Evening star., 1900-11-20
Boss Croker's Purpose in Making War
on Vice.
TO PUSH LEWIS NIXON TO FRONT
Likely That the Plan Will Result
DisastrousIy.
H A RID ACE TO FILL
special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

The bishop says that he will have nothing
to do with the investigation conducted by
Richard Crokers committee Of five. He
evidently intends to choose his own time
for the battle, and Tammany Hall demo-
Gratis seem to fear that the time which
will be chosen will be next summer just
before the campaign at which a mayor
will be elected for Greater New York.
1t becomes apparent time wears away
that Mr.. Croker, even If he has not
made a mistake in threatening to carry
war on the gambling dens and the dives of
the city has nevertheless, made great
mistake in the character of men selected to
conduct the investigation. A committee
could, perhaps, have been selected from
among the members of Tammany Hall
which would have commanded the respect
and confidence of the citizens of the town
and possibly might even have secured the
support of Bishop Potter and Rev. DR..
Parkhurst. OF the members of the COM
mittee who will pursue vice, only chair
man Nixon and John w. Keller are worth
more than passing consideration. The other
men selected are all Tammany Hall hench-
men and professional politicians without
particular standing. One of the prime
requisites for a Tammany Hall man is to
do as he Is told, and the members of this
committee will all do they are told.
The chairman. Lewis Nixon. who is known
in Washington, is a man of some standing,
and, by himself, without taking into con-
sideration the personnel of the other mem
berS of the committee and the fact that he
is an out and out organization man. might
have commanded the respect of church
going people of the community.
Nixon's Advent as n Politician.
It was Mr.. Nixon that Richard Croker
used to hold together the members of the
New York delegation at Kansas City at a
time when that convention was in search
r,
sprung on the convention the name of John
w. Keller as the vice presidential candi-
da tie favored by the New York state dele
cation. This was received by the western
and southern delegates with shouts of de-
rision and a play upon the word Keller
was coined and the choice of Tammany
Hall dubbed ''Bryan-killer." Then
Croker dropped Keller and picked up Nixon.
Nixon was not known to the country ex-
cept as a business man, but the nomina-
ton was received fairly well as compared
with the sheers and jeers which followed
the nomination of Keller.
1t is possible that if Mr.. Croker had cared
to insist upon New York state being al
lowed to select a vice presidential candidate
Nixon might have been named but the
Tammany Hall delegation again commenced
to play politics and to insist upon the
nomination of David B. Hill, with the re-
suit that the middle west eventually rallied
around Adlai Z. Stevenson and the Illinois
man was nominated without difficulty.
tTdcllCdliy SDedhluS, lHiS was tlie llISt
appearance in national politics of both
Nixon and Keller. Nixon emerged from
the vice presidential contest unscathed and
unscorched. but Keller became the laugh
ing stock of the entire country. 1t is now
said that Croker put forward both names
merely as a .'feeler'' for the reason that
he had in mind the nomination of one of
these two men for mayor of Greater New
York next year.
Nixon, who really is more of a New Jer-
sey man than a New Yorker. has only a
voting residence in New York, his interest
being centered in the large shipyards which
he has built up at EliZabethport. N. j., Just
across the harbor from the metropolis He
is young man on the sunny side OF forty,
d graduate of the United States Naval
Academy, and devoted to marine architec-
ture. In his career as shipbuilder he has
demonstrated his ability to cut red tape
and adopt modern methods of naval ship
building. For these reasons he has been
exceptionally fortunate. and the Nixon
shipyards are now recognized as rivals for
the trade of the Cramps.
Croker's Choice for Mayor.
1t is only within the last year two
that Nixon has seemed to anything
about politics, and it was only since
Croker's son was employed at the ship
yards that gossip has hovered around his
name as a possible future mayor. He Is
said to be slated to succeed John w. Keller
as president of the Democratic Club
CrOkerS 9TH avenue organization, ana, no
matter whether he is nominated for mayor
or not he will undoubtedly prove COM
manding figure in New York politics for
some time to come.
If Richard Croker really put Lewis Nixon
at the head of this committee of five to
investigate vice with the idea Of keeping
him prominently before the public and thus
bringing about his nomination for mayor
next year. it would seem to the average
man that he is taking rather long chances
with fairly good name. or course, the
committee of five can do nothing except to
investigate and report. And 1t Is by no
means certain that the majority or the
members of the committee would support
Chairman Nixon in any departure from the
beaten path.
If Mr. Nixon and his associates on the
committee, for instance, insist upon an IN
vestigation of the so-called blackmailins
tactics adopted by the members of the po-
lice force, they will undoubtedly gain the
support of the church-going people, and
DOS sibly ultimate win Bishop Potter over
to their viewpoint of the case. But, If as
seems probable, they contine their attention
to an investigation of the dives and the
iens of the city rather than to an inves-
tigation of the police and the politicians,
the business commercial, educational and
religious forces Of the city will have moth
ing to do with them.
On the other hand. If they should probe
deep into the alleged blackmailing methods
of the Tammany Hall politicians and the
municipal police, they would lose the sup
port not only of the saloonkeepers, but of
the politicians who constitute such force
in power in Tammany Hall at the present
time AS for the oonkeepers-Tammany
Hall can never succeed In municipal poll
ties without their votes and without the
votes of the saloon hangers-on. To nomi-
nate Nixon for mayor if he turns the
searchlght on backmail will cost Tam
many all the support of the Submerged
tenth of the city, To nominate Nixon for
mayor If he refuses to turn on the search
light and probe deep into blackmailng tao
tics will cost Nixon the church vote. To
the man up tree it would seem as though
Croker had killed off his favorite mayor
atty candidate by putting him between the
devil and the deep blue sea, and not leav-
ing him very much shore room. either.
The Case of Mr.. Keller.
John w. Keller, who is also member Of
the committee of FIVE has for years been
making people laugh by his Charley
Knickerbocker" articles. Mr.. Keller has
not always been a successful politician. He
was at one time a newspaper man, and as
such developed vigorous pen and an abil-
ity to write the queens English in style
that broke the hearts of some men and
women in the so-called upper circles of So
ciety in this city. His Charley Kicker
ic1a xx-hiI thax- do