The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-02
Tracy Against George.

Tracy Against George.
The ticket nominated and the platform
adopted at the Tammanv Convention on
Thursday night indicate that that organi-
cation is to be a less important factor in
this campaign than in any other canvass
since its foundation. 1t abandons all title
to be regarded as representatively Demo-
cratic by avoiding all mention of the Chicago
platform, the authoritative standard of
regular Democracy. Its ticket is poor and
feeble; it's platform is claptrap and rub
bishy. 1t invites public contempt only.
The real fight of the Democracy in this
campaign will be made by HENRY GEORGE.
All the sincerity on that side Of the politi-
cal house will be in that movement, and all
the fire of the Democratic canvass will
come from it. Under the present ballot
Law the facilities for such a campaign are
very much greater than when GEORGE OBJ
tanned the portentous vote of more than
5000 in 1856. The necessary cost Of a
canvass is also reduced greatly, the State
providing the ballot and the great expense
of establishing election booths in every
election district having been eliminated.
GEORGE himself is a vigorous campaigner,
and he will ave the assistance of an army
of volunteer canvassers and electioneering
orators from the town itself and from all
parts of the Union. AS the square and bold
representative of undiluted and defiant
Organism, the whole force behind that poll
teal revolution will be at his back.
Moreover, there has grown up here a con-
siderable body of men, young and old, who
are fanatical disciples of HENRY GEORGE,
and uncompromising believers in his single
taxism and other social and political
vagaries. These men naturally drifted into
the Low movement at it's inception, and
throughout the summer they contributed to
It its greatest energy. Ludicrously enough,
there came in with them a lot of undiscern-
ing merchants and bankers and other peo-
pie of that sort, who joined it as a highly
respectable enterprise, with a college Presi-
dent as its leader, though few of them took
any active part in its management. They
were silent partners merely. Its busiest
functionary was a young man named
REYNOLDS, who came from the University
Settlement in Delaney street, a very hot
bed Of socialism, of which he is the hired
superintendent. The George men were the
chief hustlers in beating the town for sig
natures to the petition of which Low pre-
tends to make so much, and doubtless they
have reason for their boast that they got
all the George following OIL it, and that
those names constitute the great bulk of
Presidents and merchants on the list were
thus logged into strange company.
Why did the George fanatics turn so en-
l. ~r II.
agents, soaked with socialism. tempted
them with promises, as they tried also to
tempt the labor organizations. While they
were spurning all overtures from the Re-
publicans they were catering to the Social
istic forces of the town. 1t was a nasty, a
politically immoral undertaking, a socially
subversive movement, but unsuspecting
Eespectability and conservatism continued
to be blind to its pernicious character.
Lows stoutest and most numerous support
of the summer have withdrawn from him
and gone back to HENRY GEORGE, their first
love. The bottom of his enterprise has
dropped out.
The outlook at present Is that before
election comes the public will discover
hat the contest has narrowed itself
down to a fight between TRACY and
GEORGE, and everybody must take sides
accordingly. Low, as neither fish nor flesh
politically, neither a full.fledged Georgeite
nor a representative of the forces opposed
to Georgeism, must drop out of sight.
The spirits of the Low agents are report.
cd as somewhat raised from the depression
caused by the loss of their George phalanx,
because of the declaration of a German pc.
litical association in favor of Low as
against Tammany. But they are banking
on wind. The estimation in which Tam
many holds the influence of this German
clique is shown by the contempt with
which it treated their attempt to strike il
in behalf of candidates whose political
greed is the sole motive power of the con
Germ. They represent only themselves,
They can deliver no votes except their own
OF all the elements in our population,
the Germans are least deliverable pc,
l~itically by ssulned bosses of their race,
They are an Independent lot of citi
Gems In their political thinking, and
are noted for the variations of political sen
timent among them and the ~tenacity with
which they stick to their conflicting opin
ions. The talk of the German vote a.
If it were a solid force of distinct po
litical color, to be handed over on cleo
tion by Mr.. RIDDER, Mr.. SCHwAB, Herr
OTTENDoRFER, or anybody else, is an in
suit to the Germans. They are American
citizens and they resent every assump
tion that they are separate from the mass
Of the electorate as a distinct political class
as II they were voters in Berlin instead OF
New York. II Low got any part Of theii