The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-15
Review of the Incidents That Led to
the Split In Greater New York
and Success of Tammany.
CITIZENS UNION SCORED
IT'S MEMBERS CALLED IMPRACTICAL
BILE POLITICAL THEORISTS,
And Their Candidate Denounced as a
VaimgIOriOus SeIf-Seeker, Mas
querading as "a Republican.

NEW YORK, Nov. Ex-senator Thomas
c. Plat tonight gave out the following
statement:
1T is the plain purpose of those Repub-
lican factionists, who, failing in every eff
fort repeatedly made to control the Repub-
lican organization, projected Seth Low into
the municipal campaign, thereby dividing
the anti-Tammany vote, to force into the
public mind the impression that the re-
sponsibility for this division attaches not
to them, but to the Republican organiza-
ton. And, just as during the campaign
they stopped at no act of treachery in or
der to create dissension, so now they are
hesitating at no falsehood or calumny in
order to promote it and keep it alive.
1.-The malicious Misrepresentation of
these incurable factionists must not go I'M
challenged No fair minded Republican
who will look back over the events of the
last six months can fail to remember that
the attitude of the Republican organization
up to the very last moment at which the
law permitted nominating certificate to
be filed was much more than favorable to
union with the Citizens organization.
Fair-minded men will remember that when
Mr.. Quigg assumed the presidency of the
county committee he made the offer of
remember that his offer was as distinctly
refused by those to whom it was addressed.
They will remember, indeed that when the
Citizens Association organized it adopted
d platform which was intended to commit
it's members to the 'go-it-alone policy
This platform denied the relation of a
national political party to municipal affairs.
1t challenged the right of the Republican
party to make nomination. 1t placed on
the doctrine of 'nonpartisanship' a new in
depreciation, and one which forbade the
possibility of cooperation between the Re-
publican party and the Citizens Union.
This was done, we must remember away
back in the spring and before the average
citizen had begun to consider what his
political course should be. Nobody paid
any attention at the time, for nobody sup
posed it would mean that the Citizens were
going deliberately to work to defeat them
selves or that they could obtain candi-
date who would stand with them in such a
suicidal policy.
POLITICAL THEORISTS.
"The Republican leaders, however, who
had had long experience both of the imprac-
teal political thorists who had devised this
folly, and of the Republican factionists who
were expected to advocate it, perceived it's
significance and the perilous situation to
which it was bound to lead. 1t anticipated
everything which the Republican party
would do to secure union, and repudiated
all in advance. 1t demanded the
unconditional surrender of the Re-
publican party, not simply to OBJ
jectionable candidates, but to impos-
sible platforms 1t declared that the Re-
publican party must say that in municipal
affairs it would not allow itself to be the
Republican party and would assert no right
to make nominations or define politics.
1.-THE Republican leaders met an insolent
challenge without bitterness and resent
ment They found no fault with the candi-
date whom the Citizens Union picked out
as the expression of its purpose and ideas.
They do not now deny that they regard
him as practically the sort of man he has
turned out to be--a vainglorious, self-seeker,
masquerading as Republican, but willing
at any time to wreck the Republican ship
on a ledge of his own ambitions. The Re-
publican leaders do not deny that they
were then opposed to the candidacy of Seth
Low, but they allowed their opposition to
take no definite or irritating shape. They
simply insisted that the Republican party
did have just and inevitable relation to
municipal affairs; that it did have the right
to nominate and that it must exercise that
right; that the views and wishes of it's adj
HSTSHlS were entitled 10 consideration, ana
that there ought to be a union between the
Citizens organization and the Republican
party but that it ought to be honorable
friendly, equitable union, under the terms
of which both should have voice in chooS-
ing candidates and in defining policies.
This was the exact state of things up
to the time when the Republican county
committee adopted Commissioner Collis's
resolution inviting all anti-Tammany organ
izations into conference in order that
day might be fixed when they should all
hold their nominating conventions, that
might be assured. The Citizens Union re-
fused to participate in this conference,
frankly assigning as its reason the fact that
ic was committed to the 'go-it-alone' pol
icy. Can any honest man, in the face of
that fact, charge the responsibility for dis
union on the Republican party? Does not
every honest man know that if the Citi-
zens Union had gone into the proposed con-
ference united action would have been in
evitable? Is it not plain enough that the
Republicans could not possibly have broken
up, or have allowed to be broken up, con-
ference which they themselves had orig
mated?
THE Republican organization in New
York and in the city of New York, no less
than in the country districts, is still power
full, earnest and devoted In the menace of
another Bryanite campaign fractional con-
troversieS will soon be forgotten and Repub-
licans will be Republicans again."
"MARRIAGE SCHOOLS"
SavOraI II aaa0ns Whv Coru,ou Won,au