The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-27

ana RruBSla q nundred years ago, we can sec
that there ls nothing visionary In the no.
tlon that Germany's acquisition of Holland,
Viewed a. an Offset for the restitution Of
Alsace.Lorraine, may be at this time the
subject of consultation at st. Petersburg.
The Alternative Before Mr.. Seth Low.
Mr.. SETH Low, In his letter to the Citi-
Eens' Union Committee at the beginning
Of the summer said very emphatically that
he could be their candidate for Mayor only
II 1t was demonstrated to him that he was
"a unifying force among the friends of good
government"
Mr.. Lows letter was written with the
evident intention Of producing on the pub
lie mind the impression that he would take
the nomination only at the call Of duty as
the candidate best fitted to unite and har.
monte the opposition to Tammany Hall.
Such strength as he now has with the PEG.
pie is due wholly to their confidence
in the sincerity of his declarations
there made. All the value that the sig
natures to the petition for his nomination
have consists in the indication they af.
ford Of q most c~onmendable and hopeful
anxiety for the unification of " the friends
Of good government" The signers, 80 far as
they were Influenced by serious and definite
conviction, took him at his word. His can
didacy appealed to their respect and conf
dence only because they believed that be had
no selfish desire for a nomination. but was
seeking solely to further the unity neces.
sary TO the success of the movement against
Tammany.
Now there has como a situation which
affords Mr.. Low the opportunity to demon.
strate to the public whether the express
sions ofhis letter were sincere and unselfsh
or only intended to deceive the public and
advance the selfish interests OF himself and
those associated with him in an effort to
advance his political ambitions.
He is now, of all men In New York, in a
position where the determination of the
question whether there shall be unity or
division among the opponents of Tammany
rests with him individually, and the re-.
sponsibility for the result will be upon him
peculiarly.
The time for tho nomination of a candI-
date against Tammany being near, it has
now become necessary to bring together
the opposition, and accordingly the City
Committee of the Republicans has taken
the initiative to that end, as being the
lodged centre of such opposition,
by courteously inviting a conference of its
various elements for the purpose. 1t is sim
ply an invitation to fix upon a common day
for holding their nominating conventions, so
that the canvass against Tammany may be-
gin simultaneously, and consequently with
the ant on NJ rnncanfratiop The ,,,,
tical good sense of the suggestion is SO
obvious that no organization invited can
! refuse to listen to it IL such unity is Its
honest desire. Mere courtesy would pre-
vent the precipitation of a nominating con-
vention by any of them In advance of the
suggested conference. Any attempt to
seize the field in advance would be not
merely unmannerly, but distinctly hostile
in intent.
Certain OF the member Of the Citizens
Union, practically nothing more thu an
organization In the interest of Mr..
Lows candidacy, are said to be now
urging his immediate and independ.
emit nomination by it as a snap pro.
ceeding, In order to preempt the ground
for his and its selfish benefit wholly.
These greedy marplots profess to have as
surances that Mr.. o would accept such
a nomination; but we are confident that
their sole purpose is to embarrass him and
put him in a position distressing in the ex-
treme for an honorable man. They want to
force upon Mr.. Low an alternative Which
would involve for him either retirement
from the field or betrayal of the people who
had put their trust in him. This they will
do, II In their youthful and malicious cyni.
clsm they dare do 1t, OIL the theory that Mr..
Lows vanity and ambition are stronger
than his honor.
OF course, there can be no pretext that
the interests Of the opposition to Tammany
require that his nomination shall be made
In advance of the common time to be de.
termined upon for the nominating conven-
tions generally. Political prudence die
tates rather that the campaign against
Tammany hall be confined within a
limit OF time not 80 long as to exhaust
public interest and patience in a year
and at a season when the public re.
sents peculiarly distraction from Its
business occupations. Common sense de-
mands that the canvass shall not be- pro.
longed unnecessarily. II, then, Mr.. Low
ohouiN S"hO premature SlUlZenS Union
nomination, he would simply advertise
that his greed for the place had both run
away with his discretion and stiied
his self-respect. He would exclude
himself from the possibility of any
other nomination and of election as
Mayor. Everybody would understand that
his candidacy was in the interest of Tam.
many only, and that his talk In June about
being "a unifying force" had been a
mere pretence intended to deceive. 1t
would be simply the game of an
intriguing and INSCRIPTIONS politician.
played with a view of forcing another
nomination absolutely requisite to his elec.
tion or even to give a serious character to
his candidacy. Such a trick would un.
doubtedly fail, for the Republican Conven.
tion could not afford to outrage its party
and invite public contempt by being thus
bulldozed and buncoed. Mr.. Low knows