New-York tribune., 1901-10-08
NR. SHEPARD'S ACCEPTANCE.


Ing formally accepted his nomination in a
speech which lays heavy burden on his per-
sonal friends and former associates in the work
for honest government who have been trying
to believe in his moral and intellectual honesty.
They may still believe in his good intentions,
but the only refuge from the conclusion that he
is consciously SOphistical. and therefore intel
lectually dishonest. the belief that partisan
prejudice and personal ambition have overcome
his judgment. SO that in the same spirit in
which he talked about President McKinleys
"bloodstaned hands and 'hypocritical pray
ers' he now says things which with calm. clear
sight he would know not true. and juggles
with phrases TO avoid frank statements which
at another time he would be ashamed not TO
make.
Mr.. Shepard is lawyer with an uncommon
talent for casuistry.-nnd long practice at making
the appear the better reason. But
casuistry is not exactly what honest men are
looking for from Mr.. Shepard. They want some
of that old straightforward facing of real def
mite issues such he taught them TO expect
from him in the days when he denounced the
career of Tammany THE MOST BtRNING
"AND DlsGRACEFUL BLOT UPON THE MI
..NICIPAL HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY"
They expect him to face squarey the issue of
ism. They want 10 know. and they have
right 10 know if he would allow Devery to
tain his control over the Police Department.
They want to know and have right to know
in downright fashion. as unmistakable TO the
followers of Devery and Tim" Sullivan in the
Red Light district TO the educated voters.
They are not willing to accept Mr.. Shepards
virtuous phrases about being himself as Mayor
the head of the police force for an adequate as
surance that everything will be all right while
he lets the voters of the Red Light district
think that he is only enough of reformer to
get reform votes. and not enough of a reforner
TO injure their business. That is not honest.
and Mr. Shepard would be the first 10 talk about
"the timid and cowarfly heart of an opponent
who tried thus to he good lord and good devil
Mr. Shepard evidently feels his equivocal po-
sition. and takes refuge in misrepresentinC his
opponent as now the creature of the Republican
machine. He says:
The candidacy IF the Republican candidate,
dictated by the Republican organization and
submitted to by its allies. represents, first, the
proposition that the Mayor of the city must be
Republican: that under no circumstances for
the present at least. no matter what the assur-
ance of honest and efficient administration by
Democrat. shall a man not in sympathy with
the Republican State and national administra-
tions be allowed to administer the affairs OF the
city.
Now. Mr.. Shepard knows that is not true
provided that prejudice ambition has not
blinded him TO the distinction between the true
and false. He knows Mr.. Low is not the Re
publican candidate. He knows he was not die
tated by the Republican organization and sub
mitted TO by it's allies. but selected by
Democrats and submitted TO by the Republican
organization which had been thoroughly com
mitted TO a Democratic candidate and would
have accepted Democratic candidate if the
Democrats had been able to agree on one. He
knows also that Mr.. Low stands Oh exactly
the same platform of independence and home
rule that he stood on in 1897 when Mr.. Shepard
so highly commended him. The only difference
is that one hundred thousand more voters
promise to support him and his principles. and
in that support Mr.. Shepard finds pretext for
going over to Tammany. 1.-THE most burning and
"disgraceful blot upon the municipal history of
1.-THE country and helping TO vindcate a rule
more revolving and nsolent than any it gave in
former years.
Calling himself Il Democrat in cheap imitation
of David Il. HILL pretending not to realize the
enormity of present municipal corruption. and
dragging the herring OF Albany interference
over the trail Of Tammany crime will not de-
ceive anybody. Mr.. Shepard is running on
platform indorsiDg Van Wycll and his Croker
Deyery- -ScanneIl ridden administration. II is
no use for him to talk about something else
when faced with questions about his attitude
toward those men and his acceptance of that
platform. The Issue is, Shall New ork punish
the organization ruled by them in accordance
with Mr.. Shepard's own advice as to the neces-
sity of teaching party in power that IF ii go
wrong it will be nexoraby punished by dis
'missal' or shall it forget about all those crimes
,r;,- To, ha
cause its candidate has reputation good
man and himself says he will he good, only
please do not ask him TO say in any embarrass-
ing detail how he would treat the particular
notorious scoundreIs who have nominated him
and whose aid is needed to elect him:
THE FRENCH CLERICAL EXODUS
One of the most interesting incidents Of the