New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-01
in that event the Democratic machine might
as well be abandoned for all time as rupDisH
unfit for any use.
DRY DOLLARS "DEFECTION."

The Tammany leaders are IN u slii'e vi i'"''
according to The New-York SUM-, whlch KNOWS
all about the Tammany leaders They are vent
ing yoluble curses Ia the most pupnc lhanhei
possible on Dry Dollar Sullivan Tor throwing
himself into the breach on Tuesday IN the oeh-
ate and giving Plat the one vote neeului u
col1.y out the scheme Of letting Lexow have
finger In the Greater NewYork pie one leader
saws that the plan was an attempt 10 Dois'er
ND Mr. Platt's machine and control the action VI
the Greater New-York Commission. that IL WIS
the first real party issue OF the session. anu 'h''
to defeat if was to strike blow ut the Repub-
lican Marty. which It was the duty Of every DEM
ocratc Senator to give THE Sun, when Is
distinguished for its devotion to Democratic
principles and its sturdy opposition TO the i'ia't
machine vigorously exploits the Nervousness oi
Dry Dollars "defection,' and the demands maue
upon the present Tammany boss that he De
disciplined.
This is encouraging In these days OF non
partisan movements party ties tend 10 become
weak even among the most vehement siicklers
for regularity. and at times 1t has been dificnt
IN toll whether certain measures were being
pushed by Mr. Plat or Mr.. Sheehan or DOM
A little wholesome discipline Will clear the ar
and epable the people to fix the praise or Dlame
due for work done in their service and II might
ne we'll begin with Sullivan as with anybody
else But the leaders should not forget tIa'
there are others There Is Senator Cantor, Tor
instance He, too, needs dlscplning Tor he mas
betrayed the Democratic party most shamefuhy
and broken the force OF the very thunderDoits
he feels 1t incumbent upon himself 10 hurl a'
the Republicans now that the session Is over
He has just declared that the record or me Legs
latlIre has been Infamous inasmuch ms the Ke-
publicans have thrust upon cities III spite Oh
protest, measures which were repudlated by
1.-THE local authorities" That statement apples
exactly TO the consolidation bill which has been
forced upon New-York and Brooklyn. In spite or
protests and in face Of the reputation OF the
local authorities Yet the record shows that on
March II. when the bill was before the Senate
for the first time, Mr.. Cantor joined the machine
Republicans IN thrustng the measure upon the
two cities. Then again on April IL, after the
local authorities had repudiated the Dill and IL
came before the Senate for second vote. MI
Cantor gave essential aid to the machine when
as he says. it "nulfed, practically. the recently
adopted constitutional amendment He COM
plains that there Is not an instance throughout
1.-THE session in which the refusal of the local
authorities to accept bill has been respected
''bv the majority" Yet in this case the ma jCrity
did not override the Mayors vetoes. Only
twenty-three Republicans could be summoned
thus TO violate the doctrine OF home rule. ana
the necessary majority to perpetratc the outrage
was furnished by Democrats. among whom was
Senator Cantor. He Is a shining mark for party
discipline Then there are the seven other Dem
ocrnts who voted for this bill In the Senate. the
twenty-sevcn Democrats who nullihed the home
rule stand taken by thirty-sx Republicans in
the Assembly on It's first passage through that
body. and the eight Democrats who prevented
thirty lone Republicans from making effective
their respect for the opinion Of the local authori
ties when the final vote came They all should
be disciplined. for they all have been potent in
bringing about the state Of affairs which allows
Mr.. Cantor TO say: ''The session has been con-
"trolled by the Republican boss Of the State in
"thc most autocratic and tyrannical way" With
ont Democratic votes his worst tyrannies could
not have been enacted
Altogether, there Is fruitful field for Demo
cratic heresy trials. and we hope they Will speed
lily begin and be vigorously prosecuted. The
Tammany leaders have an example set them
in the way Mr. Plat disciplined Speaker Fish
when he made deals and received diamonds
from Tammany. and the result Of that trial
shows them that they no risk, for It will be
perfectly possible for them To take back the
heretcs into the fold whenever they can use
them. They are surely as smart as Mr.. Plat
and Mr.. Fish So let the dsclplining begin at
once We hope that The sun" is misnformed
when II reports that Mr.. Sheehan says there Is
no hurry in Suvans case. and that he will
not call a special meeting of the Tammany
Executive Committee to consider his offence.
There Is the greatest need for hurry. Sullivan
has been caught redhanded helping ito bolster
up Platts machine" II he Is not prosecuted
forthwith, people will begin to think that the
leaders like Cantor, talk against Plat and work
for him. and that they do not feel so badly. after
ALL about Dry Dollars detection"