Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-11-03

E
THE NEW YORK hLECTIoN.
There was a vast amount OF specu-
lation as to the effect OF the death Of
Henry George on the chances OF sue
cess OF the various candidates for mayor
OF Greater New York, but the trend OF
intelligent opinion seemed to be that y
would aid Van Wyck This seemed to
be q natural consequence OF the idea
commonly prevailing before his death'
that his candidacy afforded the only
opportunity OF defeating Van Wyck
Like all independent movements, lhe
George candidacy seemed at this dis
lance to have had Its support In sew
eral sentiments. The first OF these
was the personality Of Mr.. George,
which was probably the strongest OF
all the factors. This eliminated from
the campaign, for the nomination OF
his son could not perpetuate 1t. II was
confidence 10. and devotion to. a man
NOT a family. There Is no attach
ment among the American masses to
the doctrine OF heredity in things po-
litical.
The second great factor was the
local sentiment against machine mis-
government. This was certainly very
strong and was manifested rs clearly
in the Low movement as an the George
movement. The natural tendency for
those controlled by this sentiment
would be t. 60 to Low, and this ap-
peared to be the intention Of some Of
the George leaders, and was probably
what would have been advised by Mr..
George himself il he had named q po-
litical legatee. He had repeatedly ex-
pressed his position as being chiefly in
terested in defeating the local machines.
But there was a third factor, and MIR.
Low had not conciliated it by his at
tacks on MIR. George or by his devotion
to republican principles. 1t was the
democratic revolt against Tammany
because Tammany did not recognize
the national democratic principles in
its platform. This element went to
Mr.. George because, although he was
not an advocate Of free coinage as the
full remedy 1t wal declared to be by
the national platform, he vas in SYM
patty with that platform and recogniz-
cd the contest as OF national import
ance.
This was what gave him standing as
a democrat and what made him really
most dangerous to Tammany. But
where could those turn who went to MIR.
George as a democrat on national
grouudsP The natural turn conld only
be to Van Wyck If they voted at all.
And this tendency was increased by
the fact that before MIR. Georges death
the Tammany leaders had seen their
mistake in not endorsing the Chicago
platform, and were making desperate
Efforts to hold their ground on national
issues. The visit of Mayor Harrison
and his address in which he proclaim
ed adherence to the Chicago platform,
while urging that national Issues had
no place in a city campaign, was pre-
sumably under direct Tammanv in
tiuence. Tammany leaders and speak
ers had also been urging the national
and the opposition papers had
been strengthening Tammany's posi-
ton in this regard by such declara.
al this, from the World:
Henry George, although on a Bryan
platform, was distinctly against free silver.
Gleason is openly against free
Seth Low and Tracy are against
free silver. Even the socialist and pro-
hibitionist candidates are against free
silver. Croker's candidate, Van Wyck,
favors sixteen to one counterfeit
and refuses to say anything against
free silver.
The republican leaders forced the
proposition that the election Of Van
Wyck would be a victory for free coin
age, "Bryanism'' and national democ-
racy. If anything could bring into
line for Tammany those democrats
who objected to its lack Of democracy,
this would surely do it, and it was pre-
cisely this vote whose detection the