New-York tribune., 1870-10-29
FISK. JR.. IN TAWMHNY.

Decidedly the most characteristic and memo
rabe feature of the Tammany demonstration
of Thursday evening was the speech of Col.
James Fisk, jr That distinguished military
civilian, after listening to the efforts of Horatio
Seymour, M. G. Kerr, James s. Thayer, and
others, was called out by the crowd and
inspired by his newborn enthusiasm for
Democracy to say
there's ANYBODY eIpn why I'm here wish bed DO 'o
never political meeting re7eiu life voted the Demo
circumstance be accounted for "
may. al the Tsmmany folks we'll associated with
Sweeny and others in buine Yet they've never taken
whether I'm Republican Democrat Everybody
tonight thought I'd too Its almighty
rainy night Democrats mind the RAIN never have been able
to understand why spoken about the 20 able
bodied upon the Erie Road I've wondered Thousand
hey speak night that they wanted the
But voei the Democratic ticket Iwan
going the they would MT ask only was drawn
thing ogh, by my desire Hoamn elected From TO-
doubt shall be good Democrat and vote regular three
times a day well a anybody Immense cheeingl"
We happen to be able to explain the phe-
nOmenon which has so knOtted the gallant
Colonel's brows and bewildered his brain, and
shall do it with our usual amiabity. And in
order that he may clearly comprehend the
situation, we shall use the language with which
he is familiar and which he cannot misunder-
stand.
Briefly, then, Col. James Fisk, ir., is I" on
the make" He means business" He has
"put up jobr-a very big job-one that can
only be "put through" by the aid of Legis-
lature, Judiciary and Governor. "That :
what IS the matter" Col. Fisk is entirely
candid and truthful in his averment that he
knows nothing whatever of politics, and has
hitherto taken no pains to learn. No doubt,
he much prefers the society of his ballet
| dancers and his stable-boys to stately and
! frigid communion with such mufis as HOratiO
Seymour and John Il. Hoffman. But busi-
/" ness before pleasure" He has got posses
sion-no matter how-of Fifty or Sixty Mil
lions worth of other folks property yielding,
under fair management, net revenue OF -Four
or Five Millions per annum, and he wants
to keep, use and enjoy it without paying over
any of the proceeds to the rightful owners.
TO do this requires science-political science
so Col. Fisk becomes politician, strictly in
the way of business. The long suffering stock
holders of Erie, seeing their property shrunk
under his management from Fifty to Twenty
! Millions while nothing is paid to them, would
be very likely to put him out at the next
election and try somebody else: so ne wants
an act passed to prevent any such trespass
on his manor. To this end, he makes Tweed
and Sweeny fellow Directors of Ene-with no
regard to their politics, but with a single
eye to busness-and Tweed slides through
the Legislature a bill, fair and simple
on its face, which will effect the de-
sired object. Hoffman, after some hesitation,
! is persuaded to sign the bill and justify its
passage, That bill, its objects, and its authors
are now on trial before the people of our State: :
Hoffman is about to be reelected or beaten
within a few days: so Col. Fisk, jr., becomes
a Democrat, strictly in the way of business
and without knowing or caring what are the
distinctive principles TO which he thus COM
mits himself. He only knows, or cares to
know, that Hoffman's election wins his "litte
"game:" what more does he want to know
AS the old song runs,
"Why should NJ ] love my loycf
Why shouldn't my love love mef
Col Fisk, jr., knows that Hoffman in the
Executive chair keeps him out of limbo, and
that suf1ces him.
| The combination now ruling us is largely
made up of Fisks. As Mr.. Calhoun tersely
put It, 1t is held together by "the cohesive
power OF public plunder." Some of them.
iike Oakley Hall, were Republicans 80 long az
'hcy couid AFFORD to keep conscience and
wouia dc Republicans to-day if they had not
no'nu something that paid better. They are in
raninahy nan for reasons closely akin TO
e'sAS, out without his candor in stating them.
Oakey'S principles, like Fisk's profits on his
gold-gambling, have "gone where the wood-
"bine twineth;" but he let's his acts tell tI,e
story unassisted by his words. He NAV in timc
be stirred by ambition up to ths DARN. 90