New-York tribune., 1899-11-21
A REMINISCENCE.

Tho city officials who are so bent on entering
into the Ramapo deal that they will not answer
the questions OF interested citizens on the SUD
iect are doubtless supremely confident OF their
ability TO defy public sentiment. 1t Is not ull-
natural that they should be. In spite or the
revelation of their schemes 10 the people anu
the intense Indignation aroused, they were apie
/ 10 carry the city at the recent election Inc!
are still able to take comfort in Senator Platt
failure 10 90 upon the stand before the MaZet
Committee and reveal the origin of the Ramapo
companv's pull They are convinced that MI.
Moss however much he may stab at Ramapo'
will neither through Mr. Plat nor anybody else
deal any really fatal blow at this corporation so
nc N make their negotiation with il impossible.
For all the noise. they see the Ramapo company
unharmed. and find Mr.. Lauterbach still ready
70 offer them a contract They evidently have
nothing to fear from Mr.. Platt Mr.. Lauterbach'
Mr.. butcher or anybody else in the Republican
organization, but may not unreasonably thlnK
TINT the time for blufling at warfare on this sub
iect is passed, and the time for comfortable pri-
yate arrangements with these eminent hepuDh-
cans has come. now that election Is past All
this. as we say is natural And yet we adVlse
Mr. Holahan to go slow. and not try too reck-
Government under blanket is dangerous
experiment. 1t has been tried before IN theSe
norts And in dealing with a water company
In the year 1890 some city officials OF Brooklyn
felt quite as secure in the possession OF power
as do any of our present rulers. They were uh
DISPUTED masters of Brooklyn. and they started
out and made an arrangement TO acquire the
Long Island Water Supply Company, a corpora
ton in which politicians OF influence IN poth
parties were interested, just as they are pe
lieved 10 be In this Ramapo company. vi course
some people did not like it, any more than some
people like the Ramapo deal. But what pusl-
ness was it Of theirs? SO thinks Mr. Van Wyck.
So thought Alfred C. Chaplin. When citizen
wrote asking for information about the proposed
contract. he answered briefly when, as ne
thought it was too late for the Information 10
be of use to prevent the completion or the ar
rangement Then he went on under his blanket
to carry out the plan TO waste city money OH
this political water company. But some way OF
other the blanket was lifted. A hurricane swept
orer RrookIyp The man who tried TO peek un-
dor the blanket and was repulsed with the hint
that II was none of his business what the Mayor
was doing, was William J. Gaynor. 1he lhcl-
dent made him Justice Of the supreme Court
and II also made the present president or the
Borough Of Brooklyn, for he became pohticai
possibility merely from having become Mr'
Gaynor's law partner long after the water Incl
dent was closed. That attempt TO defy puDhc
curiosity started the movement which over
threw the Mclaughlin ring. 1t was delayed Tor
two years through the imbecility or collusion
with Mclaughlin Of Republican leaders, but u
triumphed in the election Of Mayor Schieren ana
kept the Democrats out Of power until Mr' Piatt
gave Brooklyn. along with the rest of the Great
or New-York. over TO Mr.. Croker in 1897. AS
for the man who tried 10 carry on government
under n blanket, If there is deader pohuclah
walking around unburied than Alfred G. Chapn
we have not seen him. Great was his promise
He was ON the road to the Governorship ana
norbans the Presidency. But Albany Washing
ton and even his old home, Brooklyn, know him
no more.
So much for reminscence of government un-
der q blanket. Mr. Holahan should give It at
tention. He seems quite secure just now. but
n cloud no bigger than mans hand may carry
/ behind it a terrible storm. 1t is dangerous 10
give the public the impression that public analrs
are none Of their business.