604 



NEW YORK. 



for Governor. There was a compromise ele- 

 ment of the party which favored the nomina- 

 tion of some men not identified with the fac- 

 tion contest, and with them the favorite for the 

 nomination was General James "W. Wadsworth. 



The Republican State Committee held a 

 meeting in New York city on the 2d of Au- 

 gust, to determine on the time and place of 

 holding the State Convention. The friends of 

 Governor Cornell were in favor of an early 

 convention, September 5th being the date pre- 

 ferred by them, but it was decided by a vote 

 of 18 to 14 to hold the convention on the 20th 

 of September. This was taken as indicating 

 the strength of the Governor with the State 

 Committee. It was decided to hold the con- 

 vention at Saratoga, the vote being 17 for that 

 place, 12 for Syracuse, and 3 for Rochester. 

 The committee voted unanimously to refund 

 to N. M. Curtis the $1,000 fine and his ex- 

 penses in defending himself in the prosecution 

 for collecting political contributions from pub- 

 lic employes, in case he should finally be com- 

 pelled to pay. 



The Anti-Monopoly organization displayed 

 considerable political activity during the year, 

 but exerted its influence without making nomi- 

 nations. It held conferences at Albany during 

 the session of the Legislature, chiefly for the 

 purpose of influencing action on the Railroad 

 Commission Bill, and the act as passed had its 

 approval. A meeting was held in New York 

 near the middle of August, at which a State 

 Committee was organized, and a call issued for 

 a State Convention to be held at Saratoga on 

 the 13th of September. 



Early in August efforts were made through 

 conferences and committees to secure the co- 

 operation in the approaching canvass of the 

 three Democratic factions of New York city 

 known as Tammany Hall, Irving Hall, and the 

 County Democracy. The Democratic State 

 Committee met at Saratoga on the 8th of Au- 

 gust, and decided to have the State Convention 

 held at Syracuse on the 21st of September. 

 The following resolution in the interest of 

 harmony was adopted by the committee : 



Resolved, That while this committee neither pos- 

 sesses nor will attempt to exercise any control over 

 the methods by which delegates to the ensuing State 

 Convention may be chosen in any Assembly district 

 of this State, and while it recognizes the supreme 

 power of the convention to pass upon the title of del- 

 egates to seats therein, we nevertheless express our 

 earnest desire that but one delegation, and that fully 

 representative in character, may be sent to such con- 

 vention to represent each Assembly district of the 

 State. We, therefore, respectfully appeal to all men 

 in the State professing to be Democrats, or sympa- 

 thizing with our purposes, and desiring victory in the 

 election, to use all honorable means to secure such 

 result. To this end we respectfully advise that such 

 electors unite in the same primaries or caucuses at a 

 place and time to be designated by the Assembly dis- 

 trict organization whose delegates were recognized by 

 and admitted to the State Convention of 1881, and 

 that the caucuses or primaries thus convened shall 

 select their own officers and appoint their own tell- 

 ers of election by the vote of the electors there as- 

 sembled. 



The following was also embodied in the call 

 for the convention : 



The Democratic electors of the State of New York, 

 and all others who desire to co-operate in a deter- 

 mined effort, at the ensuing election, to reform the 

 public service, and protect the people against the en- 

 croachments of those who are using public franchises 

 as if they were only private rights ; and all citizens 

 who are opposed to the unparalleled prodigality of 

 the Republican party, and to the continuance of the 

 present enormous and unnecessary taxation of the 

 labor and business of the country, are requested to 

 choose three delegates from each Assembly district to 

 represent them in a State Convention, to be held at 

 Albany on the 21st of September next, at twelve 

 o'clock, noon, for the purpose of nominating candi- 

 dates for State offices to be filled at the next election, 

 and to transact such other business as may properly 

 come before the convention. 



The first political convention actually held 

 was that of the Greenback-Labor party, which 

 took place at Albany on the 19th of July. 

 Epenetus Howe, of Tompkins County, was 

 nominated for Governor; James Allen, of 

 Kings, for Lieutenant-Governor ; L. J. McPar- 

 lin for Judge of the Court of Appeals ; and L. 

 G. McDonald, of Glens Falls, for Congress- 

 man-at-large. A platform was adopted re- 

 affirming the principles of the party, condemn- 

 ing the penal code and the system of contract 

 labor in prisons, demanding the election of all 

 public officers, including postmasters, and fa- 

 voring local self-government for all communi- 

 ties. It also contained the following declara- 

 tions: 



That all railroad and telegraph companies doing 

 business under the laws of this State, and which have 

 forfeited their chartered privileges as common carriers 

 by failing to provide suitable and speedy facilities for 

 transacting tneir business, should immediately be 

 taken possession of by the State, and operated for the 

 benefit of the people. That all persons employed by 

 such corporations should be liberally, justly^ and 

 promptly paid for their services, and that any inter- 

 ruption to business, resulting from failure on their 

 part to pay their operatives such rates, should deprive 

 such corporations of their chartered privileges. That 

 the stock and bonds of all railroad and telegraph com- 

 panies should be limited to the actual cost of construc- 

 tion and equipment. That any burden imposed on 

 commerce or travel to pay interest or dividends on 

 any excess of that amount is in violation of the funda- 

 mental law of public use which permits legislative 

 sanction authorizing the construction of railroads and 

 telegraphs. That no discriminating rates between in- 

 dividuals or communities should be allowed. That 

 the books of the companies representing such property 

 should be open to public inspection, and that com- 

 missioners should be elected by the people to carry 

 out these provisions. 



That incorporate capital which now holds absolute 

 control over the money, the highways, the public 

 lands, and the legislation of this State and country, 

 should be restricted in its power to purchase or con- 

 trol large tracts of land ; and, as this is a question ot 

 special interest to farmers as a matter of protection 

 to them we demand that all land owned by individ- 

 uals or corporations in excess of what is required for 

 their personal use, or for the transaction of their busi- 

 ness, should be taxed so as to render its ownership 

 valueless. 



A Labor Convention was held at Buffalo on 

 the 12th of September, but no nominations 

 were made. The resolutions adopted demand- 



