The times., 1898-01-15
HIS UNQU|ET AMBITION
Richard Croker Aspires TO
Greater Conqnests.
ENvIOUs OF HANNA's DEEDS
Hill May Prove His Bete Noir and
Give Him Trouhle-The Sage of
wolfert's Reost "Points With
Pride" totEe Fact That Ne Never
Ran Away.

New York, Jan. 14.-Richard Croker,
proprietor of the new Democratic club,
as well as of the old Tammany one. is
an Alexander signing for new worlds
to conquer The fact that ne is boss
| of the new and great metropolis only
seems to wiiet his appetite for fresh dis
coveries, and with him, to discover is to
capture and swallow. One might think
that he would stop and rest awhile, but
il is plain that he regards his assimila-
ton of the worlds second city as no.
thing more than a small snack, to
make him feel more like attacking the
real dinner which is to follow. As
Rudyard Kipling would say: "Oh, he
amt no limpin procrastitute!"
In brief, Richard CrokeI's ambition
is to be the unquestioned dictator of
the Democratic party. in city, state and
nation. He has seen the upstart busi-
ness man of Cleveland acquire a state
and the national bossism Of the Re
publican organization, and the Grand
Sachem has turned violent frog pond
green with envy. He wants to go Mar
Gus one better, and be whole, alto
gether Boss of proportions never
dreamed of before.
Beginning with the Empire State, this
amazing political creature considers
that he has an easy job On the pre-
sent showing he is short fifty-two
votes of strength sufficient to capture
the next Democratic State conventions
but these he expects to get in the coun-
ties of Erie, Rensselaer,, and some
others, where his manipulators, aided
by certain railway and other corporate
interests very much under his inilu-
ence at present have been silently and
steadily at work eYer since the day
after he landed his man Van Wyck an
easy winner in our maycralty fight.
David B. Hill, once more come to life
and in a kicking and fighting mood,
thinks that Croker cannot secure out
side votes enough to accomplish ms
purpose: but those who are in a posi-
tion to know and to analyZe the forces
at work for him, are disposed to look at
the matter differently.
There is more than passing interest in
the resuscitation, real or apparent, of
David Bennett Hill. He is a factor still
to be counted with, and Croker may
find him a tough subject after all. But,
just at present, il is not probable that
Hills archenemy contemplates him
with any great degree of fear or trem-
bling. Little David may be loaded for
the Tammany Goliath, but the charac-
ter OF his ammunition of record is, per-
haps. not of the best. His play, how
H.. +. hAI a+ hr-5I-
liant He faces squarely around and
poses as an old, original Chicago plat
form man, squarely out for the regular
Democracy. and frowning in a lordly
manner, from the heights of his virtue
and patriotism, on all Crokers and gold
bugs.
Hill points with pride" to his record
as straight party man, who scorned
to run away TO Europe TO escape the
battle of 1896. and did not do a thing
but hide himself in the cellar or garret
of Wolfert's Roost until the row was
over It is reported. although perhaps
not correctly, that he now affirms that
he voted for Bryan. II would be a
foolish and ridiculous statement for
him to make. and probably no one
knows that better than he. His panic
stricken conduct during the Presiden-
tial campaign, not to call it by any
harsher term, is not thing to which
he can revert with any sense of con-
scious pride, and whatever he may be
able to do in the future by way Of pen
ance or evidence of regeneration, the
less he has to say in that connection
the better for him.
AS remarked above, Croker
does not believe it difficult enough TO
seize and WELD the State organization
to bother himself much about It, He is
after vastly bigger game. In the
minds of people in a-poSitiOn a to know
there is not the least doubt that he is
planning and conspiring for such con-
troll of the national Democracy as that
he will be in position TO dictate the
platform and name the Presidential
candidate in 1900. and if he should be
successful that platform will be unlike
the Chicago platform as possible, and
that candidate will be no more like
William Jennings Bryan than Croker
is himself. This, of course. will strike
many Democrats throughout the coun-
try as startling, but 1 am certain not
only that it is So but that the plot is
already we'll advanced, and that it has
the adhesion of some prominent Demo-
cratic leaders as we'll as of q few who
are not prominent, but who are glad
to get in on anything to beat Bryan,
merely because tney are jealous OF MIN.
The game as laid out by Croker is
simple and easily understood. 1t is
to capture the State organization, and
then, with both city and state Democ-
racy in helpless control, to join hands
with Carter Harrison and the corpo-
rate interests in Chicago to Subjugate
the Democracy Of that city and of the
State of Illinois, and use them for the
common purposes of the conspiracy.
The potency of such machine al
lance is not difficult to estimate With
it Croker and Harrison could threaten
the national organization with the ne
cessity to carry New York and Illi-
nois, and. in the estimation of the plot
ters. they would be in situation alb
solutely to dictate whatever terms they