The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-02
WHO'LL BE TAMMANY's Bossp
Gilroy, Purroy and Bourke Cochran
as Rivals for Cookers shoes.
lConNrinhf0

1ueill, oIoeF al One by one. they bloom
and fade, they pass out of sight after they
have lad their little day. The momeut a
politician rises to the dignity of boss-ship. a
blight seems to settle down upon him. He
is regarded askance by friend ami foe alike:
ne finds detractors everywhere; every
shadow conceals a lurking political foe.
His power is to him what the
hoarded gold is to the miser-
thing that demands his whole energies
ana vigilance to keep it from being stolen
away. Not voter walks along the street
who is not his master; not a heller who
cannot demand as right the most out
rageouS consideration. Yet SO long as your
boss steers clear of Office holding he is CON-
paratlvely safe, for it is one thing to pull
ths wires unseen, and quite another to stand
In the open and do the pulling.
When Richard Croker sailed away TO
Europe Tamnany Hall lost its fourth boss
IN twenty years Croker's tenure was the
orlefest OF all. Clancy, Tweed, and Kelly
all exercised dictatorial power longer than
Zoe youngest of the bosses. All four have
declared that their keenest sufferings were
inflicted by the ingratitude of those whom
they had helped from obscuritY to promi-
nence. 1t was lngratitude, many said, that
broke helly's heart; the same cause, they
now assert. has made Croker throw politics
TO the winds and seek rest and recup5ration
abroad. There is very general impression
tnat he Will never again WELD the gavel In
the councils of Tammany.
IL rs an open secret among the politicians
tnat there is an inner history to the resigna-
tlon by Mr.. Croker of the snug but useless
Office of Chamberlain, with its tempting
salary of S25, 900. When by its victory at
the last municipal election Tammany, like
the children of Israel, entered into posses
sion OF the promised land, including the
bulk OF the city offices and the vast patron
age OF forty odd millions, the battle
royal over the spoils began in good
earnest. One by one the departments
were subjected to the cleaning-out process,
the lncumbents being replaced by sous of the
Wlgwam. But the latest places were held
In reserve. When the Public Works-long
the perquisite of brilliant young boss who
died Of broken heart aud overlooking
combined-was captured few months ago,
the braves swarmed into The offices with the
aVldlty OF men who had bean long in
the political wilderness and were FAM
lshlng for the change. Thomas Gilroy,
Temmanvite of the old school, was made
commissioner. Next the police board was
Iammanyized es far as could be done with
out njuring friendly relations with political
allies. Then came the board Of police just
tices, and this was a rock upon which
Croker made shipwreck his plans and
ambitions. Justice Patterson, a republican,
was at the end OF his term, and it lay
with Mayor Grant to nominate his sue
cessor- The inner circles of politicians say
that Mr.. Croker had already pledged the
position to a man selected by q republican
leader, and that this pledge, as well as Others
of a similar character, the mayor refused TO
recognize. Unable to redeem his word, and
sick at heart as well as in body, Croker re-
signed. His deprivation Of absolute power
was the end Of his rule in Tammany.
Richard Croker has been little over
twenty years in politics. He came in early
in the seventies, and being a well-built and
likely youngstsr was a favorte with John
Kelly, who made the lad his special protege.
He was especially useful at primaries, and,
being a man Of action, and handy with his
fists, was quickly advanced At the greatest
crisis Of his life, when dark charge
hung over him. Kelly stood his friend.
A good deal Of the sunshine went out
of Dick Croker's life then, and never came
back again. He kept in the back ground
and learned his political lesson well. a poor
speaker, singularly simple in manner, but
intensely loyal he was always an adviser in
political councils, and came in contact with
such men as Augustus Schell Edward
kearney and Jordan L. Mott, the three mil
honaire supporters of the Wigwam.
Kelly, who never spoke of him
except as ''young Dick Croker"
pushed him along, and he filed the
Offices Of coroner and fire commissioner
When toe big chief died and the leadership
went a-begging, young Dickn was the
Qaintus Curtius who leaped into the gap.
He brought to the control of the wigwam
all of Kelly's resources without any of his
biunders. As years passed, he grew more
and more the counterpart of his familiar
predecessor-dark visaged, stubby bearded,
stern and reticent. Step by step he trod in
Kelly's path. He began to make
mayors, senators, assemblymen, and
even congressman. Applications for
office poured in upon him like
a flood. Men pointed at other men and de
clared that they "had been made by Gro
ker." He represented the old-jine Wigwam
politics; Mayor Grant the new. The latter
has drawn broad line against dictation in
his principal appointments, which Croker
could not fail to understand. When the
boss, seeing nothing left but the shadow Of
his supremacy, drew out of the fight and
left for Europe, his vacant Office was filed
almost before his chair was cold by the
mayors own appointee.
Who will 6e the next boss in Tammany?
For the time being Thomas F. Gilroy is
nominally the leader, but the indications
are that the mantle Of Croker will fail UPON
o her and stronger shoulders. Henry D.
Purroy and Bourke Cochran are the posi-
bilities-the first strong, vigorous poll
tician. and fire commissioner, a leader
with powerful folio wing who fought Tam
many for years; the other young,
cultured aud successful lawyer, a
Scotclman, a splendid orator, aud
notable figure at conventions, state
and national. Everybody in New York
knows Bourke Cochran. he represents the
young blood in politics, and even as a boss
would be an Improvement upon the aver
age, for bosses as a rule have been men who
would hardly cut a good figure in the best
society. He is warm friend of Mayor
Grant, and the breach in Iammany would
be healed by his accession to Croker's vacant
chair, if nothing else.
The boss-ship lies like ball at Bourke
Cochran's feet, to be taken 10 or kicked.
There are many who believe that he will
kick it far afield and let s)meb 0dy else do
the hugging Of an honor that is empty and
disappointing.
FORTUNE PLAYED THEM TRICK.
Fortune is slippery jade. | heard the
other day of shabby trick she played sew
eral gentlemen, among whom were no less
noted rersonages than two ex-governors of
Massachusetts,, Butler and Rics. A chem
list named Fell, residing in New York, had
made most remarkable discovery which
was apparently destined to revolutionizs
the leather industry. In experimenting
with tungstate of soda, he had applied it to
blotting paper, and the result was