New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-10
A. r CONKLING on THE ELECTION.
HE FAvoRs THE FORMATION OF A MUNICIPAL
PARTY AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN.

Assemblyman Alfred r. Conkling made the fol-
loving statement Tribune reporter yesterday:
am partly disappointed. but not discouraged at
the defeat OF the fusion ticket. felt thai some
Government party would be elected. especially
lds is f o be suceeeed BY
partisan. but the revision of the Grand Jury list by
possible dangerous alliance between the negligent
District attorney and the Tammany Judges OF The
criminal courts. There were too many anti-reform
Republicans the ticket tor the entire success OF
T. ana think that ne committee Of fy a9|ea
to dictate too much tain ma ~ savrc ,,,. COM
bn Sio % Of Bshop Poier the Republicans VINO op
pose the one-man power the state Dehocrats ne
man American Citizens Union and the City Vigil
League. would have swept the city | place
ment'' in municipal elections The ant!-reform Re
pub.icans could not have polled 1000 votes The
Tammany municipal allies cast bu; 400 votes. and
the predecessors Of the aboye-named political com
over the Tammany CANDIDATE The election proves
h5 n Ibs sis 1G oe 90 sre unwilling TO
70 the polls. and at least io,eo more refused
the stay-at-homes who were owned by Tammany.
and who RETAINED from voting on account Of fear OF
drunken carousals on the eve OF the election.
SewYork is be city s and It s very
Republican who announces tina; he will remove all
OF the ncumbents regardless Of their qualifications
Gratis are about evenly divided. no straight Repub.
lean ;.ckei selected by the Boss be successful
in this city.
I expect 70 see a victory for Fusion in 1897. and
the way accomplish ii is 70 organize a municipal
party Immediately after the Presidential election.
Reform has come to stay and there Will be no
il was no. tho excise question alone that gave
Tammany oarren minority victory. The candi-
date receiving the largest number OF votes has
about twenty thousand less than half OF the regis
tered vote. and most OF the successful Tammanyites
have majority.
The enforcement OF the laws by the Reform ad-
m!nistration cost the Fusion ticket thousands Of
votes. Some Jaws had never been enforced. and
many ignorant citizens did not know OF their exist
ence Take the storage OF trucks in the streets.
4 Republican in the Seventh Ward carried by hard
work and legitimate methods al the election OF 1894
one Of the vest and strongest Tammany election
districts in the city He left his wagon in the
street and the officials OF the Street Cleaning De
partment seized II. and f. cost this poor man s. 70
recover his vehicle. lie theroupon said. That's
what my party done for me-" This incident is very
significant. The Commissioner under MS solemn
oath of office. could of course listen 10 political
pleas, for the law is mandatory and must be
street cleaners. ant ] merely cite this to show
the way the political wind blows.
In conclusion. let say that the voters were
not justified in displaying so much apathy. The
Fusion ticket was better than either thu Repub
lican party or the State Democracy would have
placed in nomination II they had run straight
tickets
The only really disastrous result is that Tam
many has received an apparent v!ndlcatior at the
polls 1t is not a defeat of the cause OF true
municipal reform.