New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-17
Nn THE EOR UINTRENT.


co,onc Strong I'm his speech az The Cliy 'Wp
recention the other night To The effect that MI.
Plan had promiscd him his hearty support. mas
mad, him again the subject Of newspaper com
man, and I'm = mca sure The focus Of political
discussion II is not likely that Colonel Strong
himself attached much importance In me IT,
mari; and il is quite certain that the Slshin-
.,nc, ,,,cmntcd to be- given To II affords greater
dclich, to Mr.. Platt than to Colonel Strong II
yivcs Mr. Platt's followers the opportunity 10
sov that no IL a factor Of great consequence III
tho noIitirol situation. and il offers the gentle
man himsclf an occasion for another brief III
,orvicu, i'm which, as one Of our contemporaries
humorously mi it, he confessed that hr was Il
rcformcr but no hvpocric" ON the other hanh'
,h announcement bv Colonel Strong himself
that he has exchanged views upon mumcil'''
nolitics with Mr.. Platt-althouch 1t WAS wen
known tha, their only meeting was AZ p'lhhc
dinner. when they fell together by accident anu
had only a commonplace conversation in me
rrcscnrr II hundreds Of guests has provoke"
rommcn, from some very honest and earnest
pcrsons whose weakness II i I" make p'sH
81 Mr. Plat and has almost created suspicion
that the Mayor-ccci Is in danger 81 being hYP'
notlzcd by the gentleman from Tiosa County.
Influence. no doubt. and is dangerous beyond
question But he * not 50 inhu'n'iai u "'N
followers and dependents believe ana hope nor
50 dangerous ~ some ~ his opponents su>p'''
and fear Colonel Strong would rather nave HIS
SUPPORT than his hostility. - h. would 'r"'
kcrs But there i not The slightest danger 81
his being intiu'nscd. much less ''h'r""''' "'
one man than by The other
Meantime II may be- we'll FOR III" iru" fri'nd~
~ municipal reform 10 bear In mind That next
,o the reputation among his followers 81 being
a porcniial Boss" and distributor - patronage
n. enjoys that ~ being u "b"ey {" his opl"'
nent. lie Is ~ ycrsatil" IN politics ~ was an
other great man ~ the present generation lh
finance who made equally useful To- his purposes
nuhlic confidence, I'm his resources ami disiru>t
of his honesty. How clcycrly he can play thlS
gam. has been well illustrated during III" past
year The part he took In the Republican rror
roulzation which began after the election 81
,su2 Was never SURPASSED In clcvcrncss 1t might
indeed be- called grand strategy by any mag
nate Of the street" who ever corn"r'd STOCK
or "rigycd" a market. There was something
NOR. than shrcwd tactics. there was shilfu
gcncraShip. IN the campaign plan when s'h'
his Icuicnants into the movement 81 IA" tom
miitcc Of Thirty. there To lie loW ana hid" ih''r
,iu. while ne himself. at nn opporiunc moment
after he rival Anti Machine organization was
we'll under way. came out IN one 81 Ms i'N"'l''
interviews approving The purposes ana 'hn"rN
ing the plai.s of HE latter. III" schcn" WAS
shrcwdly conceived Ills o~icniIiious nppr"'Hl
Of the Anti Machine organization was not Only a
source of weakness 10 that body but an element
Of strength Ia lis rival. Had Mr.. flatt commit
I fed himself 10 the Committee OF Ihir'y rs pun
lcly and effusvcly ~ he did To The AniI-MA-
| chine movement. II would have lacked III" sup
mort Of thousands Of Republicans who enrolled
themselves in it for no other reason thah tlm'
they distru,tcd any Reform movement approved
hy him or in which hc had voice Ia" lrl"
unn cannot better illustrate its own position ~
that time than by Colonel Strongs present am
tude II seemed wise nj that time. rs 1t seems
now 10 Colonel Strong. not 10 r'p"l aid from
any source for A movement IN whose purposes
we had faith and whose success W" consequently
desired. and We naturally deprecated the 'rliI-
cism Of the Anti Machine movement when WAS
b,sed on The single circumstance that VT. iI''
had publicly given II his approval III me event
when II came 10 III" question or III" recognition
IF ON. ~ the two organizations "f The stare
| Committee. Mr. Plat. ~ is well kh"Wh' II"
yisrd the recognition OF III" committee "i
| Thirty Ills right To do 50 was not dispu''I b'i'
IN. fac, occasoncL unusual comment. since II
disclosed his whole plan. IL" had weakened ~
faction bv his own support while sending ms
| Ueuicnauts into The other 10 be ready 10 h'Il
| him 10 The control II that when opportunity
| served.
The latter part ~ the programme i SIN III
fine Stage Of experiment. and Mr.. Plat Is max
| inc vhnt his friends call the fight or his III"
for supremacy In the party in This city ana
county We believe he will fail The Tribune
opposrs his ambition. not on any PERSONA
sround hut because il believes his success VIII
| hc moi only the failure Of the earnest r'i"r'
which has been made though sometimes VIII
divided couiiscls to rid the party OF "i'osscS
and "KossisIu" bul a disaster 10 III" cause "i
| p,unicipoI reform in which good citizens OF AL
| nortjcs have IN interest. In the document winch
| Mr. Plat lately sent ont To the country press IL
took pains 10 point ort thai The lrlbun's nos
| fifty 70 him was occasloncd by the Withdrawal
| az the Police Department advertising. when nae
been given 10 "The Press" Il Republican morn
Ing paper The ,lisngcnuonsncss or this state
| ment is apparent when II Is considered that Ih'
| rribupe's structures upon Mr. Plais course began
/ long before the advertising was inkeE away iro"
II and given 10 THE Press. The Implication
of course is that Mr.. Plat has the dispensing
Of this part of the municipal patronage and 81
course has a pull with the department whlcl
has been under investigation and Is now 'Ihd'l
condemnation for corruption OF The most rs
founding character. II strikes us he made
slip I'm the disclosure The further implication
that the newspaper which received the adver'is
ing l. indebted TO his favor for 1t may or ma!
not be true but In conveying The iniima'lon ina
the newspaper referred to has been act'ia'e'
by merccnary motives In its championship OF Ill
cause we must believe he is doing Its propri"
tors grave injustice. 1t may be coincidence
that It's interest I'm Mr. Plait's fortunes begai