Evening star., 1899-01-02
WITHSN0W AND BLOW
Blustery Advent Of the New Year in
New York.
SOME old CUSTOMS REVIVED
Richard Croker Starts in the Life
lnsuraace Business.
GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT NOW
Special Correspondence of The Eyeaing Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Eveaing Star.
NEW YORK, January /. 1S9a.
A biting, clustering wind swept the snow
into drifts along the Broadway sidewalks
as the old year carried hts bundle of paths
and pleasures and successes aud mistake
out into the night and The new year mace
his infant bow. Time was when nobody
thoughr OF leaving town for New Year day.
for that was the holiday most universally
observed by the typical New Yorker Of New
York In Its stead came the habit Of lea .-
ing town before Christmas and spending the
holidays i'm the country, not returning until
after New Year day. This New Year found
many OF New Noro's best-known people al
Lakewood or Lenox or at their country
places on Long Island. while few are TO
be found looking out on the wintry sea
from the cliffs of Newport: but TO a great
extent the old custom of receiving friends
was revived today II was not the indis-
criminate reception of any one who takes
the fancy to call which prevailed twenty
and thirty years ago. but the sweet old fash
ion of hundred years past. when the best
families OF the town entertained their near
and dear friends and neighbors with geDu-
Inc hospitality when the table was set all
day. and where there was good cheer bv
ny efN -NfA ltaf udnttS al nlEnt. of
course the dances will be held tomorrow.
so there will really be two days celebration
OF the advent of the new year
Map. Gen. Wesley Merritt is celebrating
me day by taking comman nd of the depart
ment Of the east at Governors Island while
on Wednesday VIII occur the marriage Of
ADMIRAL Simpsons daughter Miss Olive
Harrington SAMPSON to Mr. Henry Iarri-
son Scott of San Francisco. Cal The cere-
mony viii take place at Glen Ridge Tho
nome oil TIE ADMIRAL and the maid Of honor
VIII be the brides sister. Miss Hannah
walker Sampson. The bridesmaids will ha
Miss Annie Dunbar Davis of West Point
\. Y. and Miss Elsie Grfswoid Perkins of
Lyme, Conn. Mr.. Baldwin of San Francisco
Is, Is eNi'ecsea TO be the best man, and the
| ushers will be Lieuts Roy Campbell Smith
ana Richard Harrison Jackson Ensign Wat
Iaylor Clurerius and Messrs WINSTON Hoo
| part fterschel, Harry Lummis Parker aud
FREDERICK Aldrlch Cleveland
Prize Fighting Prospects.
Taking quick jump from the social into
the sporting world, it may be remarked
that there promises to be a great increase
Of prize lighting during the coming year.
The police commissioners have promised 10
grant licenses to two new clubs-the Broad
way and the Polo Athletic. With the Len
OK Athletic Club and Greenwood aud Peti
can Athletic clubs now running weekly
shows. and the Broadway and Polo clubs
IN the field, ii looks Ii the good fighters
will be very busy this year.
The boxers Of the present day are a more
sensible crowd than those of a few years
ago. and. instead of spending their win
nings lavishly. they put their money IN the
different banks for rainy day Sorn. of
those who have bank accounts are me fol-
io"lnS: SharkeY. Maher. Cans. Spike SulN-
van. George Dixon. Billy Smith Tommy
west, Tommy Ryan, 5im Jenries Dave
Sullivan. Joe Bernstein, Frank Erne. ''kid''
LaNigne and Terry McGoVern.
AleCk Brown, who was one of the stock
Eolders of the Greater New York Athlete
Club Of COney Island before II went under.
says there will be Il new club orEaujZcd at
/ Coney Island very shortly.
Richard Croker is going to take new de-
parture in business this year. II G L. going
into life insurance. il being asserted that
he is the moving spirit in the North
American Life Insurance COMPANY which
was recently Incorporated at Albany Most
OF the directors named in the Incorporation
papers are personal friends Of the Tam
many chief, including Andrew Freedman,
Perry Belmont. jefferson NJ Levy and
Theodore w. Myers. Josiah Quincy MAYOR
of Boston. and Perry $. Heath first assist
ant postmaster general. are also incorpora-
tors. The new company. it Is expected. will
tegin doing business very soon The
friends of mr. Croker deny that he is a
moving spirit" in the new company. but
admit that he has loaned his name TO it
because the promoters of the company
proved to his satisfaction that the enter
prise had IN II many elements Of success.
suIzer for Democratic Leader.
But if Mr.. Croker is not the moving
spirit in this insurance scheme in which
his friends assert there is no politics. he is
the moving spirit in another scheme in
which there is considerable politics This
is the backing of Congressman William Sui
ger who, in Mr.. Suffers own opinion, 50
much resembles Henry Clay, for the leader
ship Of the democratic party in the national
House of Representatives.
Mr.. SulZer is candidate for the laader-
ship, says Croker. Why not? He is an
ambitious young man, and L should be
pleased TO see him or any other Tammany
man get ii, if he can"
1t was reported that there would be a
caucus of democrats at Tammany Hall to
decide about matters at Albany. but this
failed TO materialize. The dispute is large
ly over the senate leadership Senator Nc
Carren, who did efficient work in the recent
campaign and who believed by many
to be the best man for the place. hurried
home from the west when he heard that
Richard Croker had declared for Grady.
Ex-senator Hill protested against Grady
and James Shevlin visited Mr.. Croker on
behalf of McCarren, and many Tammauy
lea ders alsc protested to Mr.. Croker against
Grady. 1t was urged against Grady that
he could not be depended upon, and re-
Gently many newspaper attacks have been
made upon him. To Hugh Mclaughlin IS
credited the inspiration for these articles
and it is said that Mr.. Croker has now
firmly made up his mind TO name Grady.
It will be strange thing to many If a
good old-fashioned Kilkenny fight within
the party would not develop out Of all these
troublesome frictions.
Roeseveifs Lecture on Avarice.
Col. Teddy Roosevelt is celebrating his
New Year day by taking the oath Of Office
as governor Of New York and with It pos
session of the executive mansion at Albany.
1t has developed that there is one chapter
in his message which viii be read to the
legislature tomorrow that will possess par
ticular interest for members of the legisla-
ture and place-hunting politicians. This
chapter will treat of the subject of ayarice.
IL will have TO do directly with the practice
of members of the legislature in holding
office other than to which they have been
elected and drawing more than one salary
from the state treasury. Also, there will
be a reference 10 the grabbing proclivities
of statesmen in landing their faithful
followers. Perhaps the men who will be
hit hardest by Colonel Roosevelt's refer
ence to avariee are members of the legisla-
ture who act as special counsel for dtaDart-