The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-05-25
Lost-A Leader
Found-A Man
PHlNEAs FLETCHER.

Tho resignation Of LOWS Nixon from
nc office OF Chairman of the Finance
Committee OF Tanmany Hall. Is more
han an incident In the politics of a great
.ity On one hand 1t may be reported
through the locality affected that this
powerful aud msavoured organization
has lost It's leader. while on the other
hand through the length and breadth of
the land tho news hns gone abroad that
tho Democracy has gained a man.
In this age Of puppet statesmen. Gre
ated and controlled by political organi-
cations IL is refreshing to discover that
there is a man who would rather be truo
to his principles and to himself than &C.
cupy a commanding station at the ex-
pensc OF his manhood. Lewis Nixon has
proven himself such a man.
Before the hour of Tammany's downfall
had struck, public opinion had, during
many months, been formed against the
continuance of Tammany In CONTROL of
municipal affairs. The handwriting was
on the wall. All could read 1t, save those
who drunk with the wine of arrogance.
saw nothing ahead of them but the prof
It's OF an Ubiquitous and all embracing
system Of sponption. These.with a te-
Epicacity in judging the temper of voters.
or of their own strength az a band of
vandals, selected as a candidate for Su-
preme Court judge, man who had been
a plant tool as Mayor and the proclaim
er that the author Of the saying, "a man
must not be caught with the goods on
him." was" 1.-THE very best chief of police
New York ever had" This was. as 1t
proved. an open defiance to the decent.
sober sentiment of a great municipality.
Not even the effort to bolster up this
candidate for,the judiciary, by securing SO
eminent and respectable a man as Ed
ward NJ Shepard, could divert thousands
of scandalized democrats from casting
their votes against the entire ticket. The
vote was in fact against those organiza-
ton mechanics who ran the machine
not for the principles of the party but for
what there is In it" Tammany was
Inundated. humbled; but It's organization
survived the shock AT this moment Lew
is Nixon took up the leadership, made va
cant by tie retreat OF Richard Croker
to the sylvan shades OF Vantage.
1t was not an enviable post. The treas
ury as is usual after these periodical de-
partures was on parity with Dame Hub
bards cupboard OF patronage there was
none; of demands there were plenty.
Tammany was sick and discredited; but
like Rabelais sick devil "a monk would
be" the Johns" and the Mikes"
and the "Percys," and the Tins lay
very low, and others sought on high ways
and by-ways for clean men, men not
reeking with the effluvia of ice trusts,
of poolrooms, of gambling houses, of
dives and cadets to help out In the laud-
able work of making Tammany wear the
garb of monk.
Lewis Nixon became leader Young.
brilliant. energetic; of fine presence;
world famed as shipbuilder; locally as
an unflinching democrat, he possessed all
the external qualifications of just such a
man as the circumstances required. At
sacrifice of time for business and time
Tor recreation, he assumed the task not
Tor his own preferment of enrichment
but for the benefit of his party locally,
and nationally. believing new and
healthy body could be raised from moral
ly rotten Tammany. He endeavored to
conduct the organization on business
principles; he endeavored to re-establish
II or the true lines of democracy, The
thirty-five leaders gave the outward and
visible signs Of support. He visited the
sev eral district headquarters and gave the
rank and file an assurance OF his sinceri-
ty. Wherever he went. wherever he
spoke, he left a conviction that he at
least was sincere. was honest Those
who had fled from Tammany believed
he power of the allied plunderers in con-
irol could never oe overthrown. They