New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-11
1y"tST0yISHtDr COMMITTEE

The funniest farce 10y all odds that was
ever put upon any stage Is the one that mas
been bubbliug and tuctuatlng i'll an intcrmit-
tent sort of way for the past two or three
months under the name of Democratic kcOr-
ganlzati0n. of course everybody knows thht
the objective point of this complicated and
mvsterious movement is Tammany Hall. The
puIuOse of the ReOrganlzerS IL either to get
control of TammaIly and its machinery or
break it up as a political organization. That l.
well understood. But til" way they 20 mine
ing around, looking in every direction except
the one where they mean business, ignoring
Tammany entirely iii they get their mines
dug aud traps set; the innocence and sim
plcity with which they invite Iammany ont
to n little dance over their tOlpcdOrs; and
the apparent surprise with which they hear
that Tammany il not now dancing much in
the omen air-arc all too funny for anything.
Here is this Committee of One Hundred,
made I'd of members Of various Anti-1am-
many factions who have united for the sole
purpose OF breaking down the power OF Tam
many Hail. Having completed their Orgauzd
ton in such way that the Tammany faction,
if they should want to come INTO 1t with their
heads under their arms, would have no show
except as hewcrs of wood and drawers of
water, they went through the solemn form OF
inviting themselves, by the names of the va
rious factions they belonged to, to unite in
new organization. AT the same time
with mrufficd check they invited Tam
many TO come in. On Wednesday
night they met to hear the replies
to their invitations. Irving Hall, which is ono
of the aliases of the Committee of 0ne Hun
dred, sent itself a simperng acceptance, which
was listened to with ludicrOus gravity. b ut
Tammany sent in several yards of recent DO
liical history, with "reminiscences Of Il most
offensive character, and Mt tho end of the
recital placed its thumb to its nose and
waved its regrets from the tips of its hutter-
ing fingers. ThereupOn the Hundred Commit
tee opened their eyes very wide and puckercd
their mouths into a round o of surprise, and
betoOk themselves to resolving. They re-
solved that they were "astOnished." The sick
hon could hardly have been more sur
prised when the fox declined to come into his
cave because he had observed tho tracks in
front o. it were all one way. The Hundred
were 50 overcome with astOnshmcnt Mt the
refusal of Tammany to walk into their trap
that they referred the matter to Sub-Com-
lnlttce OF lWenIy-Onc, anu lbdt OuD-C OHlmlttVp
is doubtless chewing on it at this moment.
But the gravity with which they resolved that
they were astonlshcdr was comlca to the
last degree.
! And what funny performance il all is.
Let us rccapItulate briefly. The war between
Tammany and Ant-Tammany eliminated in
1879, when Tammany, having offered its
utimatum and been dcieacd boltcd. Since
then peace between the two great factions
has been impossible There was a Sullcn sort
of truce for a few months, during which each
charged the other with pcrtidy, and at it, close
the fight for Il funeral" broke ont with
renewed energy. Tammany insisted that
Hancock would have been elected if the Anti
| Tammany factions had cordially supported
him, and the Auti-Tammany factions.
with equal if not greater strenuous
ness, charged the defeat upon the
trickery and treacheIy of Tammauy. There
has been some shaking up of the mach ines
considerable crossing over and changing places
but 1t is the old fight OF Tammany and Anti
| Tammany. All the processes Of disinte0ra