New-York tribune., 1901-11-25
LEARY APPEALS TO POsTERITY.
E-r-rrrRE, MIST DECIDE, HE SAYS, WHETHER
HIS PoETICAL GENIUS is GREAT
ER THAN GRUBERs.

Altar q protracted silence, William Leary yes'ot
day took up the gauntlet which was nuhs q. us
feet a day or after the election py Api ai
Gruber The Republican leader of the AAlst As
sen,hly District had said that MI Leary "8s
",porsa nolittcal poet than himself MI dFuoef
brides himself on being maker OF rhymes anu
IN his more exalted moods he has even aspiieu -
tho title OF a poet. Mr.. Leary In the last oaihps
was moved after the fashion of the ancient 0i
tan generals who wont TO break INTO sois Ia
ha+t1e and thus inspire their faintng troops with
fresh v.gor Mr. Leary was chairman Oh '"o
speakers bureau of the Republican county -
n1ittee and added to the poetcal treasures vi ING
land his Spotted Town verses
But contemporaneously with MI Leary' MI
crpber also turned poetical, and produced MS clas
sic on the Shepard that swallowed by use.'
It was because of the rare appearance Oh t"o ''
r,;naries on the poetical horizon that many stu-
dents of the classics found themselves wohoerins
as TO which of the two was scattering the siea
.,,orn+ of star dust In the recent absence or MT.
Ieary who was at Washington. MIR. Hruoer ue
cfaed the question himself, and IN an huInpe sEi't
ATTEMPTED TO bring this academic controversy TO
close bv announcing that Mr.. Leary was oS Il"
odds the worst pohueal poet '''' wy
-
But this decision did not seem 10 nave the e
tinguishing effect that Mr.. Gruher had e&Fec'eu'
NJ Iaary at the earnest solicitation OF ms h"-
,rirers FASTENED back from Washington ana pes1i'
,ror,. on an exhaustive treatise on the meehfn'ioS
=. ,oo.,.o, exnression his purpose being 10 expose
tba fa+uitv of Mr.. Gruber's claims 10 'he 'tIe u
noet The Tribune is unable to PRINT MI Leo
defence in full, and accordingly II VIII o'iy
tempt TO give a brle1 SUMMARY Va "
which he has advanced .,,
iI a. e-x+ Mace" writes Mr.. Leary Mr.
--,,har,s verse is crude The researches OF a'oH
o,opsts have failed to bring TO hsh' any i"
t;ons which show n more ruoinnehlary co''1 =. =.
In consequence, Mr. Gruoers poeHS' es
II. ,e c,red such cannot outlive more thah W.
Only those VINO aio no'S -
y. - che laws Of the poetic art whhe d. '"o
sa-oa time appearing to be free from tho y. -
,t,,+.+ions of language. can ever hopu " ttr
IN .,,orarv distinction. However hlieo orfi,. 80
thah teh'P a,,,,ne af1atus its outpourfngs II
ia' ~ 80, +ba channels of song, soon spread oa'
-. rar,n n they cannot be Kept "4tiin 'oi a.
rrescrtbed boundaries, as is the cur loh' pI a ~ .
pfes'IiD pft a;neay that MI Gruber may have some
o.,,c Instinct and that at times ne may oas g.,
,,oI idea hut when It IS up TO him 10 put IA.
tt.a,,obts into metrical language. he appears u INV
h,nseIf in a sort of mental bondage.
aAn exhaustive study of some OF Mr. "iu'o
,roductions shows that, under the stress OF SUM
P4 80 o.,on he starts off in fine form, like
thoroughbred at the Horse Show, but aIter ne naS
gone around the track couple OF umes ne oestn'
n break and to try to wrggle out or his harness.
so that the Judges have to show him the gate
It may be that, If Mr.. Gruber should devote MN
self entirely to poetry for the next ten or twelve
years he might be able to conform TO the ia"9
which govern this peculiar craft, All men, as Eh-
lack the powers of expression. With the vast ma
iority of men, their thoughts fly off piecemeal' OF
in detached chunks, 1t is the mission or the poet
to weave his ideas into continuous fabric, when
may be handed down from generation TO genera
ton as the heirloom of the ages
DO you consider your verses on Spotted Town
To be woven after the pattern of the master poets?
ME- Leary was asked after The Tribune reporter
had read the defence.
..It would not become me to say" was the answer,
'rime and the judgment of several successive gen
erations can only decide their true quality"
But have you not come to the conclusion tnat
MI Gruber is poet than yourself?f
mo one man can decide that question. Mr.:
Gruber in true altruistic spirit has attempted to
do So but he is only entitled to his own opinion
do not care express opinion as to the COM
narrative merits of Mr.. Gruber and myself, for IL
would have no more effect this controversy than
did Mr. Gruber. As / have said before, time ana
the sober Judgment of two more generations are
the sole arbiters in such issue
Although Mr.. Leary may be too modest to say
that he is worse poet of the two he was no. az
all aVerse announcing yesterday that he is MIs
Grubers superior in political prophecy In proof OK
this boast Mr.. Leary noW holds a nifty dollar plll
whch he says the leader of the RXIst District mas
presented him since election. The details of the bet
are withheld.