The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-23
ROUND ABOUTIN GOTHAM
WHAT Is TALKED OF DURING THE
EARLY DOG DAYS.

Croker's Real Condition-Neurasth
MIA ana Politics-rhe Labor Situa-
tion-A Million for Strikes-wom en-
as Census Eumerators-The Snug
Cling Dudes-WM the City Absorb
Its Environsq
NEW York, June 21.-His trip to Eu-
rope and his treatment at the Wiesbaden
baths have lifted the shadow of death a
little from Richard Croker, but the Tam
many chief is still a very sick man. 1t is of
less consequence TO his family what he shall
say TO the investigating committee in reply
to the charges made by his brother-in- law,
McCann, than that the stricken leader
should be left alone in peace and given
chance for his life saw him for
a moment. three days after his arrival
To any one who knew him year ago, and
who had marked his firm, springy step and
the square-set shoulders and kindling eve
under the jetty brows, there was story Of
sudden decay In the dull orbs. the puffy
face-though bronzed trihe by tho sea
air-the trembling hands and the halting
and almost intirm gait. 1t will be a sur
prise to many, who know all the facts of
his condition, II Croker ever takes part in
another campaign.
Neurasthenia, the disease from which he
suffers, is declared by our leading medical
men to be peculiar to this country. 1t is
almost unknown abroad. Moreover, It
atllicts only certain class, 90 per cent. of
its victims being politicians, although it
occasionally seizes great speculator or
railroad king. Its victims are men on whose
shoulders lie great burdens of RESPONSE
blllty and who are constantly under the
harrow Of a severe nervous strain, such
as is inseparable from political manage
ment Large, easy, lymphatic men sue
cumb quite as speedily as thin, nervous
individuals; there seems to be no discrimi-
nation. The symptoms are irritation,
sleeplessness, chronic stomach weakness and
lassitude, the sufferer after each attack
being as limp as "a wet rag" and his nerves
all on edge, like the machinery of clock
that has been Jared. Disappolntments and
successes or reverses affect the victim
equally. Stubborn John Kelly died Of
it; witty Sunset Cox's demise was
hastened by the same insidious ailment; the
eloquent Oliver T. Morton Of Indiana,
Horace Greeley, Johnny O'Brien, Dan
Manning and Robert Garrett, all displayed
in marked degree the symptoms OF the
disease that is the forerunner of paralysis,
unless checked by proper treatment and an
absolute withdrawal from all excitement
Blaine had a touch of it, too, at one time
but had the strength of will to pull up Ia
time to save himself. Those who suffer
uncomplainlngly. and who try to shake 1t
of by plunging into still deeper excite
ment, never round out their lives. Such is
the verdict of science regarding this strange
malady that affects only political bosses and
money magnates OF course Croker may
recover. He Is still a comparatively young
man-much younger than Henry d. Purroy,
his rival in Tammany, who is similarly
afflicted, and who has also been compelled
to pull out" of politics for time. But a
man Of his logged nature would rather die
than be put on the shelf just as he had
reached the hight of his ambition.
Croker, like Purroy, is a man who has no
scruples in politics, and who is intensely
jealous at any blow at his influence In his
own fashion. 1t is this jealousy more than
the pending investigation that has brought
him home, almost at the peril of his life
The Tammany leaders from Tweed's time
till now have all been men of this narrow
moral stripe, whose ruling passion has been
to make their personal influence paramount
This is the very essence of the lone man
power" in New York politics-a condition
that carries with it the elements
of ultimate defeat. When a man sets
up for boss he invites attack
from every quarter, but more particularly
from his own organization, and 1t is from
thence, and not from the legitimate foe,
that his deathblow comes. Croker has no
fear Whatever Of Investigation. Whatever
the result, it would only affect him as IL
augmented or destroyed his influence In
Tammany. A long political career makes
man obtuse morally with greater certainty
than anufhinar al in fI{u ~
worst, If driven into retirement, he will be
very far from poor man" for the last ten
years Of his life have been improved so we'll
that he will be quite able to live the rest Of
his natural existence without any danger of
becoming charity patient, as some few
noted local politicians have done before him.
Census Superintendent Charles II. Muir
ray, in his efforts TO count the million and
three-quarters Of people in this big town,
has been having lots of fun, and particu-
larly with his staff of women enumerators
The old adage that woman is her own bit
terest foe has been comically illustrated q
score OF times in the experiences Of these
census ladies. There were about dozen of
them altogether, and every one, without ex-
ception, had a parrot-end-monkey time Of
ii in the district she was canvassing. A
few went about it dressed In plain business
bUylbhs DuJ bHoT6 WoTb Otu5Tb VINO b0OuKup
their temporary commissions from Uncle
Sam afforded the opportunity to shine
resplendent and dazzle the eyes of those un-
fortunate other folks they were to enumer-
ate. So they went at It rigged out In the
swellest way and determined to carry their
districts by a tour de force.
One of these swell enumerators was a
dashing blonde of English extraction. She
was TO canvass a certain district on the east
side, not at all an aristocratic quarter, either.
She came upon the place like q sunburst
and fairly took away the breath from the
Italians and Germans in the tenements,
who set her down successfully as a bogus
directory worker, a book canvasser, and a
pretty buncoist. She had hard time of
it, and cried a good deal after the first
days work, but she stuck to 1t. Indeed,
all the women did. Another is a smart
young person, who had till a few weeks ago
been employed by firm as canvasser for a
volume OF war stories, which she had man
aged very artfully to sell to nearly every
politician at the city hall and to a large
number of susceptible brokers on Wall
street as well. She had very exciting
time Of it, and / suppose hers is a fair
sample of the experience of tho other petit
coated enumerators.
"The only trouble was with the women, .
she explained to me. "There were a good
many stores and offices in my district, and
at these l was treated very nicely by their
owners, most of the gentlemen filling out
the blanks for me. But invading the resi-
Ao,oa mart of tho dfeff.fnk i fosYud 10 ha