The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-26
The Opening OF tho Campaign.

The Republican invitation to all organ
i~Eations opposed to Tammany Hall to meet
in conference, with q view to agreement
upon q common day for the holding of
their nominating conventions, is the formal
beginning of the preparations for the cam
paign which will DO conducted against the
Bryanite organization during the month Of
October. The okirmlshing Of political guer-
rillas, which has been carried on through
out the summon, was . private enterprise
merely, undertaken In the hope of gaining
advantage In the final combination.
Tho elements Of the opposition to Tam
many are various, and the common sense of
the leaders and of the public generally has
recognized from the first that before the cam.
paign actually begins unity among them
is essential to the end desired. The whole
people know, too, that this unity m be
brought about by the Republican party,
without which opposition to Tammany
would be utterly unavailing; and accord
ingly the Republican invitation to q con.
ference is received with general satisfaction
as the first step to its practical attainment.
This conference and the subsequent con.
ferences contemplated will lead to the nom.
nation of a ticket In whose support all the
opponents Of Tammany will be Joined, and
no other will command public respect or
attract popular interest. In all great politi-
cal contests, with a clear and simple issue,
the citizens range themselves on one or the
other of the two sides as represented by
two political parties known to them all.
Preliminary to the formation Of the lines
of battle there Is always much guerrilla
skirmishing Of the sort we have been
compelled to witness during the past sum-
mer, due to, the struggles of political free
hooters to get positions held by the regular
forces, and affording al opportunity for
obscure men ambitious to pose as arbiters
of the situation. But such demonstra-
tions drop into their true place of insig.
nifcance as soon as the serious business
Of the canvassing really begins. They occur
before every campaign in New York, and
the men engaged in them are about the
same from year to year. In the national
campaign last year midsummer attempts
to create such a diversion were made, but
when the campaign was fairly under way
they petered out.
The contest was squarely between Mo-
KINLEY and BRYAN and tho Republican
and the Democratic parties, and outside
bands were ignored by the people.
1t will be SO in the coming campaign in
the Greater New York. That canvass will
be one Of the fercest and most momentous
in the history of American politics. |
Already the prospect of it is engaging the
attention of the whole Union as an event
OF far-reaching political consequence. The
election will determine whether the great |
centre of American conservatism, wealth. !
and civilization, the second city of the
world, is to be given over to the forces
which last year fought madly for the de.
struction of the stability Of the social sys.
tenn and of republican institutions, or is to
be controlled by the elements in the com.
munity which represent its honor, en-.
lightenment, and enterprise, its intelligence
and it's sanity. The contest will be of
momentous Significance for both New York
itself and the whole republic.
1t Is preposterous to suppose that the In
telligent people of New York will allow
any fantastic political side-show to divert
their attention in such a campaign.
There will be only two parties and
two tickets to which they will give any
serious consideration. The contest will be
between Tammany Hall on the one side
and the united opposition to Organism on
the other, under the lead of the Republican
party, the party which led 1t to victory last
year. The ticket of the opposition will be
framed by the conferences now invited by
the Republicans, and no other opposition
will make any show whatever.
The young fellows who have been allowed
to pose as political dictators during the In
terval of political rest will be relegated
to their original insignifcance when the
serious business of politics begins in the
course of a few weeks. The preliminary
arrangements for tho campaign will be
made now temporarily and judiciously by
men whose reason will not be under sub.
lection to their vanity, their malice. and
their whimsical illusiona. Common sense
viii govern In the end.