The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-30
THE NEW YORK MIDDLE.

the field Tor mayor OF New YORK, lIlIee
of them having been placed regularly
in nomination and the fourth, the nom
inee of Tammany hall, to follow as a
matter of course. We have seen 10
development of local politics in the
United States that quite equals this in
it's absurdity and it's calm disregard,
except for the movement of the Clt1-
zens' Union, of the interests of the peo-
pie. 1t is proposed, by all other orsa-
nizations, to turn over the metropolis
of Greater New York as a prey to the
spoilsmen, and to reduce the most i'm
portant local election, probably, ever
to be held in that municipality to
struggle between issues and platforms
that have no more relevance to the
government of New York city than has
the question of the sealer's rights in
Boring sea. The average citizen, look
ing at the question as a business man,
sees only the necessity of having an
honest and economical administration.
The people of New York want Good
government. They want good streets,
an honest and capable police force,
and officials in all the departments
who will neither steal for themselves
nor allow others to steal from the pub
lie They want as low taxes as are
consistent with municipal progress and
health and they want the money rails
ed by those taxes to be applied for
the good of the whole people. Instead
of dealing with this essentially simple
proposition, the voters are appealed to
to abandon their position, to turn over
Greater New York indefinitely to one
| or another organization Of placemen
and heelers, for the sole benefit of an
individual boss or of some political or
| ganization that is looking forward to
a national election three years away
The Republicans are the great Of
! tenders against decency and honesty
| Platt's convention has met and noml-
mated ex-Secretary Tracy. as he or
| dered it to do. 1t is more than amaz-
| ing, it is almost incredible, to find a
man like Chauneey M. Depew partici-
pating in the proceedings of this gath
| ering whose spirit and whose purposes
are neither better nor higher than
those of Boss Tweed. Platt's plan is
| open and unconcealed. He says he can
! control all Greater New York, and run
| it, as he runs the politics of the state,
! for Doodle. He refused to permit the
! ratification of the nomination of Mr..
! Seth Low. He gave no reason for this
whatever The platform Of his con-
vention takes the perfectly ridiculous
/ position that the people of Greater
| New York should choose their mayor
and determine their future on the basis
of the free coinage of silver 1t would
be just as reasonable to ask them to
elect a mayor on the issue of section
% of the Dingley bill, or on the propo-
sition that England should grant uni
| Versal suffrage to the people of India.
| Platt has not even taken the trouble
| to conceal his alliance with Tammany.
Making a terrible hullabaloo about
the necessity Of keeping uncontami-
| mated the party organization and of
making the struggle on strictly party
lines. he directed the nomination as
comptroller of Mr.. Ashbel P. Fitch, a
Tammany Democrat. Words are I'M
necessary to characterize this perform
ance. Seth Lows Republicanism is not
good enough or straight enough for
Platt to follow Fitchs unalterabie
Democracy makes him good enough
for a place on the straight Republican
ticket
The Democrats, on their side, are di-
vided in the same way. 1t was pro-
posed, very sensibly, by the Demo
! cratic leaders in New York to leave
national issues out of this campaign.
The election of municipal officers has
absolutely no relation to national poll
tics. 1t was well worth while, even
from a party point of view, to simply
ignore, for the occasion, an issue that
brought disasters and dissension into
the Democratic ranks year ago, and
| that must produce the same effect
whenever and wherever it comes to
the front again. Fearing that harmony
would be accomplished, the representa-
tives of the free silver idea got to-
gether and nominated Mr.. Henry
George. The Tammany Democrats are
thus placed in somewhat the same po-
sition with the Plat Republicans. They
must accept Mr.. George or there will
be division of the party vote. They
will probably follow the same tack
and place their candidate, Mr.. Sob
mer, formally in the field. The contest
then will be actually, not quadrilateral
as it appears, but triangular. The
Platt candidate and the Tammany can
didate are enc. Nobody knows at this
writing which of them will receive the
consolidated vote Of the spoils element,
but it is altogether probable that it
will be cast for Mr.. Tracy. Platt has
not gone into this business without as
pertaining his ground beforehand. He
and Croker understand each other per-
fectly, have had big political deals be-
fore and are all ready for another. Be
tween these two it is merely a matter
of dividing the Doodle.
There remains, then, for the people
of New York city no possibility OF
GOOD government except in the election
of Mr.. Low. The situation is exceed
inglv instructive to the rest of the
country in two particulars. 1t is a
warning to the Democratic party ev-
n1o