Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-10-22
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS. I

SPECIAL CORREsPONDENCE.
The death of Hon. A. Oakley Hall
will carry the memory Of many back
to the events of career that was sim
gularly varied and versatile. Truly,
in his life he played many part.
He was lawyer. journalist, playwright,
actor and politician. He was man
of brilliant even if not profound quail
ties OF mind, most genial aud warm
hearted companion and friend, and we
believe it may truthfully be said,
as the curtain drops upon his mortal
career, that he was an honest man,
though doubtless his name has been
best known to many through its asso-
citation with what were among the
/ greatest il not the greatest frauds and
scandals of our political history,
the sweeping corruption of the
Tweed ring. 1t was Mr.. Halls
misfortune to be caught in bad
company, but the laws most
searching inquisition failed to trace
any booty to his personal benefit. No
doubt the official laxity, due perhaps
to an excess of charity and good fell
lowship, made the work Of the arch
conspirator and his lieutenants easier,
but few if any now believe that his
blame went beyond the fault of non
resistance. His Weaknesses were
those which call for charity rather
than severe condemnation. His vir-
tues were many and he bore the re-
bluffs of the world, Of which he had
his share, with cheerful patience and
philosophic fortitude. Fortune was
not overland to him in his later years,
but he bore her neglect with serene
temper, grateful to the friends he had
and maintaining no quarrel with the
fate which had followed him. There
have been men made of sterner stuff,
who have failed to make the world
around them a. pleasant by living in
it. as did Oakley Hall.
Despite the claims of Richard Gro
ker and the Tammany men that their
state ticket will win, agents who
usually handle the Tammany election
money are demanding odds Of 10 to 6
whenever betting is suggested. These
odds, almost 2 to l, we'll represent
Roosevelt's assurance of victory, say
the Republicans. "But why don't
Tammany raise their odds a little9'
said broker recently who has some
money on hand which his customers
want to wager on Roosevelt. 1--WE
are willing to bet them 10 to 8, and
some wagers have been made at 10 to
T." Frederick H. Brooks, another
broker, who wagered about 1926, 900 for
customers in last falls campaign, says
that he will have $40, 600 soon to wager
on Roosevelt at 10 to 8. He bet $4,000
against $500 on Roosevelt. Several
other wagers have been made between
members of the Stock Exchange. One
was of $4,000 to $3500 on Roosevelt,
another $1,000 to 800, and still an
other 800 to $50. P. M. Sproule had
the Roosevelt end of the two smaller
bets. George G. Austin, former Re.
publican member of assembly, has
wagered even money that Roosevelt
will have SO, 900 majority in the state.
and he made another bet at 10 to Z
on Roosevelt's election. There has
been talk that Tammany betting ad
herents among bookmakers have large
amounts to wager on Van Wyck. 1t
is suspected, however, that they are
holding of until the close of the cam
paign, in order to try and influence
the result of the election.
The clumsy forgery by which the
Tammany schemers ''doctored" the
court records in order to have Colonel
Roosevelt declared a nonresident
without notice to his counsel ex-
ploded prematurely magazine of
smoky powder which they had hoped
to use in this campaign with kill
ing effect. To cure an irregularity in
getting the Roosevelt tax case OH the
preferred calendar false entry was
made in the court calendar to show that
the note of issuenecessary to prefer the
case on the court calendar had been
filed ON September 81, whereas no
such document was actually fled until
Saturday last, and the clerks fee re.
cited in the forged entry as having
been paid on September II does not
appear in the cash receipts of that
day. The Tammany- forgers have
themselves killed the issue OF Col.
Roosevelt's alleged ineligibility, and
its use in the campaign hereafter will
operate only as boomerang.
Roosevelt and Reform both begin
with r.. which may account for Colonel
Asa Bird Gardeners outburst of indig.
nation at Roosevelt's presence at the
Loyal Legion dinner here the other
night. He says Roosevelt was there
for politics, but it appears that the
colonel of the Rough Riders spoke
purely on military matters. and mainly
in compliment to the regulars. GEN
eral Mcmahon, straight out Demo-
crat, who presided at the dinner, de-
fends Roosevelt and intimates that it
is Colonel Gardiner who is trying to
put politics into the episode, as very
likely he is.
Candidate Roosevelt's s amendment to
one OF the Ten Commandments may
be looked upon in some quarters as a
piece of presumption, but we presume
nobody will undertake to question the
soundness of his proposed amendment.
Thou shalt not steal, nor shalt thou let
any one else steal ifthou canst help it,
is doctrine as sound as Holy Writ,
and it is peculiarly applicable to the
present political campaign here in New
York. There would be no canal frauds
there under that kind of DISPENSE
tion from the executive mansion at
Albany.
KNICKERBOCKER.
Miss Gushington-HOw do you write
Sii6h lo4,als, naata:a. Ar 81