The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-08
NEW YORK TOPICS.
DRIFTS AND UNDERGRADUATES of
THE METROPOLIS.

cant-His Attitude Is, "What Are
You Going TO Do About Its" but He
Makes the Usual Attempt to Con-
ciIiate Public Opinion by Putting
Up n Respectable MayOraIty Cam
didate-The First ''TiT" Between
President Roosevelt and Boss
PIatt-Have We Reached the Flood
in the Tide of Prosperity-A. New
Political Organization, society of
Acorns," Said to he Backed by
Hearst-President Roosevelt in
New York BookshOp-The October
Suburban Hegira Remarkable.
New York, Oct. Sat last the issue
Is fairly Joined. Tammany will stand
by its own. Croker has come out fiat
footed for Devery. The deputy commits
sioner's buster and violence, his Gym
ical disregard of public opinion, his
foul mouthed vituperation have not
alienated Croker's friendship. Many Of
the district leaders have besought the
Boss to throw Devery overheard. They
have told him that Devery is costing
more votes than the organization can
afford. Croker's answer was to pro-
pose, personally, the big deputy COM
missioner for membership in the Dem
ocratic club. AS if that were not ex-
plicit enough, he declared to visiting
delegation that Devery was much
misunderstood and maligned man. on
the surface this means that the Boss
will remain true to his old friend. Fun
damentally it. bears a nntrcft broader
significance. It means that Tammany
feels itself strong enough to answer
public opinion with the voice of the
unlamented Twsedsttyyhat are you go
ing to do about it?" 1t means that,
whatever paragon of responsibility is
nominated for mayor, there will not be
the slightest bluff at a, reformation of
present Tammany methods. The can
didate will be pledged to Devery. That
pledges him to a rule of unchanged
conditions; pool-rooms, policy shops
and gambling dens fiourishing unre-
stricted, vice under the red lights
counting out the protection money into
the avid hands of the police, criminals.
unmolested so long as they obey what
Josiah Flynt calls the Tammany COM
mandnert, to be right" in short, a
''wide1open" town. At the head of this
wide-Open town, If Tammany wins,
there will be in the Mayors chair
highly respectable member of the com
munity, who will be so enmeshed that
he will not have to worry at all as to
the policy of his administration. 1t
will all be attended to for him.
Anyone who regards the life of a po-
litical leader as one long round of rest
full and assured autocracy. is hereby
adjure1. to observe the panied visage
of Senator Thomas c. Platt, sometimes
called the Easy Boss" of New York
state. That astute politician has recent
ly undergone a trying experience at the
hands of a certain gentleman whose
idea of mild recreation is to nupt
mountain lions. in SLOUGH hat. Lest
any should mistake this for a prize
guessing contest, it may be proftably
stated that President Roosevelt is the
man referred to. Shortly after Presi-
dent McKinley's death, Senator Plat
and Gov. Odell went to Buffalo to as
sure President Roosevelt of their sup
port, should he desff'e' the presidential
nomination in 1904 1t would be too
much perhaps to say that they arrived
painting and perspiring; but to state
that no grass was blighted by the long
continued pressure of their feet is well
within the truth. Being a polite person,
President Roosevelt thanked them for
their kind intentions. They returned
Gov. Odell to mediate upon the career
of Jacob. who successfully supported
an ambition during a seven-year's
wait: Mr.. Plat to consider what he
should get in return for his kind offer.
Mr.. Platt holds that one good turn de-
serves another-and as soon as posi-
bic. Very shortly he discovered where
President Roosevelt could be of use 20
MN. IL was i'll the case of Mr.. Platt's
staunch supporter, George R. Bidwell,
collector of the port of New York. who
has been the object of much persistent
criticism from many sources Quite
recently a formidable document con-
slstine OF reasons why Mr. Bidwell
should not be reappointed went to the
president. Senator Platt called the
PRESIDENTS attention to the fact that
the signers of the document were kick
ers,Ssorehsads,s outsiders, trouble maxi
ers and mugwumps. 1t would be a par
tlcular favor to him if President
Roosevelt would cast the plans and
specifications into the fire. The exact
terms of the reply to this refriqerated
proposition are not of record. But
Whatever President Roosevelt said. ii
rs peheved was enunciated plainly. not
70 say emphatically. At any rate Mr.
Platt developed what State Senator
Tim Sullivan would call a wrinkle i'm
AIS MAP. 1olnce then whenever the
name of Roosevelt is mentioned there
passes oveE=Ar-=Platt,s face that ex
preston ofrgEieved appreciation to be
observed in the case OF the absorbed
thinker who SITS down on what he
supposes to be a restful chair onlv To
md, too late. that il is in reality a
pin. All of which means that the Sc
nior Senator from New York and the
new President have had their first tiff.
Wall street has been considering the
question:: Has the tide turned: have
we reached the hight of prosperity?
The tape reflects the seriousness of rhe
question, but we have not yet given
an answer. Stocks were heavy: they
still lAre heavy. They have gone down
and they have gone up, in the past
fortnight; but the declension has been
slow sag, the ascent a sharp Jerk
This means that the selling was grad
ual, cautious, concerted and the buv-
ing was the urgent covering of shorts
who are not sure that their bearish
answer to the question is right. Dur-
ing bull movement the rise is gradual
and the decline sudden and smart. due
of course, to steady, confident buying
by investors and the big operators, and
the rush for profits by the light specu-
lators. So the movements of prices
while they show what men are ask
ing, are making no plain reply. Here
is the bear view: The country has
had five years of prosperity; 1t seldom
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