The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1901-12-05
HIS REIGN IS DER
Croker Abdicates as Tammany Boss and
Talks About Leadership, Harmony
and Other Matters of Interest to
Democrats.
Democrats,

NEW YORK, Dec. AFTER an
interview with Senator Tim
Sullivan at the democratic club
yesterday, Richard Croker ad-
mitted that his leadership of
Tammany Hall was at an end.
Il am old and worn out" said
Mr.. Croker. 81 will do little
leading after this. 1 am tired of
being the wheel horse for every
body in the organization.
& can't stand it any longer
The work have to do in that
position is enormous. Nobody
knows what [ have had to stand
since the beginning of the cam
paign. Since the election it has
been even worse.
1.-The leader of Tammany Hall
should be here all the year round
to be in touch with the situation
personally. My health will not
permit me to do that any longer.
| have to go to England. | will
probably not leave here before
February. l cannot say now
when | will return.
"a Younger and more active
man should be at the head of
Tammany Hall. He should be a
nan who can remain here and
stand the brunt of the battle
throughout the year. | can say
nothing as to who is the proper
man, but he will be found when
the time comes"
Although Mr.. Croker declared
he was tired of the leadership of
Tammany Hall. when asked the
pertinent question tonight if he
would also resign as chairman of
the finance committee he said he
would not.
Croker denied again that he
aspired to be a national leader.
He did not think Mr.. Shepard
was out of politics. Mr.. Croker
further said:
"It is useless to inquire into
the causes of our defeat last
month. One cause was sufficient
the opposition of all the news
papers in New York to Tam
many Hall.
"As things were, the republi-
cans could have put up ticket
of their own and won out. Their
democratic support amounted to
little. The Greater New York
democracy could have been dis
pensed with easily. 1t was SIM
ply impossible to win with the
whole press of New York against
us. The charges against US reach
ed all the people; our defense
was heard by only a few. That
is the whole story"
Reverting to the state leader
ship question, Croker said: sit
is silly to make a fight on the
leadership. l cont care who
poses as state leader. [ don't
want the job. and don't see why
anybody should banker after it.
At This time all democrats should
be engaged in uniting against the
common enemy and not in pro
noting selfish ambitions.
ut is nonsense, too, to begin
at this time to talk about demo
cratic candidates for governor
next year Let the party get to-
gether first"
Concerning Tammany's future,
Croker said: Some mugwumps
are talking about Tammany 60
ing to pieces Nonsense. Tam
many will be stronger than ever
two years from now. A defeat
once in a while is a good thing
for any organization. After the
fusionists have been in Office q
couple of years, the people will
see that Tammany administers
ton was not such a bad thing
after all. 1t will be the same
story in 1903. Tammany is close
to the common people of New
York.
Croker then proclaimed his
"Americanism" 81 have been
annoyed for years, he SAID,
s'by the newspaper talk about
my icing an Englishman at
heart. 1t is, all rot. I am a
New. Yorker. and an American