The Washington times., 1901-09-07
The situation in New York City.

No political sophistry and no amount
of downright mendacity would be suf-
ficient to obscure to the country and
the civilized world the fact that for
four years the great American metrop-
Oils has been groaning under the bur-
den and outrages of rule by the Tam
many organization, which, for fragrant
and defiant rascality, the protection of
vice and crime for hire, and disregard
for law and the common rights of citi-
zens. has exceeded in Nervousness any
thing and everything in the antecedent
history OF Greater New York.
AT length the opportunity is present
ed TO the decent people of the city to
get rid of this vile incubus. The only
question is: Have they the sense and
courage to do it, and to do il effectual-
ly? Can they organize and act inde-
pendently of the political leaders of one
stripe or another who are working des-
perately under cover to juggle them out
of the relief to which they are entitled,
for selfish purposes2 The object lesson
of the Tammany regime under Croker
ought to be a sufficient incentive to
united and heroic action. The spectacle
of a man who practically is British
subject. who lives in lordly style at an
English country house. and pays a tax
on his income, however derived into the
British exchequer. in absolute control
of the greatest of American cities and
fattening on the profits of that control,
should be sufficient to call into reyolu-
ton every honest and reputable citizen
OF New York against such a municipal
monstrosity.
But the emergency calls for men and
not trieksters We all know what Tam
many is. What is called the Democ-
racy of Greater New York is Tammany
over again, under another name; is
Tammany disgruntled and out of office.
Once in office. it would be every whit
as Objectionable rs its degraded parent.
The Plat machine is merely another
Tammany organization which, were it
dominant in the city, would be quite as
corrupt as the one il fights when it does
not trade with il. All of these factions
and combinations are equally to be dis
credited and ignored il the fight for re-
form is to be anything more than a
fash in the pan.
The forces OF law, order and good cit
izenship have ii in their power 10 name
a man for the mayoralty around
whom all respectable people In Greater
New York could and would rally. and
Tamm2ny with its bIackmailing protes-
tion OF vice and lawbreakers Of every
degree could be crushed But il will
not do To permit the naming 10 be done
by the political jugglers. They would
be certain TO support the claims" of
some one with whom they could deal in
advance. They would be likely to select
a candidate between whom and the
Tammany selection there would be no
choice worth mentioning.
To stand the slightest chance of sue
cess the standard bearer OF the munich
pal reform element must be an inde-
pendent Democrat New York is no.
toriously Democratic community. and
in its eyes Republicanism is represent
ed nationally by Hanna and locally by
Platt. 1t Is qlite true that the issue is
strictly municipal and is unconnected
with party politics anywhere or in any
proper sense. All the same. the best
and purest Republican who could be
named would be sufficiently suspected