Evening star., 1902-04-18
GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
Politicians Discuss Recent
Speech of D. B. Hill.
WAR ON BEEF TRUST
MOVEMENT TO PREVENT HERD
ING OF IMM1GRANTs.
Coaching Season Opens Under Flatter-
ing Prospect for Brilliant
Conclusion.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
| NEW YORK, April II, 1902.
Politicians are busy discussing the har-
| mony feast at the Democratic Club and most
| of them figure it out as follows: David B.
| Hill wants to be elected President of the
| United States in 1904. The gathering
ranged by Lewis Nixon was notable quite
| as much for two conspicuous absences as
| for the presence Of number of men who
| have regarded each other for years with
| factional hatred. William Jennings Bryan
| and Grover Cleveland were not with the
| thermometers. Colonel Bryan's name was
| mentioned and greeted with some applause.
| But the honors of the evening were for Mr..
| Hill. Until Monday night Mr.. Hill, since
| seven years ago, had not set foot inside the
| club that was the home of Mr.. Croker. But
| among those who greeted and applauded
| Mr.. Hill when he was within the hitherto
| hostile threshold were men who had fought
| him bitterly in state and national affairs.
| The list of names conjures up memories,
| chickering's, feuds, ranking words and
bloody scalping knives, all of which un-
pleasant matters appeared last night to
| have been consigned to oblivion. Hills
| speech, 1t was agreed, contained the timber
| from which the democratic state and ma
| tlonal platforms may be constructed. More
particularly did it indicate the lines on
| which the democrats will construct the
] state campaign next fall. Hill attacked
| the republican olgarchy at Albany" the
financial administration of the state, the
judiciary and charities bills. In general, he
| made his old Il am a democrat speech.
lauded the principles of Jefferson and said
that the country was ready to return to
| democratic principles. The only member of
| the reform administration who present
| at the celebration was Charles V. Fornes,
| president of the board of aldermen, and
| much comment has been caused on account
of it.
Status of the New York Democracy.
| 1t is morally certain that the New York
| democracy headed by John c. Sheehan will
| be back in the Tammany fold right after
| the September primaries. They will be
beaten and invited back. Still Sheehan con-
| tinues to abuse Lewis Nixon and assures
| the people that the New York democracy
| will continue Independent. Says he: TT
| has been repeatedly announced that the
| Greater New York democracy would con-
| tinue its warfare on Tammany Hall until
the grafterS who controlled and who have
| brought discredit on the name of democracy
| throughout the country driven out. 1t
| is really amusing to observe Mr.. Nixon's
| efforts to have the people take him seriously
| as Croker'S successor, with the mantle of
| Croker on his shoulders all in folds and
| creases for the want of due proportions to
| fill them out. Mr. Nixon parades around
| the political arena, little dreaming of the
| derision he exctes among the experts who
are in real control of Tammany. 1T will be
| recalled that as chairman of Tammany's
vice committee he gave similar exhibitions,
| very much to the annoyance of some of his
| present friends, until Croker sent a growl
| across the water from Vantage when he
| and his committee suddenly collapsed and
| went out of business. The braves just now
| are having consderab BILE fun with the ten
| derfoot, but the scalping day is sure to
| come
| Agitation Against the Beef Trust.
| The agitation against the so-called beef
| trust continues. 1t is claimed that the cost
OF living has increased here 20 per cent in
| a year. Not since the Ice trust squeeze Of
| two years ago, when untold suffering was
| caused, have the citys poor suffered such
| hardships as they are now experiencing as
| a result of the beef trusts action On the
| east side the effect has been especially Sc
we're, many small retail dealers having been
| forced to shut up their places because their
| customers cannot afford to pay the addi-
| tfonal cents a pound eXacted by the trust.
| The poor in great numbers have been forced
| to give up meat entirely for the time being.
| The latest feature of the general advance
| in market prices is what the dealers declare
! is a corner in the butter market. Butter is
| selling as high as 81 cents pound 10 cents
| higher than last years prices. 1t is expected
! to go higher. This is said to be a direct
outcome Of the same cause which brought
| about the advance in beef prices. according
| to the dealers-the high price of grain in
! the west
| A story recently published in the Liver
| pool Post that the beef trust is attempting
| to raise prices in England by curtailing
| shipments of live cattle from this country
| is not taken seriously in export circles in
this city. 1t is pointed out by the agents
! Of the White Star and Atlantic Transport
! lines that cattle shippers are under rigid
| contract to ship every week certain num-
Der Of heads, ships cannot sail without
| their full complement of cattle. The idea
| Of creating a scarcity of beef in England
| by stopping shipments from America is re-
| garded as preposterous by cattlemen
To Prevent Herding of Immigrants.
A movement is on foot to prevent the
! herding of immigrants like cattle. On busy
| days, when from 500 to 1000 immigrants
| land, there are three or four hundred uni
| formed policemen, and maybe two or three
in plain clothes.
| They stand near the gate leading from
| the landing to. the street 1t is their sup
posed duty to prevent fights, keep the road
| way clear enough for traffic. force back the
| sharks" who are seeking the patronage
| Of the newcomers; spot thieves and urge
| forward the immigrants. The latter, never
| having been in New York or Amreica be-
| FORE are naturally bewildered and know
! not where to turn, unless some relative or
| friend meets them at the gate, in which
| case both newcomer and relative are the
subject of police solicitation. After step
ping upon the landing from the immigra-
| tion tug the immigrants file out toward the
| gate, herded together like droves of cattle.
| They are tired from their travel. There are
men, women and children: Italians. orien-
| tails, Scandinavians, Englishmen. Irishmen.
| From the boat to the gate they are urged
| forward by immigration employees, who do
not stand on ceremony, but shout fero-
| ciously and wave their small sticks, some
| times striking men or women who move
| too slowly. Any spectator can watch the
| scene at the gate. When the immigrants
! are few they are not treated so very bad
ly, although the shouts at them are always
| harsh When they numerous, the sticks
| of the officers and bureau employees are
| piled freely. Once past these guardians of
| the peace, the newcomers have to face the
| so-called sharks who consist of truck
| drivers, expressmen. bunco men, tenement
| runners. employers of cheap labor and va
| rious other species of men who make a l:v-
| ing at the expense of the ignorant foreign
| ers who compose the major part of the i'm
/