New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-18
HON. THE MACHINE WORhS.

W. ronrint in another column the full text OF
! tbc Address 10 the Republican voters of the
State Of New York, signed by eighteen we'll
known Republicans of this city. and originally
published on the Sd Of April We do this in order
| that every reader of The Tribune may have be-
fore him The startingpoin of what has become
! s. oucstion of unusual importance 10 the f'pup
lican party IF this State. And we ask every Re
nublcan voter in the State To- give this Address
very caroful-ycs. very critical reading We
hog tha; he will search through every lin" ana
every word of it to find, if he can The slightest
! provOcation or even the shadow of excuse 1"r
| the scurrilous attack upon the character ann
motives Of the siCnors which Mr Edward i%'u'or
bach rs chairman Of the Republican committee
Of ,his county. sent out To the Republican voters
of the State as reoindcr thereto within twenty
four hours after its appearance III PRINT we 90
This with the more freedom because neither The
Tribuue nor any one connected win IL WAS COZ"
sulta1 concerning the Address or had any know
edge of il until il was handed in for puOllcau"h
We simply hold ii up 10 the reader as al 'Nillpi'
II is the pivot upon which there bids I1lr 10 turn
a question of considerable importance to the l''-
publican party That question: bil'iiy stated j.
whether the party is an organization 'h' lhul'I"
ual members Of which have right 10 me 'N
preston Of their opinions as 10 lis Folry ana IL
appointments. or machine controlled py one
! man. who dictates is policy, makes Us appoint
ments. and in its name Supprc>NeS private Juu-
mcnt and rebukes with the manner OF an auto
crat and the language of a fish woman whoever
ventures TO dissent from his views or crluclSc
his methods.
I, /, not pretended that Mr. I.aucrbach had
any authority from the Republican County com
mit,en ia issue in lis name the scurrilouS attack
upon eminent Republicans which h" scattered
broadcast throughout the State. He did it under
orders from the man who assumes 10 he IN" Su
nronne Ruler of the party. 1t was not nece>
sary, in Mr. Iautcrbach'S view. to consult any
ono c,sn The members Of The Committee We're
only cipherS, in his judgment. and what th'E
might think. say or do was not Of the slightest
consequence When the Republicans of thlS
comfy elected their County Committee they not
only surrendered 10 that Committee their rlGh'
Of private Judgment. but they empowered the
Committee TO rebuke lis exercise. publicly III
such terms as they might choose. The Commit
tee delegated thai power absolutely ana uhr'
soryedlv 10 Mr. LauIcrbach when it selected him
as its chairman, and Mr. Lautcrbarh. who had
been put in the place as Mr.. Patt'S attorney, saw
! client in the exercise Of the prerogative with
which through these Intermediate stages he had
been endowed by the Republicans Of the county
/ of New-YOrk BY that chain Of reasoning, ana
/ by that only can Mr. Lautcrbnch Justify his use
| Of the name and the authority of the Republican
! County Committee % give his manifesto credit
and currency
The machinery Of BosSiSm began lis work AZ
| this point Here Mr.. Platt asserted himself as
the Republican party Of the county Of New ork
/ This was not enough. To give III" document
crcdencc and establish its authority as an Official
omanation. the sanction Of the Republican party
az Tho State was necessary BY the same process
of reasoning the power Of the party 10 suppress
private judgment had been delegated To In"
State Committee. BY operations similar 10 those
which had been effective in putting Mr. Platts
attorney, Edward Lautcrbach. in control Of tn"
| conscience and judgment of the Republicans OF
| this county two more Of his representatives iad
been put in charge Of the conscience and juds-
| mont of tho Ropubljcans Of the State. Mr..
Charles W. Hackett had been made chairman Of
| the State Committee and Mr. Benjamin II. oder,
ir.. chairman Of It's Executive Committee Neither
| Of them seems to have had even the most ShadOWy
notion that he held his place for any other pur-
far as the machinery of the office could be used,
enforce his viii. And neither OF them seems 10
have bothered himself for a single moment with
a doubt as 10 his absolute power 10 send ont 20
the Republican voters of the State. without col-
sultation with the Committee or any member OF
it. or an instants hesitation as to whether 1t was
a proper matter for party action anything which
Mr.. Platt said expressed his views and must
cha - tl,., IN, l..
party SO went out to the Republican voters Of
the State the Iauterbach manifesto, and there
with. TO certain newspaper editors and county
committees "conidcntal' circular. giving it
the sanction and authority Of the Republican
party Of the State through the agency Of lis State
| Committee.
II has come to the knowledge of The Tribune
that In certain counties Of the State, where the
machinery Of BOsssm is in working order, the
two circulars OF Mr.. Laucrbach and Of McssrS.
Hackett and Odell have been supplemented by
| Republican County Committees adding such
weight as they may 10 the original purpose OF
discrcditng the Republican Mayor Of New York
and the eighteen wollknOwn Republicans of This
city whose only offence Is that they have recon-
mcndcd the passage Of measures fly the LcglS-
| lature which Mr.. Plat does not approve. And
! this is the way the Machine works There is not
n ray Of relief 10 the picture. The will OF enc
| man controls every one of these committees
through its chairman, and the chairman Of every
one of them is exercising under the Boss such
| absolute power that he does not consider 1t worth
his while to consult even the members Of his own
! committee 10 the propriety or expedicncy cf
executing the will Of his Master even when The
Master commands that the authority Of the party