New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-01
OCT ~ THE OPEN.

OFT IN TIE OIEN.
The events of the last 1cW "o"'"S "'''
cleared the atmosphere. The lines ar' "i"""
and the issue sharply defined. Inc Nepupii'""S
Of this State and especially oi MS 'i'!' nav
no excuse for not discerning II cleTi! OF lo'
working now at cross purposes. Let Us lrHiAH
confess our obligations for 80 much '' MI IH''''
No matter by what fatality II came "pou''
whether Of set purpose or 10y buhl'rHI' Nv i
NOW ont of ambush and in III" "I'u' III" NV
Republican party is fairly con- '"''h Win NM
7, is NOT a oucsIlon-as the II" vsIapcrS III MS
,ov were irving n little Will ago 10 make IL
amman whether rs an infiucn ial leader ne mas
,hn RIGHT 10 n hearing in ia councils "t inc
Marty y right 70 express h. opinions. I" urge
Tho oprointment Of his friends I" "iic'' ana 10
have n voice in directing the policy "f 'h' N''''
and municipal administrators N"' - a"'
Tho issuo he has raised is that he i "n'l'''"' ny
virtue of something or other not dchh'I 1907 ~
,omnted 70 be defined. to he not i'al'r' nut
the leader Of the party; III" sort . leader 'ha''
ike the Turk. bears no brother near the thi"h''
II admits of no evasion. and the experience "I
the past is full proof that 1t leaves II" "pi"r-
tunity for compromise that would not pr'N'n y
result I'm dshonor and in the end surr'nd'r.
All last wears fght-and that II was hS"'
is now clear 10 every onc-was against an am
hush Last year he was conspiring; ms year hc
&c fighting When he was bringing one 81 ~"
two rival Republican organizations mo ILL.,
r.nute by ostentatously paradlHG MS 'i'IiI'"""
with H. while secretly undermining the "th'r py
means of the satellites whom he sent Win u.
no was PLAYING one II the snartcst games ever
ndertlken in the field OF politics II rose ABOVE
tactics to the height Of grand strategy IL
made A successful coup Of II. Credit Tor 'hA''
such as It IS II, I'd not be denied him but 'rh
WHY then unless the signs are al misleading
and false h. eliminated Take tab on him Tor
what followed See how he used his power.
william Rrookiicd. as chairman Of the Kcpub-
ucan State Committee. had discharged III"
duties Of that place with distinguished hd'Hiy.
lie was popular with the party Their" had not
h.en a breath Of complaint against or 81 ds
satisfaction with him. And except that h" VAS
NOT absolutely subscrvient 10 Mr.. Ilatis Will.
no had done nothing at which that person could
,.to offence Mr. Platt wanted Cr"atur" 81 MS
own in the place and out went Brookncld Ih'n
he had the State Committee. Tier" was II"
secret about that. II was The open boast OF Inc
Plat following They were not then 80 S"hri'
tous for harmony as now.
That was not enough. Mr.. Brookh"ld was
chairman Of the County Committee. In that pc
sI,ion he had shown the same efficiency ANA
| conacity as in the other. He had The respect
and confidence Of the entire party In an unusual
decree Plat wanted the place for another
creature OF his own Wanted H. rs he wanted
| tho other TO make himself solid and absolute III
bo,h city and State. And he wanted boih- Tor
we are speaking by the card and from III"
record. without mncing wcrds-wantcd both for
trading purposcs So Mr. Brookicld was de
| nosed and Mr.. Plait's attorney, with III" oni-
spokcn declaration on his lips that there was
nothinc against BroOkicld except that his "l'-'-
,ion would signify the "dethroncmont mark
the word-Of Plat, was put In his place SO
thon he seemed 10 have the Republican party Of
thc State and the city, as his next friend pub
licly boosted, lin the palm Of his hand Then
what? Why, then. with such arrogant self
assertion as not even Tammany Boss in Tam
many's palmicst days ever dreamed OF. he de-
manded OF Mayor Strong the control Of munc-
ipal patronage. the direction of the municipal
policy-in short, the complete subsection OF the
will of the Chief Magistrate OF this great city 10
the dictation Of a Boss" who was not even
voter in the municipality he aspircd TO rule.
And this claim was openly made upon the
ground first that the Boss" held the Rcpub-
lican party "in the palm Of his hand; second
that he abstained from the trcachcry by which
he might have defeated his own party, and
third. because he might have "cppcd the
wings Of the Mayor by zone word At Albany
and had magnanmOusy RETAINED
Then followed tho Mayors calm and dsnl'd
assertion that he was his own master and no
mans man in the appointment Of Mr. Brook
field 10 be Commissioner Of Public Works. First
blow between the eyes since the Boss came ont
in the open What succeeded is fresh in
memory. There was the Plat mass meeting in
Cooper Union. the Plat Sunday-school at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel, then the journey 10 Albany
and then the return There was much talking
| instead Of zone word at Albany, but If any
| body's wings" were clipped" they were not
Mayor S,rong's. To-day the Boss sings small,
roosts lower. and spells harmony with lower
case h. His cmissaries are busy begging con
| ccssOns, proposing compromises. Matching bar
| gains In this state Of things The Tribune takes
| occasion to say. what it hopes and believes il is
| not necessary to rctcraie 10 the honest Rcpub-
| leans Of the city and the State. that this man
| has made the issue himself which must be
| openly and fairly met. He must be recognized
| as the absolute leader Of the Republican party.
| the dictator Of It's policies and the sole dispenser
Of lis patronage or he must be distinctly and
unqualifiedy rcicgatcd TO the rear. And with
this In view, no Republican can evade the duty
| of declaring himself The sources Of his power
and the secret Of his hold upon the men who do
| his bidding are known, and. II necessary. will
| be revealed. This Is not fight against Mr..
| Plat personally, but will become SO II he per-
] sists in interposlng between 10000 Republican