New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-11
Tile SUPPRESSION or NELLY.

For little more than six years the world has
been looking with ever-increasinG wonder and
an interest akin to awe upon the process Of eX-
tinpmslting John Kelly and eliminating Tam
many Hall as an active force in politics. Very
few political enterprises have so long held
pnblic attention we do not remember any that
passed through so many and such varied
phases. or that gave such promise of coninu-
ance and pcrmanence. The suppression OF
John Kelly and the extinction of Tammany as "a
political power amount practically to the same
thing in the end, although the latest-born fac
ton of Democracy has divided the question and
set forth as its objective point the suppression
of Kelly and the preservation OF Iammany.
The three or four other Democratic parties Ill
the city make their fight against both Kelly
and Tammany under the banner CT what they
call Opposition to Bossism = Tammany being
the abstract and Kelly the concrete one repre-
sentng "B0ssism," and the other being
Boss" The Purroy. or Anti-Kelly, Tammany
Democracy have a purely personal grievance :;
they want to save Bossism but change the
Boss" The rest are laboring to sweep away
the whole concern, Boss " and Bossism,n
Kelly, TammaDy and all. Laboring to do It,
did we say l--they do it; they extinguish Kelly
and annihilate Tammany every few minutes,
and make announcement of it. Only Kelly
does not stay extinguishcd nor Tammany an
initiated They have 10 keep doing it over
and over. And this is one of the things that
lend such interest to the performance.
It was somewhere about 1875 that public at
tention began to be drawn 10 the impending
fate of Kelly and Tammany. There were
IA L., al, nd
upon a vital question: to wit, the division Of
official plumber. 1t ended in Kelly and Tam
many coming out in opposition to Tilden. who
was then in the height of his popularity AS sue
cessful leader The Iilden party gradually
withdrew from Iammany, joined the Irving
Hall party, aud announced that the days of
Kelly and TammanY were numbered. But
Kelly and Tammany kept right on just as
though the census had not been taken. Tney
opposed Tildcn's nomination III 1876. and again
il WAS announced that they had rung their
knell. But somehow they didn't die nor dis
solve. IIostltics were suspended during the
campaign; tor the moment the enterprise
halted. Soon after the election Of Governor
Robinson, the Tilden candidate, the quarrel
broke out afrcsh. Governor Robinson and Mr..
Kelly differed upon the great question OF Gum
blcton. They locked horns. Again it was
given out that it was all over with Kelly and
Tammany and that both would presently dis
appear. Instead of disappearing they kept on.
They sent delegates to the State Convention
with what was then called AN ultimatum " but
is now known ~ IN "ipse diXit' which was
that Governor Robinson should not he IcnOmi-
mated. But he was. Tammnny bolted and
nominated Kelly Thcn they said " This ends
Kelly and Tammany.' 1t didn't seem to, how
ever. At the National Convention they came
up smiling with full set Of delegates. They
were refused admission, and once more it Was
announced that they had received death-blOw
in the refusal of the National Convention to