New-York tribune., 1901-10-27
Doliilral Nofices.

and intended that they would be dominant in
the proposed combination. and they were right
in so intending, for they re0lly did represent an
honest and bipartisan sentiment
The Republicans put the management of the
have heard much and who is not unknown to
you in Tammany Hail. 1 refer TO Mr.. John c.
Sheehan, who for period in 1896 and 1897 was
your acting leader During that leadership.
and before, the Republican press and. what for
this purpose is of more cor sequence. the indie
pendent press. condemned him unsparingly as a
man who, defaulter, had left his own city of
Buffalo and who in politics was de-
praved and dangerous to the last degree.
ONLY QUOTES sHEEHAN CHARGES.
Don't misunderstood me to say these things.
1 myself say nothing of Mr. Sheehans character.
I only quote from The Evening POST The New
York Times and other Independent, well as
the Republican papers. in order to test their
sincerity Mr.. Lows campaign of Indignation in
1897 and some at least of my own righteous in
dignation in 1897 were directed against Mr..
Sheehan.
"It was the Police Commission of which he
was member that had been the subject of the
| investigation by the Lexow Committee two years
before. In the five bulky volumes of the report
you VIII fnd crushing and mastery cross-ex-
animation of John c. Sheehan by Recorder Goff.
Upon Mr.. Sheehan was charged and success
fully 50 it was said the chief burden of the
iniquities so luridly exposed by the Recorder.
In the majority report of the committee. in
which concurred Senator Bradley, of Brooklyn,
who was good enough to call himself Shepard
Democrat there was extreme and terrible
condemnation of Mr. Sheehan, and of his alleged
corruptions and public crimes.
There was but one member of the investigat-
ing committee who defended Mr.. Sheehan He
the Tammany Hall member of the commit
tee, the Hon. Jacob A. Cantor In 1891 he
rushed without hesitation to the defence Of all
the wrong doing and niquty against which
had famed much Republican and inde
pendent denunciation.
1T is to Mr. Cantor, the spokesman of Tam
many Hall for years, in the State Senate and for
Tammany Hall, be it observed when Tammany
Hall lay under the extremist condemnation OF
independent men, it is to him that Mr.. Low and
the gentlemen of the Citizens Union. as we'll
as the Republican party, it is to him. upon the
request of John c. Sheehan that 1t is proposed
TO turn over the powers of the Presidency OF the
Boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. And for
what?
'Wil any Citizens Union man. with his hand
on his heart, say that Mr.. Cantor was chosen
because. without any reference to party or fac
ton, he was the man best fitted for the Borough
Presidency? Does not every citizen, whether in
or out of that Union. know perfectly that he
was chosen in order that, by the patronage and
power of his office, he might build up for Mr..
Sheehan a rival Democratic organization by
means of which he might compel Tammany
Hall to make terms with him? lApplause.l
Now. If there be one expert In political man
agement and games: It is John C. sheehan; The
day and generation have had some skill; hut
Mr. Sheehan is past master OF the art. To
him, therefore, the Republicans entrusted the
manipulation Of q series Of pretended or sham
organizations.
There would OF course have to be
ference to arrange nominations. The Repub-
licans and the Citizens Union would be parties
to 1t. and the Republicans. to carry out their
plan OF making nomination for the Mayoralty
which, though really partisan. could be claimed
to be non partisan. wished to avoid a direct
collision between themselves and the Union.
80 under the auspices OF John c. Sheehan
they invented or discovered the Sheehan De
mocracy a third member OF the conference
the O'Brien Democracy as fourth member OF
the conference. the Michael j. Coffey Democracy
OF Brooklyn as a fifth member of the conference
and besides number Of competing German or
ganizations. only one OF which Mr.. Riders
| raA
pride, as other members
MIR Riders organization withdrew IN open
finally to have yielded reluctant support TO
the fusion candidates. 1 feel IT unnecessary TO
speak OF IL further
CALLS THEM FAKE" BODIES.
Then began the conference between the Re
publicans. the Citizens Union. and this motley
dozen OF fake political bodies In The New
York Times OF Tuesday last read a significant
statement headed Fusion Is Short OF Funds in
which IT stated that the Republican or
ganization is said to be able TO command the
money needed for carrying on its end OF the
campaign but that the smaller organizations
are lacking in funds and that few OF them
have been able TO raise more money than was
required TO cover the expense OF organization
and enrolment
This. no doubt. is the literal truth, and
sheds a food OF light upon the game. These
smaller organizations are OF course lacking in
funds. They were able TO raise that is TO say
there provided for them, what was re-
ouired 10 cover the expense OF organization and
enrolment And why. IN heavens name. should
more have been raised2 1t never was intended
that they should conduct a campaign
When they had organized and enrolled Cand
IL would be interesting. indeed. to see their
rolls) there remained nothing for them except
participation in the nominating conference. For
their part IN that conference was the beginning
and end of their being The Republican
funds which maintained them. maintained them
for that purpose and for nothing else.
We'll, the conferences assembled. The Repub-
lcans said. and oh! so earnestly We care
nothing for the candidate not we; we are per-
fectly willing to take a Democrat But, gentle
men, he must be Democrat not unduly tainted
with Democracy: and he must be a Democrat.
one upon whom all of these organizations can
agree'-orEanizations which, fellow citizens,
please remember. were moved like puppets by
the Republican wires. Such sham organizations
made up o-thirds of the conferences.
The Citizens Union. with an honesty II not
persistence of purpose which deserves praise,
adhered TO It's original proposition that good
faith and a non-partisan character OF the cam
paign required under the present circumstances,
that the nominee should be a Democrat
ITO this the Republicans again said: oh, yes.
hut of course every one of all these bodies must
agree Then we had the farce extending
through several days. Whenever Democratic
name was mentioned some one of the show or
panization nominally Democratic objected.
Finally, the conferrees sadly announced that In
the whole City OF Greater Newly ork there could
be found no Democrat ht for the Mayoralty and
for whom it's citizens would vote, that on the
whole the superior virtue OF the Republican
minority was great that within It's regular
ranks alone could be found any citizen TO whom
the MayoraIty could be trusted, or VINO at least
could be elected to IL.
EXONERATES MR.. Low.
"I cheerfully exonerate my competitor from
anv ahare in all this. II unlike him. He
was as innocent of the wies of the politicians as
he was of the real meaning of many of the pro-
visions of the charter of 1897, OF which he was
an author. Well the game had been successfully
played; but it did not end with this. The