Evening star., 1901-10-31
LOWS STOCK RISING
DeVery's Bad Break Makes Opening
for the Fusionists.
THE POLICEMAN MADE an ISSUE
Shepard Forced to Denounce the
Deputy Commissioned
EFF ECT ON TAMM AN Y
;pecia1 Correspondepce Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, October 80, 1901.
Forty-eight hours ago the shrewdest
political observers in this city regarded
the fight between Seth Low, the fusion
ist candidate and Edward NJ. Shepard,
the democratic nominee, pretty
nearly an even thing. If anything
the chances were with Low, but there ap
peared to be an excellent chance for the
democrats by pursuing a policy of fraud,
intimidation and misrepresentation, aided
by the vast sums of money which it is
known that Croker has collected to at least
save the city even though some of the local
democratic ticket went down to defeat.
But within the past twenty-four hours the
unexpected has happened. Tammany Hall
has made blunder and a serious blunder
at that. 1t is an unusual thing for Tam
many to make bad break when cam
paign is on-no matter how many mistakes
the leaders may indulge in earlier in the
season before the people have an opportu-
nifty for forgetting.
This time it is Deputy Police Commits
sioner Devery who has made the mistake
of his life. Devery last year made break
not a dangerous one but still one which
undoubtedly cost the democratic party
many votes In connection with the cleo
tion he advised the voters real or pretend
ed to insist upon their votes being counted
no matter what the election officials
might or might not say. Devery claimed
at the time that he was only urging the
voters to insist upon being allowed to
swear in their votes but the truth was at
that time that the half-iguorant police and
election officials in many of the lower east
side districts argued from his statements
that a reign of terror was to be allowed
and that campaign of brute force was
y1-hn rlla
ned to vote the republican ticket.
Gov. Roosevelt Took Hand.
There was man in the governors chair
named Roosevelt at the time and he at
once notified Mayor Van Wyck that he
would be held responsible and if Deverys
order was not Cancelled that the governor
would remove the mayor of New York
There were hurried midnight councils at
Tammany Hall and at the Democratic
Club. The mayor weakened and Devery
was compelled to modify his order But
the incident was not without significance
and results, for the district attorney gave
an opinion that Devery had not even done
anything wrong. Gardiner went even fur
ther than Devery and Van Wyck in the
matter of defiance of Governor Roosevelt
and as result, when the City Club and
others brought charges against Gardiner it
was largely upon the technicalities flow
S
statements that Governor Roosevelt re-
moved the district attorney.
And now the man that Mayor Van Wyck
pronounced the best chief of police New
York ever had has eclipsed his perform
ance of last year. Only where il cost the
democrats district attorney a wear ego il
bids fair TO cost them mayor now One
of the political organizations of the city
went to considerable pains to secure the
facts concerning Devery's record as police
officer.
peyery's Record is Black.
1t is a black recor6-fun of wrongdoings
from the days when he allowed his subor-
dinates to extort blackmail on the east
side to the days when he appeared as the
friend of policy men, gamblers and owners
of dives in the Tenderloin A reporter car
ried the statement to the deputy commits
sloner At first Devery appeared to be
pleased with the statements But as he
looked deeper and deeper into the DamphIet
and discovered that the facts were from
the record-that the indictment was a pow
er1ul one-enough to ruin a man in any city
except New York, he lost his temper He
abused the reformers-abused most Of an
Judge Jerome who is making a whirlwind
campaign as the fusionist nominee for dis
.rlct attorney: said that Jerome ought to
De on wards lsland-and much more along
the same lines. During the day he AGAIN
and again stated to reporters that the s.in-
terview was all right so that he did not
ChtA nave lue cndnce or TeSOrting the
uipiomauc trlck OF denying his own words
So great was the stir caused in noIiticaI
circles that Edward NJ. Shepard-the indie
pendent democrat who is anxious to be
mayor OF Greater New York-was COM
PEELED TO take notice of Devery The as
slstant police commissioner has heen so
nuch or an issue in the campaign that
everywhere Shepard has appeared he has
Deen asked what he proposed to do with
the assistant chief provided he reached
the mayors chair Shepard who is a good
lawyer and rather clever politician. took
refuge behind the constitutional provision
Wnlcn prohibits candidates from promising
OHceS or emoiuments to their followers
He claimed that If he promised to remove
Devery he would violate the spirit of the
constitution If not the letter
Shepard Goaded to Speak Out.
But goaded from Indifference to action at
a meeting on the Bowery he finally an
nounced indirectly, If not directly, that If
elected mayor. Devery must go" Inas-
much as Low had made this promise weeks
before it was seen that Shepard in order
TO indulge in an eleventh hour repentance
was finally compelled to occupy the same
position Low.
Devery has boasted that even if Low Is
elected he cannot be removed, and now.
Shepard has practically agreed to remove
hlm- Under ordinary circumstances Dew
cry would no longer be an issue. But ex-
traordinary circumstances exist In New
York city today. Devery Is still an issue
and big issue despite Shepard's latest
lodging
Shepard's latest movement is proof that
ne does not understand Tammany Hall pol
ltics- But this is no disgrace, for there are
few persons in New York outside the inner
circle who do understand democratic poii-
tics on Manhattan Island. The strength of
Devery's position lies in the fact that he is
a sort OF a go between" of Richard Croker
and the lower orders of Tammany Hall
And when 1t Is remembered that the entire
program In this campaign has been to get
higher up to find John Doe" to dis
cover where Croker "got it," it would seem
as though the break between Shepard and
Croker which all the independent demo-
Gratis have predicted would come sooner or
later has come during the closing hours of
the campaign.
VIII Cost Shepard Many Votes.
II Tammany Hall and Croker had re-
mained loyal to Shepard he might have had
chance. But with Croker and Devery
ready to knife the democratic nominee at
the polls the race is a hopeless one for
Shepard The Devery incident will un-
doubtedly cost Shepard the votes of thou
sands OF the independent candidate voters.
who are disgusted with the latest turn of
ana1rs in Tammany circles-who are con-
Sinced that nothing good ca N come from, rha