Evening star., 1901-10-24
CROKER THE ISSUE
Fusionists in New York Will Make
War on Him.
SHEPARD'S CHANCES DWINDLING
The Low Forces Confidently Ex-
pect to Garry Brooklyn.
FIGHT FOR COUNTY OFFICES
pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, October 23, 1901.
Beginning with today the srepublican-re-
form party, headed by Seth Low, will de-
vote it's entire energy to the vital issue
Crokerism. Shepard will hereafter be a
side issue, except where it is necessary to
reply to any direct charges he may make
This course has been decided upon by the
advisory committee at the request of the
republican leaders, who feel that further
notice of Shepard's claim that the cam
paign is partisan one will place the fu-
sionists in the position of being on the de-
fensive.
While the republicans are not disappoint-
ed at the progress of the campaign they
feel 1t has not been as aggress'va as it
might have been. Lows attitude toward
Shepard, while commenda BILE in a Way they
say, has led him to forget the abuses which
the fusionists have charged to Tammal lys
account. They have expressed the opinion
that Croker has made Shepard cake has
place as the issue of the campa ign, and has
thus detracted from the virility which Low
in his speech of acceptance had promised
More attention to Croker's absence in Eng
land, to maladminist of CITY affairs
and particularly the police scandals, they
believe, Will be far more productive of good
results than academic discussions OF Shep-
ards past performances and extra cts from
his speeches of 1897 and 1901. 1t mas been
pointed out by the republicans that Judge
Jerome's successes on the s;uMo have
proved their contention, and that nothinS
but series Of forceful attacks IN Tam
many can infuse enthusiasm into the battle
which will end November 5.
The Campaign of Tammany.
AS to the Tammany end Of the campaign,
their spellbinders. in addition to being fur
nished with a pamphlet with Croker's IDEAS
of conducting the campaign, have had it
battered into them that they must av Did
the word Tammany'' in their bursts of
eloquence as they would soft drinks They
are to insist that the issue is democracy
versus republicanism alone" and must
never SO far forget themselves as to let a
word escape them indicating that n1ost Of
Lows companions on the fusion ticket are
democrats. They have been told carefully
to omit all mention of police affairs and to
avoid street cleaning TOPICS Indeed. the
bulk of the instructions have been 10 pre-
vent the spellbinders from doing thos.,
things which they ought not to do Cries
of "Devery' must not deter the Tanlniany
orator from the steady current of his dis
course. discretion must still be Suborii-
mated to yalor in Tammany spelbuit,iag
during the present campaign Indeed so
many subjects are tabooed that it is diff
cult to conceive how the speaking brave viii
manage to string out those subjects on
which he Is permitted freely to speak into
a discourse of decent length
careful inspection of Brooklyn borough
indicates that there is considerable anxiety
on the part of tbs WilIoughby street crowd
In fact 1t may be said that one of the
inner circle has substantially admitted that
Low would carry the borough. II this is
so, Seth Low Will be the next mayor of
Greater New York. The republican-reform
people have from the outset claimed Brook
lyn, and in support of this claim have re-
ferred to the result of the municipal CAM
paign of four years ago when the COM
bined vote of Low and Tracy was f5.aG4
more than Van Wyck received The Low
people say that no one familiar with the
situation in this campaign will deny that
their candidate win get all the votes he 90:
then. and more.
Democrats Have Lost Ground.
It Is fact that many democrats who