The Portland daily press., 1892-07-11
NEW YORK LETTER.
The Weather, Mayor Grant and
Tammany Discussed.
Down with the Speculators-John Brisben
Walker and His Magazine-Yachts
and Observation-Disclosures
Reward.
roopYR1aHr, 1927

[coPYRIaHT, 1927
If there is more moist, damp, muggy
section of the world outside of the
British Isle than this island Of Manhat-
tan am not familiar with it. 1t would
really be treat to have three days in
New York city free from humidity. Be
ginning with last February, we have
had succession of rains, mists. and
fogs which would do credit to the upper
end of Scotland. But we are sometimes
favored with one clear day, and when
that clear day arrives it is the bright
est, most buoyant, most champagne
like weather produced on this CONT
nent. Speaking of humidity,
was talking with Mayor Grant the
other day about his recent trip to Mex
leo in quest of health and recreation.
The mayor is troubled at times with a
tendency to granulated eyelids. He
took trip in the early spring to Mex
leo. After crossing the Rio Grande he
says that he Travelled through a district
of country there for day or two in
which drop of rain had not fallen in
something like three years. The whole
country was parched and burned to a
crisp. The heat was intolerable, and
yet it was necessary to close every win
dow and aperture of the railway car to
shut out the alkaline dust. AS it was,
the dust made the car almost unendur-
able. The mayor said that he had to
wear pair of green goggles over his
eyes, not even taking them off at night
when he retired. AS between general
humidity and country of that peculiar
aridity, certainly prefer the moist at
mosphere.
Mayor Grant assures me again that
he has no idea of accepting renomina-
ton for mayor. He declares that he
has had suficiency of politics, and he
proposes now to attend to his own bust
ness affairs for awhile. Nobody seems
to know what Tammany halls plans
are in connection with the mayoralty.
Through the benign dispensation OF
Messrs. Whitney, Grace & Co., who are
managing the reformatory end of Mr..
Cleveland's campaign, Tammany will
have no democratic opposition on its
municipal ticket this year. The friends
of Mr.. Cleveland stood ready, in the
event of Hills nomination for the pres.
idency, to make a vigorous fight against
Tammany, and all the machinery was
set in motion for new democratic
local organization. Now that Mr..
Cleveland is nominated, Tammany'
votes are wanted for the ticket, and il
will be given free field in municipal
matters. If Tammany is the wicked and
corrupt organization which it is repre-,
sented to be by Grace s. Co. it would
strike the sincere friends of good gov,
eminent that efforts should be made ia
reform it out of existence at all times
and in all seasons. But the scientific
trade of politics has some very peculiar
aspects. The state of affairs here in
New York just now is illustrative
thereof.
THE SOLE BIT OF GLORY.
About the only bit of glory brought
back from the Chicago conven.
ton by the followers of Tammany hall
was that reflected by Mr.. Bourke Cock,
ran, the orator. 1t is claimed by his
admirers that Mr.. Cockran's speech in
the convention nominating Hill and
protesting against Cleveland was one Of
the finest oratorical efforts vouchsafed
mankind since the days of Demosthenes,
Mr.. Cochran is certainlya good speaker.
He has fine physique, a pleasing man
ner and lung power which may be sci
down as A No. /. But must confess
that I cannot recall the fact that I even
was Illuminated intellectually by one Of
his speeches. There is roar and a
cadence about his oratory that suggests
the gigantic Eolian harp or the summer
winds blowing through emerald groves.
But Cochran does not seem to be a man
of great ideas or great sincerity.
Invent one night to the Academy Cd
Music especially to hear Mr.. Cochran
crate. The occasion was the ratifca.
ton of Mr.. Cleveland's second nominal
| ton for president. The great theater
was packed to repletion and the oppor-
tunity was great one for the orator
who could fill the remaining space with
his voice. This Mr.. Cochran did. ]
listened to him with great interest and
at times was fairly lifted out of my
chair by his ringing sentences and
lofty climaxes. The great audience
IOdTCU, duu tlc OI1UOI IOdiCSl DGhChs liz
walked up and down the stage, and for
more than thirty minutes there seemed
to be no place between the words,
which came like pillows upon the sea
shore, in which not even the point of a
knife could have been inserted. Such
volubility, such command of language,
Inever heard. And yet when got out
side the building I could not recall a
single phrase or novel suggestion Of
that entire address.
When man like Col. Bob Ingersoll
talks for five minutes he either furnish
es an epigram or a phrase that one feels
like recalling. Mr.. Cochran is not that
kind of an orator. At the same time
he is most useful man to Tammany
hall He can make four speeches a
night s,r forty nights if necessary, and
by the sheer force of dvnamics is able
to weld and fuse crowds of people who
happen to think as he does. But vehe-
mence has never yet taken the place of
persuasion in oratory. Mr.. Cochran is
a very rich man. His connection with
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