New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-06


| business, man, and one too deeply Immersed III the
acquisition OF wealth 10 give attention TO any
thing else Ills nomination was qnte uneNpt-'Ico.
| IL was surprise To him, and IL was suIpIise
| Il almost every one else. Ii happened In this
way
Detroit has for dozen years more been
| slowly following in the wake Of all Leading
American cities. Ii had gradually passed mo
! the hands Of corrupt lot of politicians OF both
! parties bent on their own enrichment ana utterly
regardless of the true interests Of the city ran
ch~~ of the most valuable character had been
civ n away with all the reckless freedom lht
! under all III" suspicious circumstances that
characterize their dsps tion in Ncw-iork, Brook
lyn and elsewhere. The great corporations WERE
practically in control Of everything, and had Tor
! gotten. apparently, that they were under any
| obligations whatever TO the people Ihcr' WIS
for example, vehement demand for rapid trlh'l,,
hut the onW answer that the street ear r'liroa"'
would give was their antiquated hors" ear lines;
The electric light service unsatisfactory ana
the rates for gas were far higher than IN pIltr
cities on the lakes. There was wholrs,e
large corporations Tho street pavements were III
lrightful condition, and the city was IN p'g
way generally: Things had been coiE= from pan
70 worse until the fall of 1850, when genuine
citizens movement was st1rtcd, representing 1ng
proost of the best element against the munlclpal
msrulc
DEFEATS THE RING CANDIDATE.
Democratic Mayor, Major John Pridgeon, IT,
held Office His party determined to renomna"
lin, manifcsting disposition to utterly disregard
the reform demonstrations. This of course placed
mon the Republicans the responsibility of pro-
vidinr a reform candidate. 4 meeting Of some OF
th, leading men Of the party was held one even
ing. including d. VI. Ferry, Joseph F. JOY, H. VI.
| Dullcld, General AlGcr. James L. Edison. W. H.
! Elliott and others equally well known MI I'M
gree dropped in on his way TO the station 10
take tho train for New DIRK, whcr" lie goes every
v.ock or so 10 buy large quantities of leather i'll
The swamp" lie had been discussed; 1t APP
pears. as an available candidate before hr :; "''no
in. A. soon h. heard what had been 'an y"
the subject he declined To consider I'll" piopo-
stion. The others however. wcr" persistent
He told them he would chrcrfnlly c99nrrn ,!,U
=? 600 to dcray the cNpcn>es of the local c.hHar
if they would elect somebody else. They toid nm
that thcy preferred him to his money ahI a ll,t
long debate with his friend. ana wlfh hiH".I
he rcoonsdcrcd hi. determination. ana went mo
the fight il il doubtful il any one at tlt nl'r'-
inc. even Mr. ringrcc himself, believed that hc
was TO become such radical reformer as lie
proved himself 10 be-.
TOO MUCH or \ REFORMEE TO SUIT
Detroit is naturally Democratic. At least IL
has been of late years. Cleveland carried WAYNE
County by 5000, and Detroit has been looked
mon as good for at least three four thousand
maj6rlty unn,r or';IGary circumstances. fin'
grcc's candidacy. however, represented revolt
of reputable citizens against the ring. and large
element of tho Democracy supported HIM, IL"
beat iridscon by majority OF ?,3iS. ne en-
tered upun his official work with charact"fls'lC
\i.or and before the clos" OF ms term n' H'u
made such record that some OF those WI" p"'
him onward al first. and these in"luled hulh|r
Of wealthy members of his own party, i'a "-
come exceedingly weary of IT, ana w3uiI na.nr
viewed hi permanent retirement from p"lltlc' WI"
undsgui>cd satisfaction. As Mayor II" wa" "l-
tircly too independent in his olclaI ac'S 10
suit them: he played the ro" OF IN" r"iormrr
TOO seriously Their ideas of reform We're purely
conventional that l.. a lot Of line talk, high-
sounding promises. general denunciation. but no
positvc-much less aggrcssive-Stand against inc
existing evil, wh"n IN" assumption oi H''h d
position might in any way interfere with lnt"re's
of corporations with which these gentlemen were
oonnroted Reform with thdm really meant
comedy. farce comedy. too: Plngro"S conception
Of II absolutely realistic.
The people pleased with his Interpretation
Of m" part They ,ienih"d their approval III IA"
most emphatic manor They r"ir,"d TO p"rmlt
nj, withdrawal thry Ialicl AROUND iiI'
~ they have rallied around no candidate |
since In. city was incorporated. TIL" Democratic |
organization placed candidate, judge Miner, IN /
the field and the corporations that Plnercc had
been lighting in the interest. OF the ci'y tpttca
ont the notorious cN-Mayor W. F. Thompson, IN /
the hop" that h. might draw away KrpuDhcah
votes, but the decent people OF both p,rtl"~ en-
tered upon the campaign with an enthusiasm that
has not been witnessed in Detroit sine" the lays [
of "/ach' Chandler. and when tho polls closed .
Pingr.s was found 10 b" reelected by over 5000 f
plurality. He actually received 1000 more votes .
than were cast for both hi- opponents az course .
hc drew largely from The Democracy. but this sun .
port cam" honestly II was given him b,rauS" OF
of any deal or division oil ptIoni-" Despite III"
opposition Of certain Republican leaders hi, stand
inc I'm his own marty WIS uuutlc~tion"l. Ilis .
party had proiltrd LARGELY by what i" had done for
III" city. He had redeemed II from Democratic .
control. The. rank and file appreciated thcsc facts.
for when the R"puhlic'n Stni" convention was h"ld
last summer such was Pincr,s.'s strength and
popularity with th" p"opl" that nearly half the
DELEGATES ready II vot" for him for Governor,
and ~ was only by the most determined efforts
IN" part Of IN" two United State. Nrnntors
particularly Mr. McNIil IAN. swho was chairman Of
the State Committee and had th" Federal patron
age M his iii po-il and the enforcement of ia" oh
noNiouS unit rule that Pingrc's rival. Mr. Rich,
was nominated. Tins defeat. however. made him
stronger than ever. Governor Rich has scarcely
l""n heard OF since his rHrtlon while flngr'c ias
grown powerful in the city and stat" that the
shrcwdcSt politicians here agree in saying that
there is no place. either Governor or United states
senator TO which h. may not successfully aspire.
Mr. Pingrrc differs from the conventional
former i'm almost every particular. He i essen
tally po,itiv" and aggressive where others would
file protest he gets ont an ininPcrion. and If he
courts will not help him he helps himself. He
has non" Of the traditional reverence for Judges
that causes many people 10 stand in awe Of
them 10 him Judge is man clothed with
some authority. but hv means removed from
the scope of lay ccnsur" and criticism. II hc
thinks court too defcrential 10 the interests of
corporations, lie says openly, and invites the
cor 500 uenccS of his utteranccs. \ short time ago
h. as,ailcd a Federal JUDGE in a message to the
Common Council The local papers We're shocked
AT his bodn"ss, and rcbuk.d him for what h" said,
but subsequent developments have made them all
feel that the Mayor WIS right. But whether saS-
tanned un~Ilstanrd by the press, he goes ri Int
ahead. 80 far his course us public official
could indicate. hr l. without fear Nor" than that.
he j. without favor for any one, friend or foe. If h"
thinks that favor will conflict with the interests
Of the municipality. Herein lies the secret Of his
success. People believe that he is honest. that he
fearless that he is devoted to their service that
he trusts them and them alone to sustain him, .
that hc will alow no appeal 10 his ambition or
to his parti>anship TO sway him that he has an
tagonilcd lifelong friends by his course, and that
ionc of the most potent forces in his own party i
and in the commercial world here arrayod ,
,gnnst him in consequence Of his indrfatigablr .
abors to reform the abuses from which Detroit r
has suffered.
HIS CHrRCH PEW TAKEN AWAY. ,