the better way to elect Dr. Nelson. They put Borthwick on with the understanding that they should drop and slaughter him in the last days, and then they put the Democratic nominees on for the rest.

   From the same place, through Elder Putnam, who belongs to the Ring and was in the plot, they made a Temperance ticket of the same names except that they substituted Cotton for Borthwick, as it was under that pretence that the agreement to slaughter Borthwick was to be carried out.

   With this organization, supplied with funds from the Democratic committee, they have done the dirty work of the Democrats. That it has been dirty and wicked no one will deny, and that is the subject of their rejoicing, for they have gained nothing else but revenge. Every candidate elected is a Democrat except Borthwick, who discovered their treachery barely in time to save himself by the aid of Democratic votes.

   Election night they met at George Waters' office. George was enthroned on a chair set on the table, with Ben. Wright for Vice. Pierce and Elder Arnold were chief shouters, while Place and Harrington rejoiced over the prospect of "spoil." Tarbell played the clown, and Hollenbeck was there to give a little character to the crowd. B. B. Jones, Irving Palmer, Riley Champlin and other Democrats leered in the background. The wonder was—and with the Democrats the joke was—what these fellows were rejoicing over.

   Wednesday night the Democrats celebrated the victory and had the decency to do it by themselves, rejecting with scorn the request of the Ring to be allowed to join them. The Ring will do only for dirty work, and should not be allowed to associate even with Democrats—a fitting reward.

   That is its triumph.

   [Filler] If Mr. Cleveland is the honest man he has been painted, there is trouble ahead for the Democratic party. Tammany Hall and John Kelly won't stand it.