The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-09-23
THE Esd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT.
Alternately Democratic and Repubiican. I,
WIN This Ienr sec "A Close Flight.

When the present apportionment Of Assembly
and Aldcrmanic districts in this city was made.
In August, 1902. only one of the thirty had an
assured Republican majority and was supposed
TO be lost to the Democrats, who, having u ma
jority in the other twenty-nine, regarded the
possession OF this one by the Republicans with
perfect equanimity. This district was the
Twenty-third Assembly, on the river side.
bounded by Seventy-second and Tooth streets.
running from Central Park TO the Hudson
River. 1t is very largely a district of private
residences, and n majority of the inhabitants
have moved within It's boundaries from other
parts OF the city within the last few years.
Geographically, 1t is the successor OF "Shanty-
town" OF other days, a neighborhood known
for its rocks, goats, and Democrats.
AT the first election held under the present
apportionment the Republicans nominated for
Assembly A. Willis Lightbourn, n Maj aud En-
press Republican, formerly from Delaware, like
Quigg of Quogue. lie made all his preparations
10 install himself officially in Albany on Jan. l
succeeding, but his programme was rudcly
broken by the nomination OF William Is.
Ellison by Tammany Hall. and his subsequent
election over Mr.. Lighthourn by LIS majority
in this supposedly Republican district.
1t took the Republicans considerable time to
recover from the surprise caused by their defeat,
and the Democrats Of the Twenty-third district,
who have sheriff John Is. Sexton as their leader,
were correspondingly elated. The success OF
Mr.. Ellison was political, not personal. for the
Tammany candidate for Alderman won in the
election OF lSB2 by nearly a thousand.
When IL came TO nominating candidates in
this district last year, II was the Democrats
who were sanguine and the Republicans who
were apprehensiye. An adverse majority OF a
thousand In a New York Assembly district il
something not easily overcome, but the RCpub-
licans made a strong nomination, Judson Law
son, while the Democrats, oversanguine, per-
haps, made an unfortunate one, q. &. Colin.
The result Of II was the complete swinging
by a majority Of !. 7s2 for Mr.. Lawson.
This result set the Democratic politicians of
the neighborhood to guessing. just MS the result
Already candidates are appearing In the field,
for the Assembly and for Alderman as well.
The present Alderman, chosen in 1899, l. John
q. Prague, n Tammany man, but not In very
good favor with the leaders of the Wigwam at
present. He will not he renominatcd.
The Republicans expect to put up the same
bly,. yudson Lawson, and for Alderman they
have in view Killiaen Van Rensselaer,, who was
their candidate for the same office in lsg2. MIR.
Van Rensselaer,, since his defeat for Alderman,
opponent Of Mr.. Herman Oelrichs on the
swimming question. Mr.. Oelrichs. wEo is, 50 To
natatoral sports pushed 70 the verge OF reckless
ness, whereas Mr., Van Rensselaer, believes in
every one keeping pretty close To the shore,
WAYS a wise rule among the bathers Of the sea.
The State Democracy in the Twenty-thlrd
district has a possible candidate for the Assem-
O'Brien Democracy inclines 10 favor Col, elf,
ford. "A military man. who Is vigorously enlisted
in the O'Brien cause and seemingly fOrgetml OF
his military title in the strife, Thomas y. ID.
many Hall Assembly candidate,
The Twenty-third district Is likely 10 be close
o., the Milholland Republican faction here is
John y. Drake.