New-York tribune., 1901-07-28
TO FORCE COLER ON TICKET
4 CLIQUE IN THE WIGWAM GROOMING
THE CONTROLLER FOR THE NOM
INATION-PLAYING THE
TAMMANY GAME.

There Is a carefully organized and systematic
ally arranged campaign on foot to force the
nomination of Bird s. Coler as Tammany's can
ddate for Mayor this fall This movement IS
considered by Tammany leaders to be the most
powerful organization back of any candldate
talked OF for the nomination. and the opinion IS
general in many quarters that Mr.. Coler VIII DC
named.
According TO the story of certain WiSwamUes
who are in a position 10 know what is going on
Mr.. Coler has been picked out by some of the
most influential leaders in the organization as
the best man 10 head its ties T.. 'dd IS
claim has been urged upVr .e'-
Coler. so IT is said is the candidaiO - -e an
Wyck-Carron clique. and has the hearty ana
cordial support Of the Kings County organiza-
ton CarrolTs trip abroad. so ii is declared. was
for the purpose of urging upon Croker the FEAST
bility of nominating Coler.
Some months ago Mr. Coler was rather bold
and independent official. and was styled by Tam
many men as a ''refOrmer.' In spite OF this. ne
has always been popular with the district lead
ers He has always been fair in his appoint
ments he is cordial with all Wigwamites. and
gracious to the leaders he is in the political
sense good mixer" When he became a can
didate for nomination for Governor, he earned
the enmity of Richard Croker and some of the
the convention. but took the downfall philosoph-
icalIy. Since that time 1t has been noticed that
he was not so rampant in his opposition to Tam
MANY He has become in a way apologist for
the organization and he has endeavOred to act
in a way politically that would earn and hold
the friendship of the Tammany leaders. Some
persons whom he antagonized In Brooklyn, nota-
bly, James ShevIn, have recently been more
friendly toward Mr. Coler. and 1t is said that all
is serene across the East River so far as his as
piratons concerned.
The Tammany organization is just as present
divided into two camps. Mayor Van Wyck,
John f. Carroll and John r. Sexton are the lead
ers of one element fighting for supremacy. John
Whalen, Larry Delmour and others associated
with them oppose the Carroll-Van Wyck clique.
1t is declared that the Van Wyck-CarroH allies
have picked out Coler the best man to name
this fall, and are trying to form combination
which will bring about this result
The recent remarkable action of Mayor Van
Wyck in making Controller Coer practically
paramount in controlling the affairs of Coney
Island is viewed by politicians as trick They
say that Van Wyck. who is in the cabal to force
the nomination of Coer made this opening for
he Controller. hoping that it would help in get
'ng the nomination and aid in his election If
nominated
Until Croker gets home however the polti-
clans declare nothing definite will be known
and then much depends upon the situation If
Croker finds a compact union arrayed against
him. the nomination of Coler, so the Tammany
men believe, is likely to come about. Certain in
innate friends of the boss say Croker will only
consent to Coer however, as a last resort so to
speak.
Mr. Coler is playing Tammany's game finely
now II was said last night that within a few
DAYS he will issue statement which the leaders
think will be Tammany's chief campaign docu-
ment This will take the form of tabulated
list of the expenditures of the city, and will
attempt to prove that so per cent of the city's
budget is due to mandatory legislation; that the
State Legislature has sadded numerous useless
offices and commissions upon the city and that
even a reform Mayor would be powerless to cut
down the city expenses.