Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-02-28
RICHARD CROKER,
TAMMANY RULER
CONTINUED From Fourth Page.)

lin the Tammany social system Kelly
made Croker a sort of privy councillor
and gave him the office and title CT city
chamberlain. 1T may be said to the
credit of the system which produced
Croker that he conducted the various
offices he heldI-coroner, city chamber
lain and fire commissioner-dece
and without scandal. No city money
stuck to his fingers. AS chancellor of
the exchequer Croker was thrown daily
With the nobility. The Irish in him
made him initiative He acquired a
Veneer of manners. He ceased to be a
\ gent. His fists whitened. His clothes
grew mild and lovely" and his Voice,
Istrident, harsh and full of strange
oaths, began to grow gentle as a sum
i mer breeze in the days when he was in
i Kelly; cabinet AS events crowded
4 power on Croker, a lesson of silence.
(which he learned first in the Tunnel
gang, became more and more a part of
his mental habit. Croker also made his
temper bridlewise. During the season
spent in Jail charged with the murder
(which he probably did not commit he
Learned some philosophy which never
4 deserted him. There is a fine perspec-
tive Of the world to be had from behind
s prisor bars that gives a man--and
4 Croker got 1t well--a bird s-eye visw of
4 the yanties of this life.
i When John Kelly died the crown
4 came To. Croker by natural selection. He
was elected chairman of the finance
Icommittee Of Tammany. That is his Of
4 flee today. The finance committee is
a composed of five district leaders cut of
4 the thirty seven in New York. Under
4 each leader are a score of precinct cap
4 tains, each of whom is over four or five
4 hundred people. the people are divided
a into tribes of nationality and also sub
a divided into clans. This organizntion,
! which has nothing to do With political
y crveds or platforms, but coheres out Of
= greed for public taxes and public priv
a leses, is the most perfect voting ma
sischine on earth To the royal head Il
this system Croker came as Journey
{ imam who had worked up from bound
boy. He was made king by grace of his
d strong right arm and steel brain
4 sharpened on Al manhunter's whetstone
Passionatean by that token soft
hearted-sinlple as a child, acauisitive
shrewd in n narrow groove Ikea ma
chine, sordid AT the core. and ignorant
Il of civilization a s a Hun. Croker cllne ia
his throne a troglodyte king over a race
a of caveIlen.
To know What sort of ruler he has
made one must know his domain il is
4 first of all material There is nothing So
ethical, about i as double .eagei
entry. 1t is rot Greater New York, fol
4 there are spiritual. literary and com
mtrcial estates in New York that MOI
only owe no allegiance To Croker. but
s he does not know that they exist. His
kingdom is rot even the atmosphere OF
Icurrent political thought in Manhattan
4 and the Bronx, for Croker knows moth
ing of political economy and the trend
Tor political ideas. The Kingdom o,
Croker is the kingdom Of loot san1 this
4 vain heather in his blindness thinks i;
is one of the great powers. To Croker
or 10 what Croker stands for, 900 nen
4 have surrendered their sovereign Amer
lean rights. This surrender is mad.
Il without let or hindrance. 1t carries tn,
II right of transfer with tt. A tremen
.l.dnus power $ generated by this abdica
lEtion. Croker, and four others sit in Sc
f8crat conference and nominate men t,
4 I'LL every municipal Office in New York
from mayor 70 alderman. Orders come
II down from this conference To tilr city
Il convention. u the district convention
10 the ward caucus The only thing that
goes UP Is obedience. Seeingsthe power:
lsof Croker one almost belieses that mol
a policeman walks his beat In New
York city except by his grace. not 9
y brick is laid on a public or private work
that he may not itnpudently tear dowr
III the contractor Laying il withhold
q homage u the boss, that rot whee
turns IN any railway in New York, moi
a car moves up and dawn an elevator
4 shaft in Greater New York but by ex.
& pressing an idle caprice Croker may
sEnot stop them. Popular government il
n New York city thriyes about as Justify
n as in Constantinople or BaSdad.
Net long ago a New York gentisman
4, seeking to purge the east SIDE tene-
Z ments3 of vice. sought not the chief Of
= police. not the police commissioners, no.
1.-The mayor. but the fnuntain-hsad o.
, os,ernment in New York, Croker in hi.
Il council. After Introducing his petition
q for reform to his manor lords, Croker
said:
a Il want you to give close attention Il
his statement and want that. aftel
You have heard what he has 70 say, YOU
81 Will use every effort to correct all thoss
evils as far as 1t lies in your power. =
After the reformer had finished
"A speaking and a committee had BEEN ap.
= pointed. Croker delivered this ukase
Right here want to reiterate what
said three weeks ago, and that is, not {
dollar comes into my hands from thu
& landlords of pool rooms or houses of IL
fame. II any of you gentlemen
}, have been collecting from these peopI,
you had better get out of the orglniza
ton. 1t hasn't any use for you. 70,
|. disgrace it. am not talking for politi
cal effect. am talking OF what 70,
!. should do5as honest citizens. hope i
q this committee should ask any one q
!. you leaders here for information YOU
Will appear and do the best you know
how to make its work successful
Some one more yenturesome than tn,
other barons attempted to say that thu
4 evil complained of was necessary. Lee
the undisputed report of a half dozen o.
the best newspapers in New York con
tinue To describe the royal wrath:
Croker bounded from his chair
walked toward the coroner and pointed
his finger al him, shaking it exc,tedly
You say you don't know what you car
do? he asked in angry tones What yel
want to do traising his voice), is to ac
and to try 10 do something anyway
II yol, can't sion N van say IF ynu III