New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-28
CROKER FOR REFORM.

Richard Croker as a non-partlsan Is some
thing funny. AS an enemy of large fortunes
he Is something funnier still. His speech 10
the Tammany Executive Committee on Satir-
day was amusing for its assumptions as well
as interesting for it's revelations Of Tammany
policy.
The monumental assurance which allowed
him to tell a collection Of followers, the great
majority Of whom starting with nothing have
under our laws or in spite Of them become
wealthy. that "the rich are getting richer and
the poor poorer" was only matched by the
nerve OF a man whose name is synonyme
for sudden wealth of which everybody asks:
Where did you get IT." presumng to tell the
poor that they are being made the victims of
money getting Adventures. After that 1t is not
surprising that the man who little time ago
was praising Plat for his machine methods
and saving that the first duty Of the citizen
was to his organization regardless of his own
conscience or views of public interest should
now talk about considering legislative ques-
tons irrespective of party and saying that
"the Tammany Hall legislative representatives
'of the people are, of course. so far as this or
"ganization is concerned free TO vote the way
their best judgments suggest" Represent
atives of the people. Imagine some Assembly
man telling Croker as a Congressman is once
said to have done, that as representative of
the people he felt 1t was his duty etc. He
might hear the same reply as the Congress
man: go to New-York and get the people
10 reelect you
The Croker policy is evidently TO put Plat
in a hole. Senator Brush the other day talked
out in meeting and said the machine would
not let a telephone bill pass. The reasons are,
OF course, perfectly understood. Along comes
Croker and offers to help pass the BILL If Plat
does not permit this, then Patt has to assume
responsibility. If he does permit it he has to
shoulder whatever discredt the act may bring
him with corporations, while he can gain no
credit with the people from a law forced on
him by Tammany. 1t is a clever game for the
minority boss to play on his rival, and 1t IS
difficult to see how the rival can circumvent it.
Senator Plat himself has made It possible
for Tammany to put him in the hole at every
step. He gave the city TO Tammany for the
sake of keeping it out of the hands OF non
partisans who would not use the Offices to help
him. He finds Croker can use them actively to
hurt him. Every measure Of benefit to the
people here will help Tammany, no matter If
ii does come from a Republican Legislature,
just as the unpopularity of the Raines law here
hurt the Strong administration, which had moth
ing TO do with its passage. Croker therefore
can play to the galleries TO his hearts content,
and whatever does not 90 right he can blame
to the majority in the Legislature. He is in
position to choose the issues. That he really
desires the reform bills he speaks for is doubt
full, but to favor them is good politics. The
machine men who made him powerful for oppo-
sition will have hard work to get credit II they
fall in with his schemes or escape odium IL
they oppose them. That is the penalty Of their
autumn campaign to help Tammany.