Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-11

ATTENTION. lie was utterly aStOn1Sned TO
find that not single old-time friend was
on hand to greet him when he stepped
or shore at the conclusion of his ocean
voyage back from Europe. Mr.. Croker
drove at once to the Murray Hill Hotel in
stead of to Tammany Hall, and when John
c. Sheehan and several Of the local demo-
cratic leaders called to see him several
hours later they found the boss in one of
his angriest moods. He hurried to his farm
at Richfield Springs and remained over
Sunday. lonely man so far as the powers
of Tammany Hall were concerned.
Then occurred one of the most remark
able things in the history of American pol
ftfcs. The day of Richard Croker was
again at hand. Mr.. Croker by sheer force
of will compelled all of the minor leaders
10 submit to him. John c. Sheehan was
the only man who could have withstood
his conquering march. Sheehan refused.
The reasons for that refusal are unknown.
Sheehan yielded to Croker. The rest was
one mad, wild gallop for office and the
city hall.
But not uncontested was that race for
ONCE and the spoils. With the desperation
of Custer in that Bad Lands battle with
Ra1n-in-the-Face, with the heroism Of
Houston in that contest with the Mexicans
at the ramparts Of Alamo. with the daring
of Horatius at the bridge, Henry George
attempted to check the rush. His speech
OF acceptance of the nomination at Cooper
Union read in the light of recent events
sounds like a philippe. His denunciations
az Kings Bridge when he announced that
II successful he would start the machinery
which would compel Croker to divuIge and
d1sgorSe, which would land the Tammany
HAN boss in prison, since the recent cleo
lion sound like ancient history, Already
have the charges of the man who tore the
mask from the Tammany Hall judges and
accused them of paying S35 1000 each for
nominations been forgotten.
Croker and Van wyck.
There are those who predict that Judge
a rrlr
ard Croker. The trouble with this prophecy
Is that Mayor-elect Van Wyck has an
nounced that he will put none but organi-
zation democrats On guard. Though Gro
ker may not control Judge Van WICK in a.
manner he is certain to control him bv in
direction. Fer, even though Croker and
Van Wyck Were the bitterest enemies, and
1t goes without saying they are not, the
mayor-elect could do little or nothing with
ont the boss" If the mayor-elect selects
his appointees from the organization. as
he says he will, and Croker controls the
organization Van Wyck is powerIess so
long as Croker rem aims the boss"
The man who occupies the desirable posi-
ton of go-between between boss and
mayor-elect is no less a parsonage than
Leader Carroll. Though John c. Sheehan.
on account of his executive ability filled
the post OF boss" during Cookers absence
in Europe. Mr.. Carroll was really the trust
ed and the confidential adviser of Mr.. Gro
ker during those three years. Not a week
passed that Carroll did not send Croker a
written report of sayings and doings. And
this is the reason why, upon the return
from his foreign tours. some of the men
who really imagine that they are entitled
to the good things going have found ii SO
difficult to get the ear of the boss" Mr..
Carroll has kept Croker posted concerning
the bad things which these same men have
said about the patron of the English race
tracks during his absence. Hence, what
mo- not al hnr fny- t-n1y
bis return to the position of commander of
Tammany Hall. to select the man picked out
by Carroll. Mr.. Croker was compelled to
pick mtn who could win. In order to
prevent bolt it was necessary to select
some one who had not taken a decided
stand either with the gold democrats the
silver democrats last fall. Judge Van
Wyck. on account of his judicial position,
was not supposed to mix up in politics to
any great extent. He was supposed to have
supported the nominee of the Chicago con-
ventio1, William Jennings Bryan; but to
this day no man knows his opinions con-
corning the bimetallic propositions. Car
rolls man, Van Wyck, was good enough to
win with, and ne was regarded as a good
enough democrat to appoint only democrats
to office in the event of his election, and
that was good enough for Boss Croker,
who controlled the organizations and the
delegates to the city convention.
Ir no other organization in the world
could Croker have fought his way to the
front Ill a month time as IN Iammafy
Hall. In an absolute monarchy the office
of bossship could have only been secured
through The Divine Right of Kings" In
constitutional monarchy king and people
might have combined to have made him
the power behind the throne. In the
binary political parties in republic, Mr.
Croker would have found vast deal of
preliminary work and agitation necessary
to have secured a reputation a leader
among men. But in Tammany Hall, which
is after all only Caesarism in politics owing Z
to the enforcement of the unit rule. it was
necessary for him Only to capture the
sachems and the leaders through bluff,
bulldoZing or intrigue. His control of the
Greater New York convention then was
absolute. The swinging of the pendulum
democraticward this year did the rest.
From City to State Control.
The extension of Tammany Hall over
the borough of Brooklyn, the borough of
Bronx, the borough of Queens and the
borough of Richmond has been accom-
plished almost without struggle Local
democratic leaders in all of the boroughs
except Brooklyn have been only too willing
to curry favor with Croker by surrendering
TO him, and in all Brooklyn there is not
a leader able to stand up against Croker
alone to say nothing of inability to cope
with the combined power Of Tammany Hall
and the Van Wyck administration.
Up the state the strings are scattered
come along and pick them up. Ex-senator
Hill, who might have held out against
Croker and Tammany in the event of his
own -olitical life being at stake, is MORT
bund. Nowadays, when Hill attempts to
revive that old personal machine of his.
an organization. which the wonder of
the practical politicians of the country. the
Bryan democrats all over the state start
up ready to annihilate the man whose
proud motto Cnce was Il am a democrat.
Senator Murphy is half Tammany man
at heart. his son-in-law. ex-Mayor Grant.
having managed Van Wyck's campaign.
Mayor Malloy of Troy. ex-Mayor Kirk of
Syracuse and Norman E. Mack of Buffalo.
the leaders in their respective cities, have
regulations tfat are merely local and could
not possibly make any combinations which
would hold against the boss of the
Greater New York. Elliot Danforth the
state chairman, is a man of putty, who
could be easily nodded by man like
Croker. From Sag Harbor to Sacketts
Harbor there Is not a democrat who could
resist Cookers power in conventions or his
Establishments cut of conventions
Once in control Of the democratic partv of
the state under the unit rule, Mr.. Croker
will be able to vote the delegates en- bloc
In national conventions. The seventy odd
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