Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-09
WAR ON BOSS CROKER
Fight Begins for Control Of New York
City Democracy.
SHEEHAN LEADS THE OPPOSITION
Croker Going Abroad, Hoping
Storm Will Blow Over.
D. B. II IL LIS POSITIO n
D. B. HILLS SITI n

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, November s. 1900.
The one object all antiTammany ele-
ments see 20 have in view is the retire
nent from public life and power of Richard
Croker the boss of Tammany Hall. Gro
ker, shreGvd politician that he is. is going
to remove himself from the range of the
enemy's fire, and watch from the distant
shores of England the progress of the cam
paign against him and his cohorts. Once
out of range he thinks be will be no longer
the target fer attack, but when the proper
time arrives for him to appear on the scene
he will reappear and take charge again. In
other words, to use the language OF the
street, he is going to do the disappearing
act" He did it in 1874; he said he was
going to retire from active leadership and
put John Shechan in his place. The only
one who appears to have taken him seri-
ously was Sheehan himself. who undertook
to set up shop for himself. was previously
disappointed and today IS the bittereSt enc
my in politics that Richard Croker has
and also the strongest supporter for mayor
Of the man that Croker does not want in
that place, the controller. Bird 5. Coler.
Those who believe that Croker is fright
pEGt ana Is running away are HllSiti VI
over-confident. No one knows better how
to Judge the public or public sentiment than
Richard Croker He realizes that an aSita-
ton Is about to be made to arouse popular
sentiment against him. He says that such
movements are shortlved and that the
public soon forget when the agitation is
not kept up. His apparent intention is to
give the agitatorS full opportunity to air
their grievance. let them spend their force
and die out, then come back and be king
once more.
Popular resentment may-and the indica-
tons are that it Widths time take a de-
cisive form for the permanent retirement
OF the Tammany chief. 1t must be under
stood at the outset, however, that the peo-
pie VINO will try to accomplish this Will
work agains- tremendous odds. Croker Is
strongly entrcuched and fortified. He IS
the head of a government. an army or to-
UGO retainers. with unlimited money at COM
mand: and, no matter what may be thought
of his character or his power for good or
evil by the general public. he is personally
popular. and controls absolutely the follow
ing he has among his Otficehoders and their
friends. He is powerful enemy, with
practically unlimited resources. Issues VIII
erter INFO the local campaign altogether
foreign 70 the issues that engrossed the
voters in the presidential election.
Strength of the Democrats.
The democrats in this city under the
most adverse circumstances polled 3oSooo
votes against 2SO.OOO for Mckinley, and
thousands of votes for Mckinley We're
those of democrats. 1t is from these figures
that Croker draws a hopeful view of the
future To begin with, he says that this
is a democratic city. and II the proper
democrat is named he will be elected. He
says that the men who voted for Bryan
will not vote for republican. His IN
tcntion is to name democrat of the cali
Der of Edward J. Simmons, president Of
the Fourth National Bank; John A. Nc
Call. president of the New York Life In
SurarCe Company. or James L. Woodward,
president of the Hanover National Bank.
1t would not be surprising if movement
started from The outside Within q
few days to countcract the boom for Con-
troller CoIer by urging the nomination for
mayor of a democrat like one of those
named above. The watchword of the Tam
many men will be that the next mayor of
New York must be democrat, a democrat
who will not be identified with Tammany
Hail. but at the same time recognize the
organization.
As to Coer. his friends are urging him
to stand for the mayoralty. He has proved
a good listener so far. If he has any inten-
ton to be a candidate he has not said so.
If there is a demand for him for mayor.
as there was for governor, he Will undoubt-
eGly be ready to respond. He is a young
man. who has been more successful in
public life than most of the men and his
years, and the mayoralty of the city of
| New York is not above his ambition. The
assertion is made that the quickest way
to kill him off would be for Tammany to
take him up. Tammany is not going to
do anything of the kind, and he will not
permit it. His friends say that if he is
nominated for mayor he will not be Tam
manyS candidate but the peoples candi-
date and if he is not the peoples choice
he will not accept nomination, even If
rendered to him by Tammany. A move
ment is now on foot in Wall street to make
Coler the candidate for mayor and Ran
ilolph Guggenheimer the nominee for con-
troller on the same ticket.
War Against Croker Is On.
The campaign of 1901 began the day after
election and the war against Croker is on.
Former Lieutenant Governor William F.
Sheehan will appear at the head of anti
Tammany democratic organization in this
city within a few days, and will have the
moral and financial support of the Whit
-Fairchild-Cleveland gold democracy
and the allegiance of all the men in Tam
many today who long have been in secret
rebellion against Croker The Independent
voting element, too, is in the field, as 1t was
three years ago. The mayoralty election of
1901 is to be a peoples fight and a people s
victory. Former Senator David b. Hill
alone prevented the formation of William
F. SheehanS new county machine six
weeks before election. Sheehan went to
Hill just after his sensational re-entry into
politics. when he cut the ground from I'M
der Norman L. Mack s feet in Erie and cap
tured two of the Mack-Croker state COM
mitteemen. Sheehan and Hill know and
like one another. In the old days when
there was lighting to be done they fought
together. When Bryan's star became in
the ascendant. Hill and Sheehan sulked
together and attended to their law bust
ness. Now each has his object Hill wants
the democratic nomination for President
/ four years hence. Sheehan wants the eX-
| element OF the chase. Hill in entire
! sympathy with Sheehan's project but he
| is reported as saying:
Don't start it low, Billy. Wait until
| about two weeks after election. That will
be much better time
| And Hill gave his reasons. He told Shee-
! han that after the defeat of Bryan on cleo
| ton day there would be a elimination of
! the bitter feeling against Croker in New
/ York city and state Ii the new machine
! was started before election 1t would be