The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-25
BRADLEY'S GREAT SCHEME.
GOVERNORS ISLAND FOR a PLAY
GROUND FOR NEW YORK.

run NbW W."
.H, -
Tim Campbeips Conqueror In the Fight for
Congressional Honoru Proposes 90 give thr
CITY n Chance TO 1Buy tho Reservaiion-Ho
Thinks Ue Can Get His Bnl Through
'The State has given us tho grandest city In
the world, q city that the whole country can en-
Joy and be proud OF with us. Now, let tho
Govern ment be equally generous and give us
Governors Island as a playground for our chill
dren and a breathing spot for our poor Of all
ages! 1t shall be my endeavor Mt this session
of Congress to bring this about, and IL i fail
It viii be because energetic effort and absolute
sincerity count for nothing"
1t was at a little east side meeting hall, just
of Grand street, that Tommy Bradley, the boy
Congressman, first told about his scheme TO
turn tho army out of Governors Island and
make the place a public playground for tho
Greater New York. Tommy's friends, and they
include almost everybody In tho district, don't
think that the east side ever turned out n
brighter young man than he. and when he let
It DO known that he was going to try TO annex
Governors Island to Now York, there wasn't
n man. woman, or child on tho east side that
didn't believe he'd succeed in doing 1t.
On Friday last Congressman Bradley intro
duced his bill in tho House. He made a speech
that caused some of tho men who have been
occupying their seats in Congress 30 long that
they scarcely know any other homes to open
their Dyes. Long ago the old timers got over
thinking that because Bradley of New YORK
was only, 20 years Of age and had never held
political office before he could be kept In his
seat. They have found Tommy, as everybody
ON Grand street calls the Congressman. right
on his feet every time n question affecting MS
constituency or the public interests has been
under discussion. Tho Governors Island bill
sort of took their breath away last Friday.
but II they think that tho young sponsor for
It is fooling they arc making n big mistake.
The whole east sido is behind Tommy Bradley
and his bill. The people over in that section
of the city got tho tip by wire from Washing
ton the moment the bill was introduced. Tim
Campbell. the chronic Congressional candi-
date from Bradley's district, will have to do
some very tall stunts if he expects to mako
any kind Of n showing at all against Bradley
at tho next election, for Tommy's star is in the
ascendant and going up at about the same rate
that hneteors come down. This is Congressman
A bin to convey TO the city Of New York. in the
State Of New York, for The purposes Of a public park,
buildings thereon erected.
Do e enacted by. the senate and House OF Repre-.
oontatives of the United States OF America in Con.
gress %ssemhled That the Secretary OF War Is hereby
s sasao ef sss v S So1EE'fS or sf the purposes 1Ts SCI E Of a public p pa !
the i.land known as Governors Island. with the
That me Sscrstary Of War Is authorized to agre:
compensation Z, be paid the United states for said
island and the buildings thereon erected.
Military Affairs and Bradley is now hustling to
get It favorably reported. He says that he has
and TINT in the first year Of Greater:Now York
n the e etsy we'll eits enjoy 39 t Z p worId Pbl as; Sre9 f IN nd is
Ate" they are preparing n series of Governors
1Bland bill' meetings for the holidays, when the
SSRsrs ss sSaps will tbs sS at at a ho%s %b and n Bradley t6s bj II
with his very able constituency Of %rooters.
The bill 10 the biggest thing that Congress.
man Bradley has ever attempted outside OF his
the irropressible Tim Campbell. who had repre-
icy went UP against the veteran without fear.
his people better than they knew themselves.
He had a stock OF shrewdness that no one ,sus.
finn Campbell out. Of his boots in a fair and
square s%tand-up fight and bids fair to make as
daiIdH.a Just now Bradley is the % idol Of Of the east
side, and the man who beats him at either the
GO oS%sss a p pss'ty fall sim Fl ii ns o ta9 ps sIsf as=enf has s9t
Tommy Bradley was born in that quaintest
of tho shut-in east side streets, Lewis street.
His father was a Door man, but Tommy was
ambitious, and when. other lads of his age were
working in the nearby factories and shops, he
broome street school. Ho went from there to
the city college and was graduated when only
school siaf' He studied asii law while hi s earnIne his living
and made a little money on the outside giving
t Ssii him G the ,p ssmsrtes s'f boy On Grand hnes stree street !"
and predicted a great future for him.
Of q, and TWO years later was made a deputy
Assistant District Attorney. He handled the
such good style that he was made a full.
1egded Assistant at the first vacancy, He
sssR : Gq 70 "a taP Se @p n the more i%HI lucrative Sep pr p9tiis
that his neighbors could provide him. At the
S Same 9i time ,b ne T ps Want int1 gp pGliti fe cd Me made SSp p
one else had thought Of him as n candidate
An fact it never occurred to anybody on the
Tepresentatiye from the district than Tin
Campbell. This, hoWeyHr, was 4 small matter
sitiesas Silver Dollar" Smith, Martin Engel
when Tim Campbell made the bad break o
accepting. a Republican nomination because HI
district, Bradley showed himself into the gal
and was nominated by Tammany Hall.
took place on the east. side. Campbell WoEke,
Nike q Trojan, and for a time it looked a
mover looked at 1t in that way himself, how
ever. He Just went on working in the reeesse
long residence in Washington had made hiI
forget E FhsiE SSHGs! sr%sn ne SSG i 9IGdish. T aS% q
s sSsFS o ae9 Knows S the diatri saf Is made nl%H,T up OF an fris {
Germans, and Jews; This was another point 70
n SdIn. q spsafinf s dIsDar a,1h sIlSa about Sf h %ink On a,
count Of his age. He called him n .~'Dresumptu0u
{RSSlRapSys. . T II ,d% eass sIde eSy; who and tS SsSer B simiIa
but had always been Complexities didn't Xix
this sort of thing. They regarded Tommy as
very likely young man, and as the campaig
proceeded many OF them switched over to hin
On election day Tommy: Bradley's campaig
In the remote parts OF the district came |
strong, and when the votes were counted h
neat majority OF 2,747. Campbell threatcne
70 contest; BRADLEY offered him a check fc
1000 to help along the incidental expense
Of the contest. Campbell retired in DISCUS
first stating publicly that the district would b
sorry that IL replaced him with a mere boy, an
that when tho people got their senses bac
again he hoped TO serve them In the same oil
0ne feature of Bradley's campaign, abor
which nothing has ever been said. was n
lated to- Sun reporter by Bradley months az,
my sister teaches a class of boys In one
the public schools on tho east SIDE" he sai'
'.They are the typical east side boys, holy To
gors. and as hard TO handle as "a lot of Indian
These boys, about nifty OF them, got up
Thomas j. Bradley club. There wasn't a vot.
among them, OF seourse. and they had no idt
why. they were for me. excepting that my 81
ter Is a popular teacher, and they thought
would please her. One day she found the who