New-York tribune., 1901-10-18
SHEPARD LAUDS TAMMANY
BUT HE WANTS A CHANCE TO Do
SOME DOCTORING WHEN
HE is MAYOR


for Mayor. showed four thousand Tammany
officehOlders last night at the Fourteenth-st-
Wigwam the infinite possibilities of himself as
a change artist-not the ordinary cheap change
artist of the lower class vaudeville-but mag
nifcent. curving. snuous weird elusive sprite,
with chamelionIike colors, uttering deftly chis-
eIled sentences. With one hand he smoothed
and caressed the battle SCARED stripes OF the
tiger. and with the other applied the knout.
There caJolery and cuffs in successive
breaths-honey and gall in successive draughts.
But there was far more Of cajOlery than cuffs,
and far more of honey than gall.
How easy" said Mr.. Shepard disdainfulIy
and Ironically lit is (for the reformers) to de-
stroy Tammany Hall, An illusion. dream. a
! futilityl" And then dropping his manuscript.
he exclaimed dramatically as the cheers began
to rise. Never, Never,"
AT this Richard Croker, Ike" Fromme. Sheriff
Grell. Commissioner Lantry, Assistant Corpora
tion Counsel Ladd. Amos J. Cummings and
other Tammany smiled and nodded and
capped their hands apprOvingiy. And how the
crowd cheered when Mr.. Shepard. climax
to something they did not understand. declared
in words that carried a direct meaning to hun
CRY souls:
II were vested with the powers Of Mayor 70 be
used on my solemn oath of office. 1 should think it
a treason 10 good government to use those powers
integrate or destroy any political organization
You're peach,' yelled man in the rear Of
the hall and this was followed up by another
man who wanted to know what was the matter
! with Shepard, and who got the usual ready
response.
Il now say to you" said Mr.. Shepard. toward
/ the close OF his speech. that the only request
| or hint of a request made to me by leaders OF
Tammany Hall or otherwise has been the re-
/ quest that. II elected. as they believe beyond a
/ doubt that I will be. will deal vigorously and
! vigorously with each and every wrongdoing
| shall be able to find in public administration.
without reference to the department or place in
which it may be found and without respect to
/ persons. high or low"
| This was taken along with the rest good
| thing &c applaud. but some of the district lead
ers looked around nervously to see how their
neighbors liked it.
NOT so PLEASANT FOR THE LEADERS.
| The same district leaders did not seem to like
it at all when Mr.. Shepard said. at another time;
"If 7 be Mayor you may depend on my sincere
and answering determination to make my ad-
| minstration harmonic with my declarations IN
] the past"
Boiled down. Mr.. Shepard's speech. while brill
/ liant from an intellectual point Of view, was a
| paipable bid for an opportunity to doctor away
| the moral leprosy iE Tammany Hail. with the
promise that the drastic treatment which might
| be necessary should be made as painless as
| possible
Richard Croker sat on the front OF the plat
I form throughout the long address of Mr. Shep-
ard. and listened to ii With little show of real
interest or emotion. He seemed TO be preoccu-
pied Once or twice as the applause rose TO
unusual proportions he smiled. but after the
speech he did not press forward like the others
to tell MIR Shepard that it was the finest speech
ever heard in Tammany Hall he said some
thing TO Mr.. Shepard in undertone. and
I passed out with his friends while the Brooklyn
lawyer and ex-reformer soon excused himself
and went home with his secretary. Mr. Cooley.
The wigwam gay with the national colors-
There were long red and white streamers run
ming from the gallery rail to central point high
over the platform. Every who would take
one had a small flag The flags were handed out
by the thousand by boys in the vestibules.
As soon as the doors were opened there was a.
rush from the red lighted street. Amid the
bursting of bombs five thousand oficeholders
made plunge for the three thousand seats.
eager to secure place where they could listen
to soothing words from the man who took de-
light in blistering them last year.
Sheriff Gren called the meeting to order and I
introduced Congressman George B. Mcclellan !
as chairman
Three cheers for Little Macs son! MacI !
Mac! Macr' said a middle aged man. excitedly- /
There was no response. No one seemed to know
who Little Macs son was. 1t TO Tam I
many officialdom not the Peninsular campaign /
Mr.. Mcclellan once interrupted by q /
Tammany man of the old school, who rose /
unsteadiIy and in strident voice said:
MIR. Chairman. I'd like to know phat the
diviTs bekim av honored district leader,
Matthew DoOley?'
A policeman telescoped the man into his seat !
YELLS FOR THE BOSS.
Mr. Croker walked TO the speakers plat
form from the as Assistant Corporation
Counsel Ladd was speaking. The audience broke
into wild cheering. and then two men in rapid
succession yelled from the back OF the hall:
Are YOU back boss?' and What's the mat
ter with our old boss?
Henry W. Unger. candidate for District At
torney quoted Senator Platt and the Republican
State Committee in their opposition 10 nom
partisan municipal control in the campaign four
years ago. He charged the anti-Tammany man.
ayers with resorting to forgery in order to
defeat Tammany.
George NJ Van Hoesen. Tammany candidate
for President OF the Board Of Aldermen. said
that the present was a campaign OF vituperation-
He groaned a he told of Mr. Low advising Mr..
Shepard to take the Keeey cure. Just then
Mr.. Shepard. looking very sober. came upon the
platform as a walking refutation of the terrible