Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-21
Boss Croker Hard Hit by the Mazet
Committee.
new LIGHT ON TAMMANY BOSS
Talk of a Counter investigation
Under Municipal Direction.
OTHER LOTHIAN GOSSIP
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

roll, will be brought to the bar of the as
sembly under contempt proceedings. but
they will be examined in very searching
fashion when the Mazet committee meets
again. Captain Price. AL Adams, Bob Mel
son, John F. Carroll, Richard Croker and
John B. Sexton are among the star wit
nesses who have received subpoenas, and
many lesser lights have been or will be
commanded to be on hand. 1t is believed
that Captain Price of the tenderloin pre-
cinct will be placed on the stand and piled
with questions to the many crooked
things that have been charged against his
administration of the tenderloin district.
All recognize the fact that Price has many
things to explain, and that no better time
than Friday can be found for his explana-
ton. 1t may be that Price and Bob Mel
son, the head of the so-called tenderioin
bail trust will be the star witnesses of Fri
day and Saturday. Unless the program is
changed Croker will not be called again
before Monday.
CrOker's Star Waning.
AS the result of recent developments a
political authority has this to say:
Richard Croker as leader in the demo-
cratic party of the nation will cut a sorry
figure after this. Politically the $40 dinner
was failure, and the disclosures wrung
from him by Inquisitor Moss have put the
finishing stroke to his pretensions. Ten
days ago Richard Croker was still a myth
famous for his reticence and credited with
superior shrewdness, great political sa-
gaclty and remarkable Self-control; today
he stands as man of low cunning rather
than intellect and of an infirmity of temper
which is the very reverse of self-mastery.
On the witness stand Mr.. Croker is com
monplace and painfully illiterate for a
great man. 1t must be something of a
shock to the merchants lawyers and physi-
Clans who take pride in belonging to the
Tammany organization, but do not know
Rlchard Croker, to learn that he says you
done good and L seen him. 1t is impossi-
Die for a man who tramples SO brutally on
the grammar primer to be political idol
The enemies of Tammany in the nation
Will point with derision at a leader whose
vocabulary is no greater nor better than
that OF coalheaver Tammany has al
ways been hated and execrated outside of
New York state, and the exhibition Richard
croker has made of himself on the witness
stand will be hailed with exultation by the
democrats OF New England, the west and
.he soulh. Up the state the organization
rs none too popular. and now that the pres
Ige OF Tammany has been dimmed bv
Rlchard Cookers Self-expoSure the hayseed
democrats, as they are called on 18th street
Will sharpen their hatchets and prepare to
40 up Tammany at the next state con-
Vention." ~
RumOred Tammany Investfratfon
AiiNiS 10 tollSlueTdDe talk of
investigation by Tammany through the NH
nlclpal legislature, and the Tammany people
are said to be inquiring into their powers of
inquiry Theodore Connoly, first assistant
corporation counsel, has been asked for his
opinion as to the powers of Investigation
conferred upon the municipal assembly bv
the charter, ~
They are very broad" he says The
cnarter gives the municipal assembly power
TO investigate anything connected with the
city departments. OF course the question
mas never come up under the present char
Ter, and 1t is pretty hard to say what might
be done, but | think there is great latitude
would 1t be possible for the council to
investigate how legislation affecting this
city has been obtained at Albany?''
OF course, the council would have no
right to investigate what takes place in
Albany alone. But something like this
might happen: Suppose some corporation
should obtain rights and privileges at AL
bany and should then apply to the munich
pal assembly for a permit to open UP the
streets. lay tracks or something of that
sort then the council would have a right
to investigate the whole matter to see
whether or not 1t would be proper to grant
the permit. l am of the opinion that anv
genuine investigation for the purpose of
finding out whether or not something ought
to be done could go very far
Chinese Tribute to Minister Wu.
The fashionable portion of the celestial
poPoihtici Va lilS city tuIHtu out en- maSSe
to see WI Ting-fang, the Chinese min
lister, off for Europe on the American
liner Paris Before sailing he was asked if
he had read what Prince Konoye the pres
dent of the japanese chamber had said on
his arrival at San Francisco of the possible
partition of the Chinese empire.
II have, but as am not fully convinced
that there is to be any partition, how can
/ reply?' replied the minister. THE prince
is made to say that in the event of parti
ton a good share of the country should be
opened up under Japanese auspices. But
why Japan? China is today better off COM
mercially and politically than for years.
For obvious reasons | cannot explain why
the empire is improved politically. but, talk
ing from a commercial standpoint, / have
no hesitancy in saying that ten or fifteen
years hence will find China more prosper
Gus than any two countries of the far
east
How? Well, thousands of miles of rail-
roads will be built and a vast territory be
opened up. The railroads will penetrate
every advanced section of the country
There are railroads in China and some of
them quite good, but they are as nothing
compared with the many that most certain
ly be there inside of ten years or a little
more.
Now your next question is likely to be:
Who will build these roads? and l answer
that China will but of course, with the
sistance of foreign capital. China is Won
derful country in the line of commercial
and agricultural pursuits, more wonderful
1 imagine than the Philippines Porto Rico
and Cuba put together. Because of its
size, perhaps. That it has not been more
fully developed is due to the lack of capital
and not to any Discrimination of it's people
to work. The Chinese as a whole, are in
dustrious That certainly must be admit
ted.
The Chinese in Cuba.
why, even in Cuba that your country is
SO much interested in now, the most indus
trious there are the Chinese. They own
extensive farms, on which they raise the
finest kind of garden product for the sup
ply of the city market. 1 understand that
every scrap of vegetable that comes into
the city of Havana is the product of these
inns, and l understand that the latter
are magnificently irrigated and conducted,
many of them, under a cooperative basis.
So it is in China. My people like work.
but lack capital to show your people what
a. really inventive and progressive people
they are"
What is the feeling of China as regards
American occupation OF the Philppines?'
1.-THE best of feeling" said the minister,
with great posftiveness. China has not
jealous nature, and herafds the coming of
the Americans in the far east as likely to
be productive of great good to ALL Now