New-York tribune., 1901-10-27
DoIiIiral Nolices.


| dozen times seemed to be successful? -.
Many. perhaps most of you. are old enough
to remember at least two OCCASIONS OF thaI
kind, the election of William F. Havemeyer IN
1872 as Mayor, and the election of William l..
Strong as Mayor in 1894. In each case we were
promised that II the campaign were successful
| Tammanv Hail would be forever at an end.
| The campaigns were successful. We had what
were promised TO be reform administrations
And at the end of each of them Tammany Han
| returned to power as great or even greater
than was enjoyed the eve of its defeat
What promise have those who would destroy
| your organization that this LoW-Sheehah-
| O'Rrien-Coffey fusion movement will be more
effective? Is not all this lamentabe and snort
! sighted? Is IL made more endurable by the wit,
| sometimes verging to f1ippancy, with which Mr..
| Low entertains us? Is it tolerable that the au-
mnstrative. creative and constructive work OF
this great metropolis and of it's development
| during the critical two years next beIore US
should secure practically no attention from MT
| Low and his orators. but must be surrendered 10
| one more attempt, more promising than for-
| mer attempts to destroy your ancient pontlcai
| organizations, and this when-qulte apart from
| the morality Of the effort-experience has proved
| that il is sheer futility, a futty which has in
! evitably defeated and discredited reform? is IT
| endurable TO the sober citizens OF New YORK tnat
| the welfare and interest of the city are nothing
| but that this party purpose of the Republicans
and this factional purpose Of the Sheehan men
| and O'Brien men are everything?
MR.. sHEPARD's PROPHECY.
| 'I am generally afraid of prophecy. But. fell
| lory citizens l venture, and without hesitation
upon this one prediction: If the signs in the po-
| litical armament, which we rejoice to hnd so
| bright, shall prove to be untrustwortny. ana II
| the fusion ticket be elected, we shall nave by
the end of 1903 It's ridiculous decentralization ana
unfruitful disntegration; we shall have dlscredit
| of the most serious kind heaped upon every Ell
| fort to make administration or politics better
| And If you will pardon me for saying H. we
| shall have every temptation presented TO ram
| many Hall and other Democratic organizations
7 to do for the wears next to come its very worst
| The fusion candidate for Controller Mr.
Id, ,xrbio ha declares
| 10 be so abhorrent TO him. and VINO, In MS
| speeches in October, 1897 was most emphatlc
| in behalf of the scheme of party government or
the city now condemns me because in my speech
| of acceptance l declared that l would not, II
were Mayor permit the power OF the city 10 oe
used either for the disintegratlon or Ior tne
| building up of any political party. He SAID
| that here implied promise that "oulu
not if elected, disntegrate Tammany han; ,.u
| Il know very we'll that. II be elected, shaii
| have no power to dsintegrate Tamfnany nan
| And l know, perhaps quite as well, tnat IL l
| were to have the power it would be gross urea
son to the cause of good government tnat
| should use it for sheerly tactional purpose.
| 1 will not do 1t. There are no doubt some at
| fractions about the Mayoralty as well as Ihuch
| that is oppressive to contemplate; but If the
| attractions were tenfold over what they are
! or If 1 thought ten times i'll Of Tammany
! Hall as does the Republican candidate would
not in order TO secure those attractions prom
ise forgetting the interests OF its four millions
| of people, and its wholesome and splendid
| future development and the sworn duties of my
| place to turn the government of the city. its
powers and its resources into mere machinery
| to break down Tammany Hall or the Republi-
can Party. or any political organization within
| some partisanship is no doubt honora BILE
! and fruitful of good results to the public. But
! this chief appeal OF Mr.. Low for the support
of the five boroughs 1 declare to be an un-
| worthy, indefensible form of partisanship
A REPLY TO MIR. LOW.
81 have declared before. and I declare again.
that Mr.. Low is in all essential respects a
strictly partisan Republican candidate for the
! Mayoralty. and that his protest against my can
ddacy partisan is utterly without force. On
| Tuesday evening last he lamented my deficient
| sense Of humor; and am afraid that in this one
| thing he may be right He suggested that
| much that he had said OF me really Pick
| wickian. which |. in my obtuseness had taken
| to be serious Well. am not Obtuse at every
| point for easily see the humor of his declara-
| tton that he is a bipartisan candidate. do
| him and his friends the Justice TO believe that
| this assertion that they sheerly nom -parti-
| san candidates may be taken in a Plckwickian
| sense like that OF the personal assaults upon
| myself. There never. in my opinion,
more partisan campaign than this Of Mr.. Low.
| Let us see. In 1900 Greater New York voted
| by majority of more than 10000. in favor OF
| Mr.. Bryan for the Presidency. and this al
| though the great issue then involved OF Demo-
| cratic sef-government wherever the American
| nag hoated, was so unhappily obscured by the
| fear OF another issue not really before the peo-
| pie that very many Democrats did not vote for
| him. That campaign over. this Mayoralty cam
| paign loomed up the next political event of
| importance. The Republican Party was. Of
|
minded and disinterested citizens. dlspleased
| with part OF the present administration OF the
! City Government land with some OF their dis
! pleasure must, If be frank with YOU add that
agreed with them). desired a ncn-p partisan
| campaign in the interests Of better CITY Govern
| ment The city was overwhelmingly Demo-
| cratic; even under conditions adverse, IT was
| largely Democratic The Republicans were in
| power at Washington; they were in power in
the Executive Chamber at Albany; they were in
| power in both legislative houses at Albany In
| the last reform campaign in Brooklyn. that in
| 1898, In which took an active part on the re-
| form side, Democrats had been called upon to
vote for and they had voted for and elected a.
| Republican Mayor. In the last reform cam
| paign in this borough. that OF 1894, In which of
| course, as a Brooklyn man. did not take mar
| Democrats had been called upon to vote for and
| elected Republican Mayor.
In the reform campaign of 1897 Depocra &c
were again called upon to surrender and had
| surrendered, their wholesome and natural marty
| preference Of a candidate for Mayor who repre-
| posed movement in 1901 against the present al l.
| ministration were to be genuinely non-partisan
and not a mere move of Republican partisan
ship, there was every reason why the candidate
| should be chosen from the party holding tba
| great majority OF the city and not in noIiticaI
| sympathy with the administration at Albany
winch is so chief an enemy OF our municipal
| independence.
This openly and even notoriouslv the
view of such members of the Citizens Union a @
were not partisan Republicans They causad ~
| TO be announced in the public prints again ana
| again, that the candidate ought 10 be and must
| be a Democrat; that public good faith dictated
such nomination If any Democrat fit for the
of1ce could be found within the five boroughs
| Last Thursday the Hon. James O'Brien n
chief pillar of the Fusion ticket announced
when he rendered Mr. Low the nomination ~
the City Democracy" that he had been enabled
| TO get what he called his large representation"
| only on the promise that the Fusion candidate
for Mayor should be a Democrat.
REFERS TO MIR. PLATT.