The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20

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men who have been at the head of the Tam
many Hall organization. John Kelly and Richard
Croker, conspicuously, he has not grown up
with the party here, nor been graduated from
an election district captainoy to ward. and final
ly to county leadership. He holds, 1t 10 true. no
Office which is an advantage for a municipal
leader, but he has n good record of success
in iis own district. which prior to his
leadership Of the 1'ammany forces there
was strongly Republican. Unquestionably his
position Is strengthened by the positive declara-
ton Of Richard Croker that no himself is IA
much out of politics us n Tammanv Hall man
can ever be; but Sheehnn's control OF the Tam
many organization Is not 80 strong nor so firm
as Mr.. Cookers was. He has developed no new
district leaders since lie was in charge. He has
been unable to get rid of the inefficient aud in
competent ones, as Mr.. Croker did. and lie has
drawn very little support to Tnmmnny from
outside organizations, as Croker was able to do,
increasing the Tammany force year by year I'M
til nearly all the working elements of the local
Democracy had been absorbed BY It..
The Creator New York project, II carried
through by tho Republicans on lines favorable
to their own power. would DO II most serious
menace to the continued power Of Taminany,
for IT. seems to be very we'll understood among
Democratic politicians generally that Brooklyn
Is quite likely to give n substantial Republica an
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also. leaving the city of New York not merely
fighting ground between the two parties, but
also with the burden resting upon the Tammany
Hall organization OF not only carrying 1t II 1t
can be carried, but also of carrying it by a ma
jority large enough to Offset the adverse Repub-
lican majorities in the other portions of the
Greater New York. with the single exception of
Long Island City, which was carried by the
Bryan electoral ticket this year, and Is likely to
| rpmain in the Ilemacrn tic column In the futurn-
In the municipal contest of 1894, seven or
CARNATIONS. ostensibly separate and distinct.
took part In the nomination of tho ticket headed
by Col. Strong-the Republicans, the German
American Reform Union. the anti-Tammany
or O'Brien Democracy. the State Democracy,
the Independent County Organization, the anti
Machine or Milholland Republicans, and the
Confederated Good Government Clubs. The
outside organizations in next years fight are
likely. from present appearances. to number
four-two practical organizations and two ad-
monitory or subjective organizations. made up
chiefly of those who deal freely In the com-
modify of sage political advice, precipi-
tattng invective and denunciation. The two
practical organizations are the German-Ameri-
can Democracy, the successor of the German
Reform Union. and the independence Hall De-
mocracy. got together quito hurriedly before
the recent election, but increased In membership
considerably since. The German-American
Democracy is under the leadership of Mr.. Often
dorfer and those of his associates who. stoutly
refusing to deal with the Bryanites. gave their
support solidly and without any excuses or cir
cumlocution to the Mckinley electoral ticket.
There are so. 900 German-speaking voters in the
city of New York and about 1000 in
Brooklyn. The leaders Of the German-American
Democracy, accepting the Greater New York
project as being as good as settled, have started
| fn nrpaniza for 1907 mot only In Now Nori rity
but also in Brooklyn, as well as Long Island
City and Staten Island. and they believe that
they will be able to exercise a preponderating
or at least decisive influence in the municipal
fight of this year. Just as they did following the
municipal election of 1894, when they endorsed
the Tammary Hall candidates In the election
succeeding and claimed to have turned the
scale in its favor. The German-American
Democracy is not without the sinews of war as
far as patronage Is concerned, having in
office at the present time Internal Rev.
enue Collector Crosse in tho Third district,
Edward j. II. Hansen, the first German Sheriff
of New York: Theodore Sutro. a Commissioner
Of Taxes and Assessments; J. H. Senior. Dep
uty Commissioner of Immigration. besides sun
dry minor Commissioners and several city mar
shals. The German-Ameri Democracy has
abundant financial resources. and its members
make many claims to extensive support in vari-
GUS districts of the city in which German
American voters are numerous. Mr.. Often
dorfer has a tireless and indefatigable ~lieuten-
ant in the carrying out of his views in the best
organizer of German-American voters who has
been developed in city politics Of late years,
Herman Ridder.
The independence Hall Democracy will owe,
probably, whatever success 1t achieves as a mu-
nicipal organization to the extensive acauaint-
ance and personal popularity, especially on the
east side of the town. of its Chairman. former
Excise Commissioner julius Hamburger. who
is one of the only outspoken supporters. II in
deed not the only one, of the Strong administra-
ton. In the Reorganization following tho al
ternate successes and defeats OF Tammany Hall
during the past four years-success In 1893 and
1895 and defeat In 1894 and 1s96-there are
many unattached Democrats. particularly of
the variety known as election district work
ers," whose support of any outside organization
would DO an element of undoubted strength.
These the Independence Hall Democracy has
been more successful in e~nlisting than the
Palmer and Buckner men. where they have
made the effort.
The two admonitory organizations are the
City Vigilance League. the spokesman OF which
is the Rev. Charles II. Parkhurst, and the Good
Government Clubs. a vestige OF whose men,
bership remains and still has the City Club as q
rallying point. These two organizations OF
meagre membership. violent and emotional
leadership and impracticable notions. could
bring to the support of "a political party In New
York. either Tammany or the Republicans, no
vote to speak of, and no vote indeed which
would be worth considering. But they have 1t
in their power perhaps. If acting in concert,
to embarrass one or the other OF the regular
parties omewha as the Good Government Club
men did in 1895. when they ran a ticket OF
their own and polled for the head of
1t 1.600 votes in q total OF $50, 900.
The vote they polled was uninportant. but
the opposition which they made to the
fusion ticket OF that year probably kept many
persons who would have supported 1t from
voting. Tho Republican leaders this year are
inclined to believe that the City Vigilance
League and the ConfederRted and Afnliate ed
Good Government Clubs cannot exercise any
serious influence on the result, and that the
nomination OF a straigh-out ticket-straIght-out