Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-03-26
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.

If Mr.. Richard Croker's vastly m-
creased empire does not prove to he
the cause of his political undoing be-
TO e the close of the year, the fact
will awaken surprise in some of the
keenest Democratic prophets and man
ipulators of the Empire state. That
dangerous storm clouds are gathering
over Tammuny Hall is plain to all
unbiased observers. The vanity and
ambition of the veteran boss have ap-
parently combined to destroy the con-
servatism and self-roise that were long
his main reliance in the stormy
sea of local politics. In reaching
first for absolute ownership of SO
great community as Brooklyn:
Croker displayed too brutal asser-
tion OF kingly power In challenging
the right of ex-senator Hill to con-
tinued leadership up the state he
threw down the gauntlet without
adequate reflection to a man whose
prestige it is not easy to destroy with
the stroke of pen, and who in poll
tical sharp practice is as resourceful
as he is unscrupulous. In calculating
confidently on the active cooperation
OF Senator Murphy in the destruction
of Hill, he has relied upon one, not
himself natural leader or forceful
man, who will hesitate in the eleventh
hour to declare against Hill in the up
state counties or insure Democratic
split in contest in which he himself
is to have so much at stake. Hill
proved his skill by publicly and unos-
tentatiously denouncing the Ellsworth
press gag bill, which Croker endorsed
thus cOunteracting in single day
the elaborate work OF the Tammany
boss for state control. The Suffolk
county democracy, adjoining the city
of New York, has declared for Hill as
sgainst Croker i'll an open fight The
Kings county organization has prac-
ticallv determined to make Senator
McCarren chairman of the county
executive committee, which will mean
war upon Police Commissioner York
and the latter's present sponsor, Mr.
Croker. A canvass of the state COM
mittee indicates that Croker
cannot, in split, count more than
fifteen staunch adherents, while Hill
can count at least thirty who will
stand by him on every proposition.
There is, moreover, slumbering vol
cano III Manhattan and the Bronx, and
the summer will probably witness the
open disatfection of several assembly
districts in which the leaders will con-
clude that they did not secure enough
patronage before the expiration OF the
mayors six months power OF removal.
Mr., Van Wyck, too, will hardly be COR
dial in opposition to Democratic re-
volt in Brookl yn which represents an
element most friendly to his brother,
the judge. Th&e are not as yet, it is
true, many positive signs upon the sur
face of the disturbances which underlie
the scheming for Democratic control.
But the disturbances are growing and
are almost ripe. And when they burst
into blossom it is not impossible that
Mr.. Croker will be tempted to revise
his some what fattering estimate of his
own ability as dictator who is "dev-
ilish sly"
From report of the work accom-
plished last year by the Working Girls
Vacation society of this city, We find
that 500 of the GAO girls enabled to
make short stay in the country were
American born. Most of these girls,
though not actually i'll. were in that
reduced condition from which it was
thought probable that rest and change
of air would ward off sickness. Of
the employments represented by
these girls, work in factories seemed
the most deleterious. Work in
dressmaking places and in stores
followed next in demands upon
health and strength. Domestic
service furnished the fewest number
Of those in weak physical condition.
But this fact may he repeated until
the crack of doom, it will not make
any difference to the girls seeking the
means of self-support. They are not.
willing to accept household work, be-
cause they desire independence of ac-
ton more than they regard better
wages, better health and better sur.
roundings. And this is the point
toward which the women who
are hoping, by investigation, to
get at the real objections against
domestic work will find their at
tention directed. It will be very
interesting to see how they will pro-
pose to meet it, whether they will re-
gard it as an inseparable obstacle, or
whether they will recognize the fact
that household service has become so
complicated and exacting that the time
has come for trying TO relieve it of
some of its unreasonable demands.
We shall wait and watch.
William H. Maxwell, who has been
elected to the highly responsible posi-
ton of superintendent of the public
schools of Greater New York, where
he will have supervision of the work
Of 5000 teachers and 400, 900 pupils,
began his career as newspaper re-
porter, and worked his way up to the
position of a managing editor. He
subsequently became interested in
educational work in the public schools
and made his mark here. In the po-
sition to which he has now been
elected he will draw salary Of $4,000,
and it is probably safe to say that he
will fully earn it,
Trolley cars are running less than
fifty feet apart on the Brooklyn bridge
during the rush hours of the morning,
but for all that cyclists manage to use
the roadway as they did before the
trolley invasion. The riders fall in
behind car, using the latter for
pace. 1t is a dangerous proceeding,
but as there is nothing else to do the
riders make the best OF disagreeable
situation. The struggle to induce the
bridge authorities to do something
for the accommodation of cyclists has
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