Smyrna times., 1894-07-25
A Glimpse Into Brewery Politics.

Edward Murphy, Jr., sits in the
United States Senate as one of the rep
resentatiVes in that august body for the
on the day before municipal election
was held in Troy, NY, as Mr.. Murphy |
sat in his brewery Office in that city ar
ranging the details of the next days |
contest, in which he had decided tC |
elect his cousin and henchman Mayor |
of Troy, two brothers came to him to |
ask his aid in preventing repeating at |
the polls in the mOrrow's election. |
These men had been conspicuous in |
the effort to secure an honest vote in |
the city. They are Republicans and |
business men of standing in the COM
munity and faithful in the performance |
of their political duties.
Their name is Ross and they have |
lust testified before an investigating
committee of the New York Legisla-
ture as to what took place in thas in
terview with Senator Murphy in the
office of his beer brewery. They told
the Senator of the frauds and the re-
peating practiced by the Democrats in
their ward, and named the men who
had committed the crimes, every one
of whom was known as q member of
the Murphy gang" Then they asked
him if the fraudulent practices could
not be stopped. The Senator appeared
to think that it was perfectly natural
that he should be asked to stop repeat
ing, and he distinctly promised the
Ross brothers that there would not be
a repeater in Troy the next day, maxi
ing in this way the plain admission
that the roughs and toughs would
obey his orders and that they came and
went at his nod.
Senator Murphy made another dam
| aging admission at this interview with
| the Ross brothers. When they told
him that the citizens were determined
to go to the polls and prevent illegal
voting the Senator hastily inquired if
they had seen the police superinten
dents order which forbade the carry
ing of arms or election day; and as no
such order had been made public the
Ross brothers were obliged to deny
any knowledge of It, Some hours after
the interview the order was made pub
lie, but Senator Murphy, with his hand
on the throttle of the machine, was
aware that it was to be promulgated,
although he had no official connection
with the city government and had no
more right to a knowledge Of what it
was going to do than any private citi-
zen. 1t showed, however, that the po-
lice department of Troy was completely
under the control of Mr.. Murphy, and
that he was consulted if be did not
himself dictate the orders sent out.
These two facts will give people a
glimpse into what may be called brew
cry politics. This person Murphy made
himself rich in the brewing of beer and
then went into politics. He began
with the boss-ship of his ward and then
branched out to the boss-ship of the
city. He organized the Democratic
roughs and toughs 80 thoroughly that
, he could elect any one he choose to
Office. He thrust an insult into the
teeth of the decent citizens of Troy by
boasting that he could elect China
man Mayor of that city If he choose.
For years he made the elections in that
city a byword and kissing, and in
that way he attracted the attention oi
! the Democratic party in New York
! State. He was promoted to the chair
manship of the State Committee, and
4 his repeaters helped secure the Lose
plurality by which James G.. Blaine
lost the State Of New York in 1884, anC
|, the same repeaters rolled up a majority
q of over 5000 in the city of Troy for the
y thief Maynard who ran for Democratic
y Judge of the Court of Appeals last No
Q vember. How do the people like thi
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