The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-06
THE GERMAN DETECTION.
A Hsvsi but Comprehensive view or Hts Huapsr-
tnncN.

a Nevei but Comprehensive View or Its hnnpor-
tance.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Tho wide
spread and largely unexpected detection OF Ger
m~an.American voters from tho support Of tho
Tammany ticket this year is a most serious and
important feature in the present political situa-
ton which has obtained less consideration than
II deserves.
Tho struggle for the control of American cities
from out Of the hands Of those who had. politi-
cally speaking, been in charge OF them may DO
said to have been inaugurated in the month Of
April, 1894, in the election held in Jersey City
for Mayor, q city having n very considerable
but not predominant German-American popula-
ton. For this post, in what seemed to be at
the outset O hopeless fight, tho Republicans
nominated Peter +. Wanser, q German
American. who was a few weeks later
elected. In the city Of Brooklyn in the same
year. though in November. in q fight which
looked no better for Republican chances at
the outset, Charles A. Schieren, q German
American, was put in nomination, and his cleo
ton was by a majority 30 large as to break, in
fact. all previous records. In Newark julius
Lebkucher was tho Republican nominee sue
cessful against his Democratic opponent, and
the battle won in these contests foreshadowed
Republican success in New York. In the munich
pal election Of 1898 the Republicans, adhering
to their former policy, nominated and elected
Mr.. Wurster, o German-American. in Brooklyn,
and no reader of The Sun needs to be told Of
the active and vigorous efforts Of the German
American voters throughout the whole country
in sustaining the cause Of honest money and tho
preservation Of the public faith as represented
by the candidature of William Mckinley.
Since President McKinley's election. however,
there has been visible everywhere and in all
American citipa NJ tha North In n marked depraa
the efforts of the two wings of the party, the
Bryanites and the gold men, to get together"
on some Issue which would evade the necessity of
discussing the financial question and would en-
able, to use q colloquial phrase. the orators to
\ talk about something else" This was what was
attempted to be accomplished in the various
cities this year, particularly in the city Of Chi
cago, where the Democrats put in nomination
popular representative OF the numerous and
important. "German.American element in
the city of Chicago. Mr., Harrison represented
the one issue which could in that city, perhaps.
unite the two wings of the Democratic party-an
open town. The battle II his behalf was made
cial matters, and with the general admission
that consideration OF these was, to be side
tracked for this occasion only. Mr.. Harrison
was elected not as the representative of Bryan
ism, or as its opponent. but on an issue which
verse in April what they had determined in
| November without any evident inconsistency.
In the spring election IN the city or CINCINNATI.
which has long been in the Republican column,
the Democrats put in nomination Mr.. Teifel, a
German,American. who was. successful, defeat
ing his Republican, antagonist on issues other
than those connected with the currency ques-
ton. In Buffalo the Democrats have nominated
American, and throughout the cities
been a strong effort made to shift the fight from
t aSi ef' It WSs sh is Is D1 bear sFS SO il tn nee all all
Democrats. would agree. the excise question
being chosen for the purpose as one remote and
Hast'9 years. ifsp ba sei m0RWsEE Whom nes the gods ss sR Wouid d In
stroy they first make mad, and the leaders of
Tammany Hall, Organized last year, still divest-
ed OF their former relation to sound policy and
political sanity, have put IN nomination for tho
office OF Mayor Of the ENLARGED New York the
affirmative fight for more, liberal excise regu-
,%kations% cannot, FOR strictly personal reasons,
liberty in respect to the right of citizensto drink
when, where. how, as often and as much. as
force would be hopeless from the first. The sort
of personal liberty for which he. in the public
mind; stands is not the sort OF personal liberty
for which the ordinary person, whether a total
s6stainer. a temperate drinker, or a casual i'm
biber. can support. His nomination, in fact, has
the support Of the great body Of German.Ameri
else regulations for temperate use Of fermented
beverages is the furthest thing in the world from
any pretended or proposed defence of inebriety,
turbulence, or boisterous misconduct.
~ may be that a hilarious patron OF a German
Dali, the Arlon or Llederkranz, Tor instance,
would not lack extenuating or sympathiZing
friends in some one or other of the numerous
German-American organizations, but as yet no
such candidate has appeared in the field to
unite the friends of personal liberty, German
American style, though some such candidate
may appear later. 1t may be said in advance,
however, that IL he is looking for any Franco
American support he will not get 1t.
Divested of the beer issue, Invested of the
unison of effort which comes to so. many in
t%elligent. patriotic, and enlightened German.
American electors when the issue of personal
l h ~ 1 a n I II fhA nrat . nd ID AVID
side-tracking OF the momentous and important
money question is seen to be impossible, and
as THE Sun has well pointed out, the battle be-
tween the two forces Of order and discord. of
law and lawlcssness. OF forces and arms will be
represented in the Greater New York by Ben
jamin F. Tracy standing for the one. and Henry
George standing for the other. as William Nc
kinley and William j. Bryan stood one year ago.
And MCkinley's plurality was 5S. 5000!
The American voters of New York,
every branch. division. subdivision of them, are
in opcn revolt against the Tammany ticket. Not
only does it exclude them from that recognition
to which they deem themselves. numerically. to
to be entitled. but it deprives them, by reason
OF the identity of the Mayoralty candidate upon
II, of the opportunity to take up and make u
fight on the one issue which would have prob.
ably united the majority of German American
and which did unite them with success to the
Democrats in Chicago and Cincinnati this year.
There are 10000 Gcrman-speaking voters in
the Greater New York. II. 5. u.
NEW O Oct. 4.