The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-15
THE SENATE DISTRICTS OF THIS CITY.
raets FAN or Interest Aboat Them.

Faets FAN or Interest Aboat Them.
Tho closest Senate district in the State OF
New York. II not the closest In tho Eastern
States. when the ordinary lines OF POLITICAL d.
vision are considered. is what 10 known rs the
Eighth New York district on tho west sido OF
town. running from Leroy and Houston street.
north to Thirtieth. and from Broadway to the
Hudson River Prior to tho apportionment OF
1879 the district ran as far south a. Canal
street. and even at that time 1t was extremely
close. Tho last Senator chosen from It, as
then constituted, In o straiRht-ou party fight.
was Col. Alfred Wagstar. now President
OF the Brooklyn Bridge. Col. Wagstaff was
tho regular and only Democratic candidate
He received 14.75l votes, against l4.4G3 for
Frederick W. Seward. son OF william II. Sew.
ard, who was the Republican nominee.
In the revision Of the district made by those
who changed its boundaries IN 1879 1t became
even closer. politically. than before. tho first
Senator elected under the new apportionment
being Robert II. Strahan. o Republican He re-
ccived II. S45 votes against IL 1916 for Browning
the Democratic candidate. Tho Republican
plurality, therefore. was but 80 votes In total
OF $4,000. and there were, besides. 500 scatter
ing and defective ballots. Since that time tho
changes Of population have been less marked
in this district than in any her in the city. and
cannot be said to have been to the advantage
OF either party. Although in tho lower part OF
the district, below Fourteenth street. the
Democratic vote shows net increase.
there has been corresponding advantage
to the Republicans In the portion OF tho
district above Fourteenth street and par.
ticularly In the section between the Sixth
and Seventh avenues. whore colored voters Of
strong Republican tendency abound In the
greatest number. Thore was no State ticket
baloted for last year. and accordingly there Is
no precise way OF determining what was the
political division OF the voters. but there was q
contest the year before last 1889. on State Of
ncsrs, and this was the result OF IL: Tho head
Of tho Rcpu bllcan State ticket John ]. Gilbert.
nominee for Secretary OF State. received In the
| district 12.l1s votes. while Frank Rice. the
Dem ocratio nominee for Secretary OF state.
received In the district 1898 votes This was
. Republican plurality OF but %, which shows
better than could any argument however
elaborate. how close tho district continues to
b. The Democrats gained CSC votes In ten
years and the Republicans $40.
So narrow Is the margin between the two
parties that mother ono has courted. in any
| recent election. contest on strict party linea
Thus. after the close race OF 1879. which re-
suited In Republican maj GRITTY OF but 80. the
Democrats won in the Senatorial election fol.
lowing THAT OF 1881 by division in the Re-
publican ranks. there being two Republican
nominees In the field. On the other hand. In
the next succeeding Senate election. that OF
| 1855. the Republicans won through Dem ocrato
divisions. there being at that time two Demo-
Gratis In the field. This seesaw arrangement
has been In progress ever since. the Demo-
Gratis winning in 1885 through Prohibition
detection from tho Republicans. and the Re-
publicaps winning in 1887 through Labor de-
a. 49,
sions there were three nominees in tile race
In the contest OF 1889 the regular Republican
| candidate was LispeEard Stewart the regular
Democratic candidate was Charles H. Turner.
| then. and since. known as the Iceman." The
| fight between them was ono OF the closest
known in New York for years. and II would
have been difficult to predict In advance the
! result OF 1t, because there were, in addition to
| Stewart and Turner. two other candidates. q
County Democrat and y Temperance man.
| The labor organizations throughout the dis
| trict generally supported Turner. and he re-
| csived besides Q fair Republican vote.
30 close indeed WAS the canvass that It practl-
calIy narrowed down to the outcome Of a single
| election district-ths Fourth OF the Seventh
Assembly. This election district. one OF the
| Quietest by day and noisiest BY niRht In Capt
EroRan's precinct was at that time bounded
| by Bleecker street. Third street, Thompson
street. and Sullivan.
III charge OF the Democratic interests that
| year. among his neiRhbors. was Frank Stephen.
| son who. next to Jimmy Patterson proprietor
| OF the Game Cock Tavern. at the corner Of
the Seventh avenue and Twenty. second street.
is Bernard Martins most energetic and loyal
lieutenant. Mr.. Stephenson presdes over the
| destinies OF the porterhouse. known to GRIM
inal annals Is the "Sllde." on Blocker street.
Here thirsty statesmen. white. black, saffron.
and coffee colored. gather by day and night to
| discuss. like tho famed Knights OF the Round
Table. political. social. and economic problems.
The mellow mysteries OF Slide gin " have I'M
looseDed many dry tongue or set in motion.
| ut correct angle many . muscular fist: yet
for some reason not ret cleared up In our
| political an nals-it may have been some rea-
| son OF q personal and 1t might have been some
| reason OF a recuniary charncter-that indi-
vidual disappointed the hopes Of the Demo-
cratic electors 10 tho district by not exerting
himself to carry it for Turner. the Dem cratic
nominee. These are the figures. taken from
tho official returns. and they explain how it
was that Mr.. Turner came TO be defeated for
| Senator By losing y strong Democr district:
Demcerdtc Republican
| Secretary Of sats..................."ios u
xompttouer. !ho ~
lt,ornss.,,:;n:r.i '..''.'......'....is -
State Engineer. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IL
esnA'of....."'...'. .......'....... ~ 2A
The opinion has been expressed In some
| quarters that Stephenson acted on his own
responsibility In supporting the Republican
candidate TOR Senator in this close aud critical
| political fight. and At meeting Of Democrats
In the Seventh district some time after the
election he was. with grent outcry. expelled.