Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-24
GOTHAM GOSSIP.
OUR NEW FORK LETTER.

change IN us leadership anu III tho uie~
tribution of its patronage. Formerly
all orders were issued and patronage
distributed under the personal dictation
of John Kelly, the chairman Of the
Tammany General Committee. All
business presented to the committee
was first submitted to Mr.. Kelly, and
nothing could be done without his
sanction. The district leaders danced
attendance upon him at his office, and
were ruled with a rod Of iron. Now
all is changed. Tammany Hall is no
longer an absolute political monarchy.
It's government is based on the Swiss
system. The chairmen of the Assem-
bly, District General Committees meet
once week. Philip Henry DIgro, an
ex-congressman and young man Of
Knickerbocker lineage and highly re-
spected in character, presides. He has
swapping black eyes and weak voice.
The twenty-four district leaders at
these weekly meetings parcel out the
patronage in the county offices and az
range the business Of the General Com
mittee, which meets once a month.
Commissioner Croker, HughJ. Grant,
and John Scannell are said to be tri-
umyirate who keep the twenty-four
leaders in hand. Croker is the 0cta-
vius, Scannell the Mark Antony, and
Grant the Lepidus Of this triumvirate.
IL one Of the district leaders prove re-
fractory, his district committee is
mined, and he is blown sky-high. lie
invariably finds it to his personal interest
to coincide with the plans Of the
triumvirate. When necessary, the tri-
umvirate backs up leader in his fight
in the primaries, as was the case with
Colonel Wood, whose committee was
declared elected in the Twenty-fourth
district on poll Of thirty-odd ballots.
The ballot-box was carried of after
these votes were cast. and hundreds OF
Democrats opposed to Wood had no OPP
portunity to vote. But his committee
was recognized by Tammany Hall
through the manipulation of the undis-
puted district leaders.
To cover their work the district
leaders have reelected John Kelly
chairman of the General Committee de-
spite his illness, and to strengthen
themselves in the Tammany Society,
which has control of the Tammany
building, they are initiating seventy
new members at the beginning Of each
week. OF course the district leaders
have it in their power at any time to
down the triumvirate, but as long as
each has his share of the patronage it is
fair to assume that ne will be submiS-
sive. The new order OF things seems
to be more democratic than the one-man
power of last year. 1t brings the power
of control closer to the people, and
prevents the continual sloughing that
brought the party to its knees under
John Kelly's management. Charlie
f. Loew. who filled Kelly's place last
fall. was deposed from the nominal
leadership this year because his brother,
the Comptroller, has not given Tam
many any patronage in his office in full
filment of an agreement last fall. Charles
Z. Loew refused to head district com.
mittee and to appear in the Council OF
Twenty-four after his deposition, and
he has probably dropped ont of politics
for good.
The effect Of this new mode OF pOliti-
cal government will probably be shown
at the next State Convention.
a FINANCIAL LOOK.
One Of the features of the stock mar
ket this week has been the appearance
of Mr.. Rockefeller. of the Standard Oil
Company, as a big buyer of Union
Pacific and st. Paul. Some of his
friends appear to have joined him in
the movement. lie made considerable
money in bulling St. Paul last year, and
after the recent large decline considers il
the proper caper to take the long side
again. In fact, there is very little
money as a rule to be made in selling
stocks short at the present time. II
NAV be true, aS some Of the bears say
that the bull cliques wish to unload,
but they protect their stocks well, and
mete out pretty severe punishment to
those who have the temerity to 90 short
That is why it is to great extent mere
scalping market; that is, the tuctua
tons are as a rule only fractional. The
Vanderbilt-MOrgan party are possibly
not so largely interested on the bull
side as at one time, for they appear tC
have thrown over some Of their load al
large profit, yet they show more Of
less disposition TO stand by the market
and to undertake to tamper with it I'M
duly is about as dangerous as to at
tempt to pick fly from the hind leg o
a certain despised but very useful ami
NAL. If you operate at all, buy on the
breaks and sell on the rallies, and bt
quick about it. Addison Cammack
the doubling Thomas ofWall street, talk
bearish. lie is short to a considerable
extent in the judgment of the street
Hebreathes out fulminations against thu
market at that nightly resort Of the
brokers, the Windsor Hotel, but, like
Baron Woerishofler, he appears to bt
quietly selling his brokers to cover hi
sales. In the language of Wall street
the brokers Of both Of these gentlemen
have latterly been climbing fOl
stocks" There is believed to be {
large short interest in Delaware, Lack
awanna, and Western, and it woulC
not be surprising if Deacon Whit,
should once more squeeze the shorts
The betes nor of Wall street now ar,
the rumors of the cutting Of RAILROAD
freight rates, led by the pugnaciou
Baltimore and Ohio, and the in
jury to transportation business at tn
West by snow-blockades. The some
what cynical and high-living j. Pier
pont Morgan said: Read the news
papers for the news about the trunk
lines and the Baltimore and Ohio. They
seem to know it all. They are proba
bly, paid for what they are publishing
There is no change in the position o
the Baltimore and Ohio from what i
was before the agreement was made
The Baltimore and Ohio never siene,