New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-19
,. DIVER REDIVIVUS.
THE RETURN TO PUBLIC LIFE OF A
STATESMAN AND JURIST WHO HAS
BEEN UNDER A CLOUD.

York has managed to worry along without ior
some little time which Tammany is going to
give back to her again. Not that there has been
any loud outcry for p. Diver. Indeed, the visi-
BILE supply OF p Diver largely exceeds the de-
mand. For all that, however. r. Croker Is
going to give p. Diver back to the public. II
NAV be remembered that Judge" Diver, while
ne dealt out just ice In homeopathic doses to his
fellow citizens in the year Of our Lord the One
Thousand Eight Hundred and Nncty-fourth,
fell somewhat more deeply than usual but not
much into dsrepute and public disesteem. PUB
lie disesteem means loss Of vote winning power.
and loss OF vote-winning power means Tam
many condemnation. Consequently, the revela-
lions OF the Lexow Committee. coupled with n
little subsequent indscretion upon the part OF
p Diver himself. resulted in the loss OF that
eminent statesman's leadership in the I'D AS
sembly District Alderman Nicholas T. Brown
and Frank OConnor triumphed over him. ana
upon them his mantle fell. When the rulers OK
the CITY were In session at Lakewood recently,
however word went forth that the Awful one
Or c. Rad decreed that for his past usefulness
and his recent silence = Diver should be again
returned to power. His immediate recognition
as the Taqnmany leader OF the Id Assembly
District followed. Tho turn I'm the tide OF az
fairs was celebrated by n meeting or The ien-
eral Committee OF DIVERS district. held In
Madison-st. in the clubhouse Of the T. Driver
Association. whose windows had been SO long
Garkencd ~ the absence Of L. C.'s smile. II mas
been a long night and gloomy one for T. DIV
YER and many have been the months wherein no
man has sat upon the cold stone steps OF the
p Diver Association. but Tho sun OF prosperity
has again arisen upon +. Diver. and the days
approach wherein he will give Nick Brown
the frozen face"
The source Of Paddy DIVERS prosperity lay In
that spring whence has sprung the greatness OF
so many Tammany leaders. his saloon he
owned several saloons Mt various times. but the
princIple OF each was the same and the rum was
equally bad In all The last ana greatest
o, his rinnills was and still is. in Park Row.
rear the point where New Chambers-st. comes
into IL DIVERS "Tammany primary" extended
clear through from Park Row TO New Chan-
bcrs st 1t was the source not only OF power
and "innoounce" for Paddy" but OF crime and
corruption for the city The testimony brought
out before the Icxow Committee dcieloped the
evidence that a gang OF bunco-steerers maze
/ their headquarters at DIVERS saloon. Inc ire
mcndcus election frauds discovered In the lld
Assembly District In 1893 were planned IN MS
saIoon. and the criminal proceedings In those
cases showed the extent OF his responsibility lor
them and that they were committed by humans
melted by him to the commission OF their crimes
A ,ovori,c method Of inspiring enthusiasm and
devotion on the part OF his hceIers was the
altering Of n banner for the election district cap
tain who rolled up the biggest majority Tor the
Tammany candidates This method was so sue
cessful that the Tammany vote In some districts
exceeded the total registration. For the commits
| 81 several of DIVERS tOOlS
are now soJourning within prison walls. But
Diver was tricky enough TO hide his own tracks
and escape Indictment. THINGS took such turn.
however. that the Judge" thought ii wise TO
take an extend d trip TO the West. to visit
his sick son" II Is said that the members or
the = Diver Association were moved to tears
by this exhibition OF paternal affection
AT the time Of his appointment az Police Jus
tive paddy" DIVERS reputation was that OF
keeper OF one Of the lowest barrooms on the East
Side and tho patron and protector OF an organ
fzed gang OF crooks and criminals. Yet that great
and good newspaper '"rne New-fork sun APP
proved his appointment. The legal decisions
n, tho only "Paddy" are well known to history.
while he sat upon the bench he called attention
., his macmillan associations and predictions in
MANY WAYS Perhaps his most Instructive public
act was the fight he had with Morris Tekulsky'
who succeeded him in the ownership of the Park
Row saloon. Tckulsky wished TO avoid trouble.
but when the Judge" forced II upon him Tekul-
sky painted the judicial eye, frescoed the judi
cial nose and put dents in the judicial teeth that
kent Paddy" confined 20 his mansion in Madi-
son-s st for several consecutive days.
Now he energies from his convent-iike seclu-
s,on Just what the Awful one has in mind for
him il is impossible to conjecture. 1t seems inn
lin Hapl ont