Evening star., 1902-03-08
good deal OF justice, to Wit "It's time for
the reform administration TO smoke up"
Trouble Ahead for Office Holders.


The inefiicacy of turning your political
coat even when the need therefor seems TO
be the greatest is seemingly about to be
Illustrated over here. There are several
thousand city employees OF Greater New
York ofperfectly well-known Tammany con-
nectons-many OF them indeed, so-caIled
strong organization men'-who are pro-
tected by the civil service law of the state
of New York. When Tammany was turned
out of power these men looked forward TO
the incoming of the new crowd with con-
siderable complaisance. although they
should have known that there are more
loopholes in the protective clause OF the
New \ ork state civil service law than there
are in the sides OF an ld-fashioned
fortress. Nevertheless, they were pretty
wise, as most city employees the United
states over are. and they conferred with
their Tammany district leaders as TO
whether there was any chance of their Inn
proving their holds on their jobs by de-
tachins themselves from the Tammany out
nt In every case the Tammany district
leaders told the office holders that that was
Just exactly the thing they should do, and
at the very earliest possible moment. Con-
sequen'Ly, these chaps ostentatiousiy re-
signed from their Tamnlany affiliations in
droves, and similarly in droyes they went
over over 10 the camp of the Greater New York
ueihocTacy the orGanizati ton headed by
John 7. Sheehan. which beyond a doubt
was of almost inestimable advantage To the
lusionlsts In the last campaign. The de-
been soiemnly enrolling themselves as
Greater New York democrats under the
Sheehan standard for the past couple OF
months or longer. and they have been pr,-
Iately poklng each other in the ribs over
their supposititious craftiness
however their little plan is not to work
out. Ihe original Greater New York dem
ocrats have unequivocally announced their
disinclination, to use no stronger word TO
ne herded alongside the turncoats and the
leader OF the greater democracy has been
compelled to give ear to the protests OF his
original clan. The administration I'm turn
mas been compelled to give ear to Mr. Shea-
han for his undoubted services during the
last campaign, and now Ii is pretty gem
erally known around that some exceedingly
large punctures are to be made In the civil
service law of the state, and that the great
BODY OF these men who sought to entrench
themselves by the mere process of tempo
rarily switching their allegiance are to be
let out of their berths in swarms at no very
distant date. In the meantim ime the chaps
VINO deferred the switching to the greater
democracy until this tip got out are patting
themselves on the back for the imagina
moral prestige they think they have gained
thin.
The meanest thief in New York. n NOT
on the race or the inhabita BILE globe has
been making the rounds Of the swell apart-
ment houses here for the past three or four
weeks. and he Is still unapprehended His
method Is extremely simple and effective
He picks out name on apartment house
vest1bule list of a family in which he
knows that there are a number OF Young
and stylish women. He ascertains the day
on which the laundryman customarily calls
Tor the lingerie of the female members Of
the family and on this day he drives up
TO the apartment house. enters the basement
as regular laundrymen do whistles up the
tube OF the family he has In mind and
when the servant ducks to the tube or the
dumb-waiter shaft, the peculiarly mean
thlef simply calls out the one word ''laun-
dry. Well, Of course the laundry Is all
tied up, ready and waiting, and 1t is sent
down to him, and he puts 1t on his wagon.
and 1t never comes back to that family any
more. When. a while later, the regular
laundryman comes along, he has troubles
of his own, of course. in explaining that
he hasn't already collected the washing
but that is another story. This thief has
collared by his methods hundreds IL not
thousands. of dollars worth Of choice linen,
and yet, in spite Of the fact that detectives
have been trying to get hold Of him ever
since the first complaint was made. he has
been operating several times a day with
uniform success. Meanwhile the medical
men up Harlem way in the fashionable
apartment house districts are doing q
mighty fine trade in fetching around hys-
tercal women who have suddenly found
that they have lost everything they pos
sessed, practically, in the way of wash
ing" c. l.. c.