Evening star., 1901-10-28
FIGHT GROWS FIERCE
New York in the Throes of a Politi-
cal Struggle.
FUSI0NISFS AGAINST ThMMANY
Both Sides Resort to Very Ardent
Language.
LINE UP OF THE FORCES

| in the recollection of old politicians opens
| with a swing. New York adds to its two
| main objects in life-making money and en-
| joying what money can bring-a third in
| terest that for the time is almost as abb
| sorbng as the others.
! Every man and woman in New York
| seems to be talking politics and thinking
| about politics. The ministers preach it
! from the pulpits; womens organizations
| stir up the feminine population, and they
| raised from their pin money $4,000 TO put
| into the fight against vice; in all clubs,
| cafes and hotel corridors politics is the
dominant theme; newspapers devote to it
all the columns they can spare from the
| fail advertising.
! The people who think and the people who
read are thus moved to active participation
| in the greatest crusade against vice, dis
| honesty and msrule that New York has
| ever experienced.
The masses are drawn into the rushing
political current by methods suitable. The
| town is plastered with posters invelghing
| against one party. praisins the other, while
| hundreds of great Illuminated banners
| swing across the streets, cartoons and We
| neer adorn dead walls and fill the adver-
| tsing space in the street cars. Tammany
| gets out a paraphrase of the Illustrated ad-
| vertisement of ''Spotless town., and on the
! theme of "Spotter town" represents the re-
| formers snooping around after trouble and
| derdes them in rhyme. The fusionists come
back with a series entitled Spotted town."
| in which the alleged abuses in municipal
| affairs are depicted in a way that he who
| runs may read
Tammany Quotes Carnegie.
| Tammany swings banners quoting Andrew
Carnegie as praising the New York city
| government The fusionists display one
telling that Carnegie gave New York insti-
tutions s., 500 OO0 and tiled it up so Tam
many could not handle cent" adding that
Carnegie knew his business
! Flashing electric light signs bring out in
| candescent legends against the night sky line
| and spell such questions as Tammany
! Shall We give Tom Platt this town.? On
| every prominent corner in the Tenderloin
| the Tammany cart-tail spellbinders hold
| forth from the store box and cab upon the
! beauties Of "liberal city government and
| depicting the horrors of 'puritanism' as
| threatened by the reformers. Tammany
| says New York is prosperous under its man
agement and claims prosperity as battle
| cry. The republicans retort that Tammany
is the creature of the trusts. Thus two
! favorite campaign slogans are put to un-
| usual usages. Every public hall in New
! York's East Side is engaged for campaign
| speakers this week and more prominent
| public gathering places down town will be
| the scenes of great meetings which famous
| men will address.
| The campaign has entered upon the vicious
| stage. The republican and fuSionist speak
| ers use denunciation and are loud in their
charges of fraud and dishonesty. The Tam
manyites get back with brickbats and stones
| in the East Side and Tenderloin meetings
and literally silence the speakers in a long
popular and primitive way. 1t seemed a
| few days ago that there was nothing more
| to be said in the campaign, but each day
| opens up new possibilities Of elimination
| and recrimination.
| 1t is assumed, of course, that the readers
of The Star know what the trouble Is all
about. Broadly stated, this is a campaign
| Of republicans and anti-Tammany demo-
| Gratis to wrest the control of the city Of New
| York from Tammany upon the ground that
| the democratic officials have been guilty of
| mismanagement and Of every municipal
| crime in the category.
| Officers to BE Elected.
The mayor and number of city officials
are to be elected. The fight, after the may
orally, centers about the office of district
attorney. Associated with the mayoraIty
contest is the struggle for the control of
the police department, in order to reach the
vice I'm the red light district.
fusion ticket composed of democrats
and republicans has been nominated. The
two most prominent men on it are Seth
| Low, candidate for mayor, a republican
and William T. Jerome, democrat candi-
date for district attorney. The Tammany
candidate for mayor is Edward NJ Shepard
| The fusion ticket has been indorsed by
number of political factions. The ticket
VIII appear on the official ballot three times
lin the regular republican column in a
democratic column and in the Citizens
| Union column. Thus the voter who is
Stickler for regularity can support the re-
form ticket by voting the regular republi-
| can ticket or the Greater New York democ-
| racy. If he is soured on both parties he
can vote the Citizens Union ticket, which
Is an organization designed to take in all
the Independent political elements The
| fusion movement has also been indorsed by
the German and Reform Association, by
the O'Brien democrats and by democratic
faction in Brooklyn.
| Each faction of the reform party has its
own campaign committee; is going ahead
on it's own lines, appealing more partic-
ularly to it's special followers There is a
central advisory committee, however, COM
posed of one representative from every fac
ton, that meets daily to map out the gen.
eral campaign.
Opposed by Tammany.
Opposed to this conglomeration Of sep
| arate and formerly hostile elements is that
wonderful, powerful Tammany, a compact,
homogeneous political force, whose power
| and influence permeate every walk of life
in New York city There is a master po-
liticai mind directing it-Richard Croker
| aided by the most Skillful, most eXpe-
rienced politicians on Manhattan Island.
On the one side Is an organization which
extends to the most minute political detail;
on the other a generalization of effort of
great popular magnitude, but not possess
| term. Complete control of the political
machinery is vested in Tammany.
The first question which the outsider asks
when discussing the campaign is, (Which
side has the money! There is no difficulty
in answering. Tammany has money and
can get more when needed. The fusionists
have little money. but not what they need
nor what they ought to have, taking into
consideration the magnitude Of the move
ment they represent
There Is great popular indignation
against the existing municipal system. Men
swell with rage and resentment in discuss
ing the abuses but, the leaders say, sud-
| denly cool when asked for money. The
Union League gave a paltry 5000, an or
ganization good for 100000 when national,
financial or economic interests are men,
| aced.
Tammany gets it's money from Its old
time, we1l-knowu dfrections-from assess
meft OF the efhceholders and, according to
the popular Impression. from more repre-
hensible sources-that is, so 1t is alleged,
the taxation of the red-light district.