om rival general committees had presented
themselves in 1868, the State convention, rather than intrust the
reorganisation to the State committee, appointed a special committee
for the purpose, and when, in 1869, that committee made its report,
the State convention resolved that the general committee of 1870
should thereafter be the regular and the only organisation. Nor was
that all. When a resolution was introduced in the State convention of
1870 to give the State committee power to interfere with the general
committee, the convention frowned and peremptorily dismissed it.
Neither did the State committee, Greeley continued, take anything by
analogy. County committees had never assumed to dissolve or reorganise
assembly or district committees, nor had the power ever been conceded
them, since assembly and district committees were paramount to county
committees. But aside from this the general committee had other and
greater powers than those of county committees, for the State
convention in 1863, in 1866, and again in 1869 ordered that Republican
electors in each city and assembly district should be enrolled into
associations, delegates from each of which composed the general
committee. No such power was conceded to county committees.[1297]

[Footnote 1297: New York _Tribune_, March 3 and May 2, 1871.]

Although this statement seemed to negative its jurisdiction to
interfere, the State committee, exposing the real reason for its
action, based its right to proceed on the existence of improper
practices, claiming that certain officers and members of the Greeley
and district committees held positions in city departments under the
control of Tammany, and that when members of Republican associations
were discharged from federal offices by reason of Democratic
affiliations, they were promptly appointed to places under Democratic
officials.[1298] To this the Greeley committee replied that Republicans
holding municipal offices did so under a custom growing out of mixed
commissions of Republicans and Democrats, which divided certain places
between the two parties--a custom as old as the party itself, and one
that had received the sanction of its best men. Indeed, it continued,
George Opdyke, a member of the State committee, had himself, when
mayor, appointed well-known Democrats on condition that Republicans
should share the minor offices,[1299] and a Republican governor and
Senate, in placing a Tammany official at the head of