New-York tribune., 1901-10-31

lettlnE any DOQy KNOW OF lts lnIentlOns, and ad-
journed the convention for fear he might de-
cline II he apprised OF IL while the conven-
ton was still in session" He adds: 81 was a
member of the committee that notified him.
He opponent. He one Of
the leaders of the County Democracy. And yet
he nominated by Tammany Hall act
OF pure patriotism He was told by that not-
hcation committee that he had been nominated
because he was believed incapable OF making
pledge"
NOT THE TAMMANY CANDIDATE.
This statement IS true far as II goes, but
81 does not the whole case. did not ac-
cept the Tammany nomination when il was
rendered TO me- but held IL in abeyance until the
County Democracy had acted. had never run
on a Tammany nomination alone, and was
determined would not place myself In a false
position by running for Mayor, even though
fully concurred in the belief OF the danger OF
the Henry George movement, unless i had the
same kind OF nomination which had received
for five consecutive derms in Congress-namely.
the nomination of both wings Of the Democratic
party, making me the nominee OF the united
Democracy. ! was not. therefore, the TamTnany
candidate. but the Democratic candidate. run
ming for a municipal office without pledges OF
any kind addressed my letter OF ace PIE
to the chairmen of the two conventions Joihuy'
and in IL ] made my position as 10 the adInlh-
istration Of the office of Mayor perfectly clear
the following extract viii show:
From the nature Of this issue 1.-THE doctrines
OF Henry George and the unusual manner IN
which my nomination has been made. no pleoees
any party or any set Of men have been askeo
under any circumstances would make any
other pledge than that which now freely give
II 1
office according TO law 20 the best of my
strength and ability. keeping in view the inter-
est Of the whole people without distincuoh UI
party and class and in strict conformity 10 tne
legislation affecting the Civil Service ana 1ne
just demands Of the great mass OF the people
for the removal Of abuses which impose taAauoli
without corresponding benefits.
SHEPARD SHOULD RETIRE.
This is the precise ground, so far as can
Judge which Seth Low occupied four years ago.
when Shepard supported him, and IL Is the pre-
else ground on which he STANDS to-day as the
fusion candidate, when Shepard is running
against him. IT, therefore, Shepard's position
is identical with mine in 1880 and he is the
same Shepard he was in 1877, ne shouid
promptly retire from the canvass and cast MS
vote for Seth Low, who is the non-partisan
candidate. AS matter OF fact, he tells us
that he is running upon partisan PLATFORM
and that he has no faith in any kind OF munle-
ipai government which is not conducted by
the representatives OF party organizations.
The distinction between my position in 1880
and Shepard's in 1901 is therefore fundamcn-
tai I believed then, as ] do now, in nom
partisan municipal government.
In 1880 Tammany Hall was not in power
in the City Government. To-day il is in
power, with a rec ord of four years OF mis-.
government such as we have never known
Tweed. There scandals attaching
10 the administration Of Mayor Grace. who had
been elected in opposition TO Tammany The
sole issue set forth in the several platforms
was the danger which would arise in case
Henry George should be elected Mayor. There
Henrv George SHEPARD is FIGHTING
AGAINST THE CAUSE OF REFORM, WHICH
WAS NOT AN ISSUE IN 1880. He says that
he is the same Edward NJ: Shepard as he was
four years ago. when he denounced Tammany
Hall as " a disgraceful blot upon the municlpal
history OF the country" Then he spoke OF the
"detestable devitry and insolence with which
Mr.. Croker threatened TO destroy Democratic
. politics" i have observed that he makes
any such reference 10 Tammany Hall and Mr.
ter n he has kvNi Is o.
livering. and yet Tammany and Croker have
not grown better. He declares that he is "a
years ago he denounced Tammany "a grind
ing tyranny Of blackmai the personal
freedom Of tens Of thousands of decent men in
New-fork." He then declared that this was
not Democracy. He declares that Tam
many Hall is the only Democratic organization
IN this city, ana he has persuaded himself that
he is fighting in the cause of Democracy. He
does not pretend, and no man pretends, that
Tammany Hall has changed for the better He
insists that he (Shepard) has not changed. Who
can reconcile this astonishing contradiction?
There was no pretence in 1856 that Tammany
would be strengthened by my election, nor did
either the Tammany committee or ] indulge in
any illusion that subject. / told them plainlv
that there would be war. and in less than three
months there was war 10 the knife, continuing
during nay entire administration and ending in
my defeat at the polls in 1855. with the con-
nivance OF the Republican party. and in the
restoration Of Tammany power, whence 'all
woes.''
NO JUSTIFICATION FOR SHEPARD.
From this brief resume of the situation it is
evident that Shepard can find no justification
for his acceptance Of the Tammany nomina-
tion In my action in 1856. but he and his
friends all feel that some justification is neces-
sary. Every speech made by him and his
friends is effort 10 excuse the course he has
seen Mt TO take. Cochran defends him on the
ground that, II elected, he will destroy Croker
ism root and branch. This view may be very
satisfactory TO Cochran. who is doubtless thirst
ing Tor revenge against Tammany for having
discarded him when he had become too re-
spectacle TO be OF any further use. But where
does THIS explanation leave Shepard? The fol-
lowers Of Tammany already loathe him for his
past denunciations and their disgust cannot be
lessened when they are told by Cochran that
ne is the aVeng1ng angel Of reform. II seems TO
me that Tammany Hall syill be justified in re-
garding this an act of base treachery. Shep-
ard himself, however, does not propose TO de-
stroy Tammany, but TO reform il. He oVerlooks
the fact that as Mayor he will have no control
over Tammany. He will not even be a member
OF the organization. He cannot get within
Jus secret councils except by permission of the
boss. Ii is frequently stated that when / was
Mayor i tried 10 reform Tammany This is a
total mistake. ] made no such attempt for
my past experience had taught me that Tam
many could not he reformed. The remedy is
total destruction. in which Shepard declares he
will take no part.
When Tweed and his followers abandoned
Tammany Hall, in 1871 Samuel J. Tilden de-
termined to reorganize the Tammany machine
and convert IL, just Shepard proposes into
purely Democratic organization. He was aided
by the ablest and the most unselfsh associates
who had ever followed Democratic leader He
was fresh from his great victory over the ring
whose members were in jail or in exile Among
those who marched into Tammany Hall and
took possession OF the vacant premises were
Messrs Belmont, Barlow, Green, Cooper, John
Kelly, and myself. We proceeded to reorganze
the Democratic party without opposition from
any quarter whatever. All the conditions We're
ETH !