The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-28
The REersrKr.s OFFICE.
Tie Lstsis EsA Or the feiitieai Hern-Bt3
HesHtsesaas whe Nave Held IL. and Have
Ever Thereafter RewasneA Obscure.

Tie latte EsA o. the feiitieai He~r-Bts
Fesitsesaas Whs Nave Held IL. and Have
Ever Thereafter Remained Obscure.
With the beginning OF the new year tbs an
tiaue and delapidated Hall OF Records. to the
west OF the big bridge entrance. will have
new oficial tenant. the term Of Frank I. Fitz-
gerald expiring on Dec. 81. and Ferdinand
Levy. . municipal statesman OF variegated
gifts and interests. succeeding to the Office OF
Register. The Register holds responsible
post and is a weil-paid official His term Is
three years. and the patronage attached to
the office Is considerable. II has always been
. post much sought after among ambitious
statesmen. and often the bone OF bitter fac
tional contentious. While the emolumeuts OF
the post have served in the case OF some who
have held it As tangible reminders OF its i'm
portance. the political prestige which was ex.
pected to reward successive incum bents seems
always. By ous Of the oddities Of city politics.
to crumble into the ashes OF Dead Sea fruit
Every ward or Assembly district leader in
New York. with few conspicuous exceptions.
has during his political lieutenancy aspired
to become Register. but this hope whenever
eratifled. has marked usually the eclipse OF
the expectations OF the individual SO favored.
1t IL not necessary to 60 very far back for ex-
amples OF this. for a number OF them crowd
the memory. Three Of the most conspicuous
are Miles O'Reilly. Big Judge Connolly and
Gen. SiceL Mr. HAlpine. who won moro than
Q national fame during the war as Private
Miles o Reilly by the wit and brilliancy OF his
writings. was chosen Register soon after
its close. By . fstterins and generally IN
expected majority. A prosperous politi.
cal career seemed TO await him. but
he died before the close OF his term.
Big Judge Michael Connolly. who had m enor-
nous political following aud whose .eats as a
pedestrian on S54 days 10 the year. and as q
first Monday Of November endsarei him 70
his Cavan associates eveyyTheri. was ehosea
Police Court. and he was a formidable and
DATE pi.ted ssans. him n ISIS o.ins Horace
Greeley. With his induction into the Regis
rapy es res saa Sns sSs
close 0: his term the claims Of others to the
sueeessosship Tsrs sonsdsIsd: he was not
for Congress. year later. his defeat was such
a crushing one that he entirely dropped out
his ' death. anu '''e' 'O'u's'' ae""'a 1A''
Gen siSel. whose fame as a revolutionary
came to tn. Cnitsd States. TOOK cons picnous
part in the war OF the rebellion on TIL Union
American in New York city i not in the United
lead their State ticket in New York. and two
years later he was elected Register. Long
es and d n lis o ns
had departed. He Dropped gut Of politics.
1 A. att. shansinf from .is;, Eenueisap to
Agent n New York under Cleveland He was
fell from public notice. more recen. example
OF a poit,ca! career closed by a term OF servt:s
for :. fifteen pr.caIilR thA Tam
Hall leader in the Third Assembly district.
He held during that time many sisctiye , posts.
ter his frsnis iei away and his ts:
superseded ia the Inmmany Hall leadership
by the late Judge O'keily. and he has taken
sho period last wtnter he was enlisted in the
W. r Grace aetac king column. but soon fell By
the .aystse He + nov resilient M Of II.
has held Nc, ofice since. and whose leadership
Percy Rock wood.
Another Register Of recent memory whose
career {. close was sf fs.dseet s. e.R eeet
ed IN ISL a:seT having Sssa 70, f ps, Yeas
the Dock Board. but has been entirely super
seeded As Tamnaay leader Of the ELeventh Dis.
his iasheE in; law. Edwsri K.aEpeY. Furthsf
after having been Postmaster OF the city OF
New York. was elected Register in 1874.
and despite the promise yhtch attended his
McCaol was an influential Eighth ward
the ' oft sH o. Mayor. He Served. however. one
term As Register and then was set aside sd and
81 .sesos s sSs
utterly: and he withdrew entirely from politics
soon after under circum stances which were
NJ OSt di distressing n his former friends
The case OF the present Register. Mr.. Fitz-
| gerald may prove some exception TO what has
es YssE Sa ft Re- INF be sls
The siniste; record: NJ: Fitzserlli has been
has ag.:iea:ct rs claim IS Tsumany leader
in the EFst sat the ;no;s '2F SUI
c. Murphy. Ir. F!tzseraiis ltelon:. political
III Asfph2 ha. o the ne F7 b1
| years been active. and to leadership in which
Mr., Fitzgerald succgele ed ty heritage as
| anre OF his relations with the other Tanmany
Hal! district leaders, will lead 20 the scattering
OF Register Et,zssralds town-town fo!lowInE
certain that the EXPRESSION. out Of sight out
Of mind has political application. and II
Fitzgerald. case. it had more Of the sober
truth OF rro.e than OF poetry.
bents Of the Office OF Register in New York
does not extend to other county Offices Mr.
! Grant. after being sheriff. becams Mayor: Mr..
| Giiroy is still Com missioner OF Public WORKS
| One OF his predecessors Thompson. wa.
County CLERK before. being Com missioner. and
| Com missioner The Register elect. Ferdinand
| 70 lurS n and about the old Hail OF Records.
Taea again. there may be n new hall before
December 1855. when his term ends The lat
| ter Is the more probable.