The sun., 1897-11-14
From the Union League Club.

We publish In another column letter
on our late New York election from Mr..
ISAAC TOWNSEND SMITH, member of the
Union League Club, and the American
Consul General of Siam. Mr.. SMITHS let
ter Is an attempt to justify the Republican
rebellion which gave New York, both the
city and the State, to the Bryanized De-
mocracy, and as it presents the fallacious
arguments usually set up as pretcxt for
that wholly indefensible revolt, we give it
as o curious contribution to the history of
that disastrous campaign.
The first excuse for his rebellion offered
by Mr.. SMITH Is that 1t was requisite be-
cause "the Republican party is on record
as advocating separation of municipal
and local from national issues" There is
no such record, and even II there were one,
such a separation in the last campaign was
impossible. The election was not merely
for municipal officers, but for State officers
also, Assemblymen and Chief Justice of
the Court of Appeals. AS the results of the
election showed, the rebellion in the party
against the municipal ticket carried down
also its county and its State ticket. The
rebels did not discriminate against the city
ticket only, but also defeated Assembly.
men and Judge WALLACE, the Republican
candidate for Chief Justice of the Court of
Appeals, by Withholding their votes from
them or by voting for other candidates. They
made themselves responsible for the cleo
tion Of a Bryanite Chief Justice and did
their best to turn over to Organism the
Assembly likewise.
In separating, 80 far as possible, munich
pal elections from State and national cleo
tions, the Constitutional Convention did
not and could not place the Republican
party on record in favor of keeping out
State or national issues from local cam
paign, the Constitution having no power to
determine the issues Of an election, or to
include or to exclude any issues.
For the very reason that Tammany Hall
was shrewd in attempting to cloak It's
Organism with municipal issues only, the
Republican party would have been foolish
in assisting 1t in the effort by making It's
campaign on the same ground. Neither in
armed conflicts nor In the contests of poll.
tics Is 1t regarded as good strategy to allow
the enemy to choose the position from
which to fight with view to its own ad
vantage. Tammany, or the Democratic
party, had been beaten last year because OF
Its avowed Organism. and on that issue 1t
could have been beaten again this year.
Accordingly, the efforts of its leaders from
the beginning of spring and throughout
the campaign were TO hide Its Organism as
matter Of immediate expediency. Obvi,
ously, sound political tactics, sound public
policy, required its opponents to defeat the
trick and drag forth its hidden Bryanism.
The Strong administration, as every saga
cious political observer knew, had brought
-partisanship into disrepute, and on
that issue defeat was inevitable. That
popular sentiment demanded q municipal
Government, for which there should be
strict party responsibility, was proved by
the result of the election.
Mr.. SMITH gives as another excuse foi
his rebellion. that the Republican party
was largely opposed to the Greater New
York charter" as 1t was passed, But II
was Republican Legislature which passed
the charter and u Republican Governor
who signed It, "Mr. TRACY was there (at
Albany in advocacy of it," says Mr.. SAITH
"and was not that enoughg' he asks. 10 jus