his meeting was held in New York City on October 10.
See New York papers of the 11th.]

[Footnote 1597: "The Utica _Republican_ is an aggressive sheet. It
calls George William Curtis 'the Apostle of Swash.'"--New York
_Tribune_, October 27.]

The campaign presented several confusing peculiarities. Governor
Robinson in his letter to a Tammany meeting refused to mention the
Democratic candidates, and Tilden, after returning from Europe,
expressed the belief in his serenade speech that "any nominations that
did not promise cooeperation in the reform policy which I had the
honour to inaugurate and which Governor Robinson is consummating will
be disowned by the Democratic masses."[1598] This was a body-blow to
the Ring. Its well-directed aim also struck the ticket with telling
effect, for its election involved the discontinuance of Fairchild's
spirited canal prosecutions. On the other hand, the adoption of the
recent amendment, substituting for the canal commission a
superintendent of public works to be appointed by the Governor, made
the election of Olcott and Seymour especially desirable, since it
would give Robinson and his reforms stronger support than Tilden had
in the State board. Yet it could not be denied that the success of the
Albany ticket would be construed as a defeat of Tilden's ascendency.

[Footnote 1598: _Ibid._, November 2.]

Similar confusion possessed the Republican mind. A large body of men,
resenting the Rochester convention's covert condemnation of the
President's policies, hesitated to vote for candidates whose victory
would be attributed to Republican opposition to the Administration.
This singular political situation made a very languid State campaign.
An extra session of Congress called Conkling to Washington, Tilden
retired to Gramercy Park, the German-Independent organisation limited
its canvass to the metropolis, and the candidates of neither ticket
got a patient hearing. Other causes contributed to the Republican
dulness. Old leaders became inactive and government officials refused
to give money because of their interpretation of the President's civil
service order, while rawness and indifference made newer leaders
inefficient. After the October collapse in Ohio conditions became
hopelessly discouraging.[1599] The tide set more heavily in favour of
the Democracy, and each discordant Republican element, increasing its
distrust, practically ceased work lest the other profit by it.

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