The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-07

is to be interesting and exciting, or quiet
afew Of these preliminary signals Of coming
political strife:
The first and surest of them all, the in.
evitable, certain, positive sign Of q warm
fight, is the early and ~officious activity Of
the professional reformer. The man who
wishes to save the people from the sinister
wiles and reprehensible guile Of the politi-
clans Is on hand long in advance. When
the city is neither to be ransomed nor rescued
from his ~favorite enemies, the politicians,
the professional reformer Is not to be seen
or heard. A really non.partisan. disinter-
ested, patriotic movement does not interest
him. He either goes out of town or stays
In town quietly. He let's the battle for po-
litlcal supremacy pass by without his in.
reference. But when there is to be a great
battle for offices of honor and e~molument,
the professional reformer is all astir. He
meets other reformers at stated times and
places. He coDperates in manufacturing
n issuing manifestoes. He d~eplores the
sad condition of affairs, and admonishes his
fellow citizens to arouse ere 1t be too late.
The first and surest Indication of a busy
| huhiCt pal CdnN III new lOTk Is bue up
penrance Of the professional reformer.
A second and equally certain, but less con.
spicuous, representation of a hard fight Is
the appearance Of sundry self-constituted
defenders of political rights of the clown.
trodden people" under the laws of the
United States, the State Of New York, and
the Board Of Aldermen, whicha are threatened
with assault from politicians Indifferent
to the public welfare. The Roumanian-
American Patriotic Protective Benevolent
and Social Union, the Portuguese-American
Conference, the Finnish American Citizens
Union, the Catelonian. American Patriotic
Alliance, the Moorish merican Anti-Politi-
cal Cooperative Patriotic Circle, the Servian.
American Political League, the United
Andorrian Mutual Defence League, and
similar organizations. come into the light
at such times, meeting in odd places, ap-
pointing committees Of conference and
negotiation, and insisting that unless a
hearing is accorded them disaster will befall
and political ruin blight the hopes of those
who wish to carry on political fights in the
city Of New York in the English language.
Then there are the so-called associations
of taxpayers" though all citizens must
bear their share of the public burdens and
are taxpayers either directly or indirectly.
These taxpayers associations start into
hectic political activity in alternate years,
blooming, as some plants in the natural
kingdom do, biennially. They begin to
sprout early in the June preceding a mu.
nicipal election, but July is the month in
which they are in full flower. The taxpay-
ers' associations are already coming up.
April is the month for the professional
reformers; May for the patriotic cosmo-
politans; June for the early taxpayers
associations. At about this time, too, the
"~harmonizing unions" established by the
impartial, disinterested, self-sacrificing,
patriotic, and intrepid burghers. begin
to consecrate themselves to the task
Of bringing together warning elements
and sewing together ragged edges,
with the noble aim of overcoming the
wicked politicians. The zeal of the har-
moniZers, however, soon burns itself out,
and almost invariably they throw up the
job when the hot summer weather comes in
earnest. Their hearts are right, but their
bodies are weak, and they must recuperate
in the mountains or by the sea. In July,
as we have said, the taxpayers associations
arc in bloom. With August begins the lull
which lasts until October, when, the decks
being cleared for action, the real fight
comes on, the politicians take hold. and the
people fall into line on one side or the other
for the battle Of votes in November.