Evening star., 1901-10-14
LOW BY AT LEAST $4,000
JOHN C. sHEEHAN's FORECAST OF
THE NEW YORK ELECTION.
The Former Tammany Leader Gives
Reasons for Predicting
Fusion Victory.
From the New York Tribune.

| MY reason for believing that Tammary
| will be defeated by more than 5000 plu-
rality this fall said John c. Sheehan 10 o
Tribune reporter yesterday, lis that the
people are aroused against them now just
as they were in 1884 following the ex-
posures of the Lexow committee. I was q
district leader in Tammany Hall then. and
1 ought to know something about IL. IL
anything, think the feeling against Tam
many is more intense now than It was then.
but 1t is fact that all reasonable men will
ccneede that Tammany has far greater re-
sources now than 1t ever has had. The or
ganization, handicapped as il is with
leader whose record as an English country
squire angers even the loyal members of
the Tammany organization, and by the
| fact that criminal completely with the gam
| blers has been proved against u-labortng
under these handicaps, Tammany will still.
on account of its large number of well-paid
ohiceholders, and the number OF merchants
and corporations It can squeeze make a
game light for its official existence.
Had Patronage I'm 1894, hut Lost.
| But Tammany had the patronage in 1894.
and still 1t was driven from power by the
voters, who were disgusted with the way
things were going on. Col Strong in the
old city rolled up plurality of 6.1S1, even
with the police friendly to the ruling ad-
ministration. But for its enormous corrup-
ton fund and its leverage on account of .ts
ofnceholders, / should be inclined to say
that the fusion plurality against Tammany
in the territory of the old city this fall
would equal that of 1894, and IT may do
| that, anyway.
II consider that thirty thousand in Man
| haitian and the Bronx the estimated fu-
| sion plurality is rational, and / shall be
| disappointed IL Ii does not reach that. The
| signs are multiplying that the people are
not with Tammany as they We're in 1897.
AT that time the administration of Col.
| Strong was somewhat the defensive.
Things had occurred to make many people
| believe that their liberties We're going TO be
destroyed. The Raines law and Roosevelt
| ism both were unpopular. and the German
democrats were anxious for chance to
| turn the reform administration out. but
| even with all this feeling against the out.
| going administration. II is worth the while
| of Mr.. Croker and his friends to note that
| there was in 1897 an anti-Tammany plu-
rality of 1916.
'"Tammany in the campaign of 1897 in this
| county rolled up a slender plurality of TO-
622 against it's combined opponents. but
across the bridge the Low and Tracy votes
| combined gave a plurality Of 21,0S2. Queens
| followed suit with plurality of ESQ. and
Richmond with one of 706 giving a COM
bined plurality of 3o.03S in the three bor-
oughs, as against the Tammany plurality
of 1O.622 in Manhattan. or a net anti-Tam-
many plurality of 19,416 in the entire city.
Henry George in 1897 received 1905
votes In Manhattan and the Bronx. 6.p3S In
mond, or a total of 81 ,693 in the whole city.
| Il don't undertake to say that all OF
| these p 900 votes will come to the fusion
ticket this year, but do assert with con-
fdence that we will get two-thirds of them.
| There is nothing in the Tammany ticket to
attract the George men, while on the fusion
| ticket both In this borough and in Brook
1yn they have representative men,
| why do you think the plurality will be
| as much as 10000 this year. when Bryan
| carried the county by over 10000 last
| year?' Mr.. Sheehan was asked.
Only One Trust This Year.
| THE fight last year was on national lines,
with several newspapers of large influence
steadily banging away for Bryan on the
| no-trust issue. National lines are this year
wiped out. The only trust in the field IL
the Tammany trust. and the men who hate
trusts are all lined up against Mr.. Croker's
close corporation. There are more power
full influences working against Tammany
this year than ever before. Tammany it
self has created those influences. There
has been organized and systematized
grating and squeezing and coercion for
every man who has come within the reach
Of Tammanys official power.
Croker struck the keynote when he de-
clared he was working for his own pocket
all the time. After that. all the smaller
fry had their cue. and they, too, began
working for their particular pockets all the
time. The ice trust, with Van Wyck with
u
fire department. with Marks selling it stuff
at his own figures, are samples But the
grating went further than that. Every
small dealer on the east side was made
to feel the screws. Jew peddlers and 1tal-
ian bootblacks were compelled to buy three
or four chowder party tickets at 50 apiece
once or twice year, and the new Croker
system of running everything on COM
mercial basis, steered by skilled legal tai
ent. who have been remarkably successful
in most cases in keeping within the law,
has been developed and pushed along until
it has got to be a second nature with the
majority of Tammany officials to expect
something where they are not entitled to
anything, and to fight for that something
until they get 1t, no matter whether any
one is hurt not.
This system has made the people sore.
Every little shopkeeper in this borough can
tell his tale of eXaSperating oppression.
Tammany has worked the game to the
limit. Many of the leaders expect to get
their punishment this fall. They know
they have earned II, and they Will be sur
prised if they don't get it. The secret bal
lot gives every registered voter chance to
get back at the gang, and he'll do 1t.
The Outlook I'm Kfngs.
kings county will give Low just about
the same vote this year as II gave Low
and Tracy combined four years ago. i can't
see where Shepard is going to win many
independent votes. Brooklyn has a lot OF
independent voters. sure enough. but they
usually vote for the men who represent
their principles. 1 don't know the situa-
tion across the bridge as well some, but
II strikes me that Mr.. Low. Mr.. Grout and
Mr.. Swanstrom ought to be more attrac-
tive running against the Tammany COM
bine tina Mr.. Shepard and any other two
men on the ticket standing for that same
combine Either Shepard is for Tammany
and its platform and its record, or he's
against It, He doesn't say he's against It.
He must be for 1t. Schieren carried Kings
on a corruption and ballot box stuffing Is
sue in 1893 by plurality of about 5000.
and in 1897 with the German independent
democrats sore against the Raines law, Low
and Tracy together polled 27.00o votes more
than Van Wyck. In that year the George
men in Kings county polled 6.93s votes.
and the fusion ticket this year is certain to
get at least 5000 of those 6.9SS.. 1t looks
to me- In view of what i have referred
to. that the fusion plurality, with the Cof-
few men in revolt, ought certainly to be
10000 If the Low and Tracy men together
in 1897 could roll up 1900, with the Coffey
men voting regular and the George men
f1ocking by themselves.
ssThe situation in Queens is not at all
favorable for Tammany, If / am correctly
informed. The Low and Tracy vote COM