Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-11
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.

MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
of the Grant, Me cCann-Croker Rowan
Actors Great Misrnke-A Metropolitan
Fiend Who is Helping the MiIliners.
rFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
THERE was never a time, perhaps, in the
history of New York City when more
sensationally mix ed state Of affairs existed than
exists to-day. No. not even when the war on
Boss Tweed was at its height. At that time
there were tangible facts and figures on which
to base conclusions. Now we have nothing but
personal charges and counter-charges, news
paper vituperation, mud-slinging opinions and
general political deviltry. II the people out
side of New York pay any attention to this
thing, they must be at once greatly puzzled by
the situation and shocked at our horrible de-
pravitv. Taken at our own estimate OF our
selves, as evidenced by our leading journals,
we are generally and individually, politically
and socially the very worst set of liars. thieves,
blackmailers, robbers and exoteric rascals out
of prism.
The casual readers of the New York papers
have merry time of it between the Grant
McCann-Croker, the Hilton World the Cleve-
land Sum- World and similar sensational stuff
of the week. That is. if the casual reader at
tempts TO read all sides of these things. The
exhaustion of the vocabulary of epithets was
for decent New York nobody of any conse-
Quence believes our ruling class Is half as pad
as it is painted by itself. Perhaps but very
small minority read anything beyond the head
lines
The Milk In the Coconnuf.
Now, what is beneath all of this McCann-
Grant row?
First-Two wings of Tammany Hall, each
fighting for control of that organization.
Second-The County Democracy against both
wings of Tammany.
Third-The Fassett Republican machine
against the County and Tammany Democracy.
Fourth-A disappointed political striker
named McCann, who was a wigwam man for
revenue only.
Flfth-Last and greatest. two women, sisters.
wives of Informer Mccain and Chief Sachem
Richard Croker, respectively, the latter's wife
especially upon whom rests the responsibility
of the whole scandal. She is the celebrated
traditional woman in the case. On a woman
apparently at outs with her husband and in
with her brother-in-law, the entire hearsay evil
dence of McCann against Grant is founded.
Sixth-Summed up with judicial fairness, the
whole thing it seems to me, resolves itself into
the question, involving the $4,000 given by rich
the daughter Of his warmest friend, Sachem
Richard Croker. Does the public official rela-
tlon with the private we have nothing to do)
between official Grant and political boss Croker
make it offensive to public taste, and inde-
fensible in public morals to make such q pres
ent to Mr.. Croker's child, or thus indirectly to
Mr.. Croker hlmselfT Answer that, and you
have the full extent of Mayor Grants terrible
ofense. For my part, l do not see why Grant
hasn't the same right in such a matter while
Mayor as he would unQuestionably have had as
q fa aTHT II rha nrfFf from
Croker to Grant, 1t would be quite different
thing.
Funny Stage Editor.
THAT histrion1c statesman, Mr.. Louis Aldrich,
is playing this week at Palmer's in piece
which he calls ''The Editor" and of which he
claims to be joint author. 1 was curious to see
Mr.. Aldrich in "The Editor from my knowl-
edge of his contempt for newspapers in general
and editors in particular. Aldrich is q rather
clever actor, but has figured during the past
year more extensively as the leader of little
school of his profession that desires to shut out
foreign actors, foreign scenery and everything
that pertains to the stage from competition
with the American profession. Aldrich went
down to Washington on such an errand last
summer as the Chairman of a self-constituted
committee of this body Of American actors to
lobby with the Treasury Department. be-
lieve he succeeded in getting decision against
the Introduction of lot of scenery by Wilson
Barrett that was coming in as tools OF trade
under former rules of the department 1t
would have been a soft snap for the thousands
of actors out of job to be seen on Broadway
every summer if the Aldrich scheme had
worked. Fortunately for the American pub
lie, which wants to see the best plays and the
best performers, this little band of high pro-
tectionists did not succeed.
In conversation with Mr.. Aldrich last
summer he inveighed heavily against the
American newspaper press for its treatment OF
his profession. He made the remarkable
statement that he would rather the newspapers
should say nothing whatever about the plays |
and players. He felt particularly grieved at
the prices charged for theatrical advertising
in the city of New York, and thought that it |
would be better for hls profession if they never
used a newspaper at all as a means of reaching
the public but stuck to posters and litho-
graphs This struck me as very funny at the
time, and told Mr.. Aldrich that If it were not
for the newspapers he would have never been
heard Of and the same would apply to the
majority of his profession. In my opinion
the newspapers form the right and left
hands and head, too, of the stage, and
without it the dramatic profession
would be armless and headless. Still 1 recog-
nize the right of Mr.. Aldrch and other actors
and play-wliters to differ with me in this re-
specr. This will prepare you for the statement
that in his new play, Mr.. Aldrich has given to |
us such an editor as was never heard of on the
earth or under the earth The title role is |
modelled more on the conception of CHARLES |
Dickens in his American notes than upon any |
thing in real American life. The rest of the |
play is stolen bit by bit from other pieces. The |
appears to draw pretty well here, |
though that is not an indication of a successful
play. have seen pieces run week after week |
in New York which couldn't stand two con- |
secutive nights in any inland city of the Union.
The floating popul atio on and the reputation of |
certain theaters in New York are enough to |
give fair houses to almost anything.
THE dress destroyer is again abroad in New |
York. Whoeverit1 Is, he or she has created |
greater CONSERVATION among the fair sex than
would be created by the advent of Jack the |
Ripper. And it is quite enough to throw woman
kind into panic. To feel that night at the |
OPERA or a stroll down Broadway, or an after |
moons shopping may result in the ruin of a |
on which days of laborious thought |
and weeks of preparation, to say nothing of |
good round sum of money, have been ex-
pended, is enough to disturb the mental bal
ance of almost any lady. When she happens
to be one Of the many who can afford but one
really nice costume for the season the solic1-
tude is still greater. What in the world any
human being finds enjoyable in haunting theater
obbes. crowded shops and sidewalks with a
bottle of acid or ink and distributing the con-
tents over the skirts of the best dressed women
is marvel. Yet that some
body does enjoy it is evidenced bv the ruined
dresses of scores of New York ladies recently.
1t is scarcely possible that such miscreants
could be working on a salary or commission
from the women tailors and dressmakers,
though pure malice would seem to be an inade-
luate reason. The police have several times
thought they had the man-Ihey think it is a
the slight lntermission of safety that
follows one OF these onSlaughtS is regularly |
broken by fresh trail of ink and acid in some
other section. Naturally enough. the theatrical
and shopkeepers on whose premises
these depredations occur, do their best to con-
zeal the facts, since once admitted it would
M than SOnI2 W, |