New-York tribune., 1901-10-19
HIS RENT Is EIn

Mr. Shepards speech i'm Tammany Hall on
Thursday evening was 10y several degrees his
most respectable performance in this campaign.
whether under the influence of a partial return
of reason. or the pressure 70 which the re-
pr0aches of old friends have subjected him. or
from calculations of eNpediency. he came ont
part way into the open and with every appear
ance OF good faith made number of state
ments which were not timd. evasive and sophss
tical. lie said, for example. that he would
rather lose votes than excuse or recede from
any or his previous utterances: that he
mained nhexibly hostile TO the use of public
money, time or power for party or partisan pur-
poses; that il was his answering determina-
tion 10 make his administration accord with his
declarations of the past: that the present admin
istration probably required resolute and fear
less investigation and that he was and should
continue 10 be what he had been.
such announcements as these leave much to
be desired, but il is only fair To say that they
are good deal more creditable To Mr. Crokers
candidate than any of his earlier utterances.
They at least permit the agreeable suppOsitiOn,
which seemed 10 have become untenable that
he is not consciously insincere. while at the
same time they show how little progress he has
really made toward recovery from a monstrous
deluSiOn Mr.. Shepard says that he is just what
he was: hut he is wretchedy mistaken. He
now dwcllS with unction on the actual and pO-
tential utility of Tammany Hall -Four years
ago ne declared thar its career was 1.-The most
burning and diSgraceful blot upon the mu-
''nicipal history of this country. Three years
ago hc proclaimed the necessity of inexOrably
Furnishing misconduct i'm office hy dismissal of
the responsible party He now considers il
would he not merely unreasonable. hut ahSo-
mtely Indecent Ia turn Tammany out of power.
Three wears ago he said: Il tell you. fellow
citizens. that much more is required" than
10 have a good man i'm office. He now. with
~unblushing effrontery" aud easy confidence"
''presumeS upon popular forsetfulness. repud-
ates his own former belief that 1.-The best of
men i'm any office is. against his WILL however
powerful i'm chief measure the creature of the
conditions or the instrument of the forces
which surround him. and. presenting himself
10 his fellow citizens among the best Of men,
congratulates them upon the opportunity of
making the future secure by seating him in the
Mayors chair
II will not do Mr.. Shepard. You are on record
against yourself You put yourself on record.
not hastily and casually, but deliberately and
without a reservation. You now disapprove of
some things that Tammany has done. You used
10 declare that it hideous i'm general and i'm
detail. You felt the burning and disgraceful
blot burning and disgracing you as a member
of the community whose lamentable condition
you depicted. You knew in 1897 that the Tam
many organization would continue. il Ii got the
chance 10 give the same sort OF government ii
had given, and therefore you implored the voters
to keep it out of office Only ten months ago
you urged that the thing 10 do was Ito defeat
the organization which is in power to-day"
Now. because you are its candidate and one of
1.-The best of men, you think that it deserves and
demand that il shall have further lease of
power You are not convincing. Mr.. Shepard
The people appeal from Philip drunk 10 Philip
sober.