The record-union., 1894-05-26

value OF their respective places measures
the advantage In prestige in the or
ganlzatlon Of Purroy over his competl-
tor. The County Clerk is an amlable
man, hail-fellow- well-met with all the
braves" and widely popular. Hls
good-nature is equal to Martins force
of character. All men would like to
make Purroy happy. but as 'bosses"
run, they are not the smiling fellows.
No men are so low or light minded that
they give power over themselves Tor love.
Popular men may have power IN the
State, but not in party councils Pol-
ticians give their allegiance to men they
respect, even if they dislike the lndlvld-
ual. Certainly it has been so IN Tam
many Hall 1t will affect Purroy's
chances and reduce them. If he gets
Croker's place, it will be because lesser
men will hoist him there so as to share
his power and be themselves real leaders
through him as fgure-head.
Thomas Z. GiIroy is the man with the
clearest path before him and the best
right to the place. Had Croker anything
to say about his successor he certainly
would name the Mayor. But Croker, at
present at least, is really out. he has
severed every tie. every connection from
which he can exercise power in the or
ganization. His resignation is bona fide.
He may interfere later, and be again a
force in politics, but there is not the
slightest reason to doubt that he intends
to have nothing whatever to do with pol
itics. So Gilroy stands with the other
leaders on his merits. At present he has
the position of advantage, having scored
one victory IN prevailing upon the dls-
trict leaders kwho form the Executive
Committee) to choose no leader.
Purroy says he does not want the lead
ership; Martin says nothing about his
wishes. insisting only that leader should
be chosen at once; but Gilroy says: $50
long as | am Mayor l cannot be leader OF
Tammany Hall; l cannot undertake the
double load OF the two positions"
But" asked him, latter your term
of office has expired'
81 will say only that cannot be leader
of Tammany Hall while am Mayor of
the city,"
This reply shows where he stands
plainly enough. The refusal of the or
ganization to recognize, with Jimmy"
Martin, the necessity of having ''boss"
at once, shows pretty plainly that the
machine wants to wait for Gilroy. He IS
one of the men whom the rank and file
respect. He has Martins determination
and self-assurance, without the Police
Commissioners abruptness, coldness and
bad manners. Gilroy convinces you
that he means what he says; Martin gives
you to understand that he is going to
have his way anyhow. The Mayor is
well respected, for he is a very able man,
clear headed, quick, capable of an enor-
nous amount of hard, detailed work; an
executive will carries out the plans of
thinking head full of exact knowl-
edge. His conduct of the city govern
ment has been better than he has re-
ceived credit for. He knows the depart
ments thoroughly and he compels the
l. ~k,ox- rlNr
his eye many OF the favorltes of Tam
many have not had easy places. He has,
in short, better than any other man, car
ried out the principle Croker introduced
into machine government of having the
work OF all officers done well.
None but a Tammany man shall hold
office, but the official shall do his full
duty" that is what Croker has SAID and
has succeeded in having done. it was a
great step in the history of machine gov
ernment. Why then the annihilating
criticism? Why the apparent failure?
For it does look as though Tammany
were about to 60 to pieces; even if it
holds together, defeat is imminent at the
polls next fall, and machines, as all poll
ticians know, can i'll sustain defeat. Why
is New York city so dissatisfied with the
sincerest effort ever made to govern IL
well?
L
body's mouth and get close to the critic;
be deaf to what he says ana watch his
thoughts, and l think the question may
be answered in a summary of Richard
Croker's case. He began politics as
ward politician. He was hardfisted
young tough, the leader of gang. He
was leader of the other boys, because,
while he was able to hold his own in
struggles of tiStic force, he was also less
loud-mouthed and ever ready with sug-
gestions which others followed. When
the votes and influence Of his crowd was
wanted, politicians were directed to
young Croker. He was not as lazy as
his followers, and succeeded by work,
by planning and doing what was wanted,
to gain certain position in his ward.
His foresight, which was merely his
regard Tor next year as well as the pres
ent day, made him cautious and set up
future considerations which outweighed
considerations of petty clique ends.
So he rose, but so, too, he learned poll
tics, government, moral principles and
practical means. 1t was always pol
itics and no more. 1t occurred to him
that it paid to do things well, but where
did he get his conception Of what was
good to do and which was well, when
done? In ward politics. He rose him.
self to become an officeholder. Take his
term as a Fire Commissioner and see
what he did there. He filled every place
with Tammany hoy" But he put the
"boys" through a school of learning such
as they never before had. He changed
chiefs and got the workers to the top.
Then he filled them with his enthusiasm
and purposes, and together they made
the ire department almost perfect. 1t
suits insurance companies and never is
complained of by 1.-THE people," He
succeeded, then, completely. But let US
tell an anecdote that will exemplify the
result, good and evil.
About three weeks ago fire broke out
early one morning in Mulberry Bend in
the home of one OF the richest families in
that, the Italian quarter. When the fire.
men came they got all the occupants out
excepting two girls. Two pikemen
rushed in at the risk of their lives and
saved the children. But when the fire
was put out with the usual dispatch) it
was found that jewelry and money was
gone from the rooms the life-sayers had
passed through. This was not uncom-
mon instance of the fire departments
work. They saved the house and two
lives. but they pilfered the rooms.
That's mean story, but it is true in
itself and true of all the other depart
ments. They DO their work, as is re-
quired by the Croker principle. but they
steal as he did. What be did in a big
way the fire laddies and the coppers do
in a small way. As he justifies lobbying,
so they Justify ''a little graft" Croker
says he does not justify the frauds at the
polls; that he cautioned the leaders espe-
cially against it and that he refused to let
anyone interfere with their conviction.
Believe it, for it is literally true, a word
from him would have stopped the
praiseworthy work OF the District At
torney." He has tried to frown down
Hf lot Dr1f
be was getting rich out of his legislative
services TO the big corporations, and bis
example was followed by all at their own
individual risk. He had altered the old
methods only so much as to make each
man accountable for his own offenses.