New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-26
,bero are many others who do not Foremost

I. N.
am pretty familiar with the condition OF affairs Ia
the With District, or rather win tho laeu ,,a.
treachery to the party has prevailed There year @
Offences of that district. but have laborcl TO reform
the evils without violent rupture oil parry iv'aoms
1t seems utterly useless. however, TO bear longer
with oBren and his cohorts, ana inc une nas Snao
% stamp ou such practices as prevail rnrv natter
about which you asked me, | very wei rsncnoc, :
my interview with Mr. Thurbcr Al his request
assurances of loyalty to the Congress nomination IN
which Mr. Thurber was in crested WHICH fal Vih
and Win Districts concerned the leaders Mesc
loyal but in the With The candaa lV were osrnly
and shamecssy sold out Sreaalns only Tor my sse
deliberately that shall 4 p'GS cT 10 Unless
the County COMMITTEES takes decisive action 70 drive
out from It's ranks the man or men em's sx,, that
ioicracs such people. Patience no ISnsr the
virtue Il reform cannot nS ,e De h Ss dSfranchscd so
far as he Republican party Is concerned
Elihu Root speaks from an intimate kno"ieosc
of the subject when he says:
nations By he officers Of the party in the Win
District does harm than all the vO,C r,n n
ss s ss15S.ts do c Ss t sSSa IN a.s
destroys confidence generally in The good ram hoo OF
sands so sO Of yocs Repubcans ali over the city have
become ssed with such carnations .s sn any w Chance
Ter fair support and therefore VIII not T0,e an of
nm , y Not for 60 on regularly
said on, We must do OF two things-either
10 dscipiinc and punish the men who trade pp9 On
their official positions in the party j. oT" COM no
sfiiuon, but We viii find some way to remedy the
svil. and TO 10 It efcc,nay and at once; ..s os
Colonel George Bliss expressed his views "s
follows
The evidence which has come to my knowledSe can an
this and former years Of frauds Upon the Of bo ckot
6y Republicans in certain districts mas saSrse r rc
H.. has
order TO make such discipline effective there ouen, 10
be fur 9Sr sToRdme1 TO ' oSrsnncd Wick would
absolutely render any one expelled from ina organ.
zaon for refusing TO- support is onnc necSle
for membership forever unless. perhaps, The com
n n seemed wise TO do So give illustration
Of what / mean drawn from my own experience l
was myself expelled from the committee one TINE
10 be unworthy They sent me back again and |
sIsSt in nv ocfion bn Should have had no right
50 complain If the penalty had been Known pcioro-
Unless tho act of expulsion necessarily carries
some severe penalty along with it. 4 means prSa rae
o, the LAS election some Republican candidate was ps
deliberately and secretly sold out at the p polls by
of the County Committee. To cXpel them IN Dccein-
Der and take hcm back by new election IN January
or February is absurd.
Colonel S. " T. Cruger. chairman of the County
Committee when asked for his views on the topic,
answered:
DO not think it would be proper , for nn me to
hold As 10 anything further tqn a 4ry ov aGiTr
ycb 'h ejnnG hcore election and which was pub
listed in tho various papers
Walter Howe who was chairman OF the enroll
cnt committee from the county organization
which rcOrganzed The With Distinct las 'pting,
gives an account OF his lahors and discusses the
general subject of party management as follows:
In considering tho situation IN the With district,
Il necessary TO review briefly the history OF the
reorganization Of the Republican part In the city
Of during The last sGve9 or esS q geI the
party exercised more or less controlling influence I
until the power of this committee was elt to be too
great and under The mansge@enl OF Colonel mel. Ban
Difference to general wish OF representative Re-
I%cans thTouE9Sgt he city the legra aif
10 tie several Assembly Districts The city bad seen
,9a' se pay WAS run o5 5{ gc, ce czrD era
could not gain Representation IN The raiy conncit.
lhe CoWme, OF Eshic m 50 csl az OF %mGa
break down This central control. and their efforts
were partly crowned with success by subsequent
organization effected directly by the County Com
miiee. in accordance with which any one VINO oy
t,wsaf a Renahl,can. was assured that he could at
tend Republic primary and have MS vote counted
This radical change IN p2ry sdniniItralion re ,ss
i'r'rsry Election law Of that year, mainly through
the efforts OF Theodore Roosevelt ana nyscu aid INC
pci.on OF tho Republican Legislature; which law threw
81 law that prevailed in the case OF elections al the
tolls. since then the Republican :" machine q II
was formerly understood LAS ceased 10 exist ana the
Republican primaries In the cy OF New. YORK nave ave
ooen perfectly far. open and represent alive OF me
Os al . Teope u While Si e result has be od
nearly every disrict, there have been exceptions
Where intic wholesome machine discipline would
have doro power Of god. Tho County committee
lie XVIII District two wears ago, after charges pre-
lcred by Allen Ihondihc Rice and Robert Ray Hamil
county COMMITTEES for his open tlpachery TO Mr.
Rice. the Republican candidate for Congress In Tie
hgfNi AN 1.f n !
bis entire delegation were expelled from the County
Committee after fun hearing and a reenrolment
OF the district ordered.
Al the request Of Colonel cruger consented TO
Is sn b bn 81 sSrr s baP enromen Of o
Republicans Of that district: For SIX afternoons and
rolmenf and subsequert primary and six or seven
hundred Republicans enrolled freely and fairly.
Every man Who made the sole pledge that ." it was
bis present intention to act generally with the Re
publican Iarv' was placed on the roll and subse
puently permitted to cast vote for the delegates q
hr The result was that Mr. OBrien trlumphantly
grngs and " porsrs ard he emcDeed from his
temporary retirement the recognized leader Of the
Now this rapid summary Of the development of
The free primary Of the party shows, think clearly
ea q" rs in the c Of Ono
carried TO extremes results IN @bossism' tho Other
the remedy for "oBriepisms' Shall the Rcpnbiican
party step backward and conclude hat the free
Well, have no patent system to suggest have
great faith In oar present general plan OF orgalAa-
Hon Tho party eXacts pledges, and guarantees
free ballot and fair count to every Republican
gho seeks its primary offers himself for enrolment
a. a member of the party Eut when the party
Der obtains party leadership, it demands uncOu-
cnder My idea OF what should be done with he With
District Is MS would give me DELEGATES from that
trtachery with which they charged and OF which
nom private information obtained on election day
] have not the slightest doubt is proven, then I
would turn them all out OF the committee as they
were last year would then amend the bylaws and
rules that for The future and until the rules by
majority vote can be again changed delegate can
be received FROM the WIN District others IN Ike
situation. For National. state, and municipal cleo
lions, would man tie polls with sufficient force Of
u1isiwOithy Republicans whether belonging TO that
Committee. ! would have an adequate police pro
tcction for them, and would that, so far as the
Mhnla Of the RcnmLlLcan nariY OF The E.aa Is