The sun., 1897-11-23
The Return of Tammany to Power.

The recent New York election has been
made by Lord SALISBURY, Mr.. JOSEPH
CHAMBERLAIN, and Mr.. w. T. STEAD the
text for homilies on the evil results of our
experiment in the popular government of a
great city. These three Englishmen agree
in the opinion that the government of the
city of New York has come to bad pass.
The result of the election in this town
was deplorable because New York had
an opportunity to strengthen its repu-
tation at home and abroad as a commu-
nifty of stable political principles, but, in
stead of improving it and performing the
duty to American society which it inn
posed, refused to meet the issue or even
to consider it. The assumption of these
foreign critics, however, that the return of
Tammany Hall to power was due to the
baser elements of its society has no founda-
tion whatever in fact. Tammany won in
the election through the direct or indirect
assistance of social elements which are re-
garded conventionally as the best and the
most intelligent in the community.
In the first place, Tammany has always
had behind it a great part of the wealth
and social respectability of the town, with
out which it could never have retained
! the dominance it has held in New
| York, with few interruptions, throughout
| its history as political organization.
Being the regular representative of the
Democratic party in a community which
has always been Democratic by a great
majority, this continued control of the mu-
| nicipal government has come to it naturally
and inevitably. Its organization has nom
,In,, na.S t. A;nl-a
State and municipal, and also the candi-
dates for Congress. From it alone have
they received their stamp of Democratic
regularity anu authenticity. Moreover, it
has conducted all the Democratic cam
paigns for the election of President,
the greatest vote ever received by it having
been obtained at the election in 1892 when
Mr.. CLEVELAND was elected President. To
say that Tammany Hall represents spe-
officially the baser elements of the COM
munity is to reegate the Democratic party
of New York to that low level, and is man
ifestly absurd.
At the late election Judge VAN WYcK,
Tammany's candidate for Mayor, received
in the present city of New York more votes
than were polled for Mr.. Low and Gen.
TRACY together, or 143,666 as against
133,044. OF the 1920 votes for Low,
probably about $4,000 only were strictly
Democratic, and perhaps 35, 900 more were
Republican, the rest coming from Mug
wumps and other politically unattached
and mercurial elements. Evidently, much
of the Republican vote was not polled. AS
between Low and Tammany these voters
preferred to help Tammany by staying
| nj Arn IN inf hat h.
$4,000 Democratic votes which went tc
: Low monopol2e the moral health of the
party in New York and that the more than
143,O0O which went to VAN WYcK are the
morally diseascda AS u matter of fact, II
, is probable that the average of intelligence
! and moral elevation was as high among
: the Tammany voters as among the Demo
Gratis who voted for Low.
Nor can it be doubted that the return O
| Tammany to power is received by the com
munity with satisfaction which is ever
more extensive than Is indicated by tn,
actual vote for Judge VAN WYCK. Tam
! many's success means that definite po
lltical party is to be responsible for tn,
, government of New York and can be hclt
, accountable for the consequences by public
sentiment. The Strong administration ha
been without such responsibility. 1t ha
gone on regardless of the advice of part,
8 leaders, following the Low theory tina
9 the Mayors responsibility is to his Owl
t conscience only. Accordingly, it has pro
3 ceeded without reference to the public senti
: tof which party is the expression, AM
I without the beneficial checks which part
r responsibility would have put on 1t. 1t ha
o increased taxes and annoyed citizens by it
: injudicious methods of enforcing nquis
torial and embarrassing laws and ord
}, nances, and by the somewhat provincia
8 ! spirit of its administration of the Polio
t Department. 1t meant we'll, doubtless, bu
g it did not understand public sentiment
J. | and in its,1gn0ranOe irritated and exa'