The morning call., 1894-03-24

around and glanced at the formidable sig
nature thereon he nearly fell over the
counter in his endesvOr 20 assure The
political magnate of New York that they
would knock ont partition or two if
necessary to insure him the required &C.
commodatlops.
Nj. Croker's taciturrity is bis most i'm
pressiVe chaTacCeTiStic-at least to
stranger. He just doles out monosyllables.
and it has been said of him that he could
say more In less words than any man IN
public life.
When CALL reporter met him in the
hotel last right Dir. Croker said that be
simply came up 10 the city 10 spend few
days and see tbs Midwinter Fair. About
politics be had nothing to say, but upon
beng Informed that his fellow Tammany-
lies James j. PhelaD and L. z. Crimmins
were also il the city and stopping in the
same house he eviDced some degree of in-
terest and inquired if anybody was with
them.
The Tammany chief appears in the
best OF health, and said last aight
that he would probably start East in
a few days. When he gets back to New
York. reinvigorated by the braclng climate
of California. there are likely 20 be some
lively times along the political battlefield
IN that region.
James J. PhelaD. who with his wife is
also guest al the Baldwin, gave THE
organization is viewed by one of its most
prominent members. BE first spoke of a
visit he had paid this coast twenty-three
years ago, and mentioned the fact that his
vile had always expressed desire 10 see
the attractions of the coast, and as his rel
atives who reside here came through New
York on their return from Europe some
time ago he had promised them that he
would make them visit.
a TO the election frauds and the recent
convictions in New York. Mr.. Phelan
said: "rhe fact of the matter is that in
the city of New York there have been
about twenty-five TO thirty indictments
found Tor violations of the law of this
character. OF this number about twenty
were found ID the Second Assembly Dis
trict. of which Herman Oelrichs was
chairman of The Grand jury, and who is
supposed to be in sympathy with Tam
many. OF the remainder. some five or SIX
were found in he Fourth District and two
or three in the Eighth.
The Second District is what is known
in the city as the lodgiDg-house section.
and in II 1t is impossible tor Tammany or
any other political organization to control
The votes OF the element which lives there
These men at election time register and
vote, as they have a perfect right to do,
just as much as The titled aristocrat of Fifth
avenue.
las to the trials of these men, who were
Tic OlStItCE a LtOT0GY VINO con-
Quoted them is Tammany man, and the
Judge who presided was also elected by
that OrganlZatio You will thus see that
Ia the prosecution OF these law breakers
Tammany was at the fore. In fact. il mas
been the sentiment of ali the leaders of
the organization that Illegal methods OF
conducting elections should, as far as pos
sible, be stamped out. There is no dou BIT
but that a great deal of influence was
brought to bear by sO-called political
heelers IN the Second District TO try and
have the indictments against these men
pigeon holed, but District Attorney Fell
lows vigorously pushed the prosecution to
a successful issue, and even the papers of
New York whicn are politically opposed
10 him did not utter a word in condemna-
tlon OF the manner in which be had handled
the cases. / have myself heard MIR. Gilroy
say emphatically that such crimes as hose
of which these men were convicted should
not be allowed 10 20 uupunlsbed IN New
York.
AS to these arrests and convictions,
neither myself nor Mr.. CrimmiDs, who
accompanied me to the coast, knew a
thing about them until we reached Texas.
Our visit has been one purely of pleasure,
aud lis only disagreea bic feature has been
that report should be circulated to tn 9
eneet that we were fleeing from ANYTHING
or ANYBODY Even partisan press should
not entirely sacrifice truth at the expense
OF mans reputation in its pursuit OF
political ammunition.
There Is well-grounded belief, / fn6.
abroad 10 tile West that Tammany is the
embodiment OF about everything that is
wicked and bad both morally and politI-
cally. If such thing were true the un.
avoidable in erence would be that large
majority of the citizens nf New York CIV
were of the same ripe. for it is confessedly
true that Tammauy con trals tue civ.
"Ihis erroneous belief in regard 70
Tammany springs from the disposition of
the newspapers TO attribute 10 that organ
iZatiOn about every new development in
the daily calendar of crime. Ii a man
runs away with another mans wife in
New York some enterprlsing e, ,:newsp aper
Immediately figures out his promiBence in
Iammany circles, and as the item passes