Evening star., 1903-10-26
IN A UAO M1X-UP
New Yer. Politics Full of
taradCXes.
THE RESULT IN DOUBT
POLLS OF TWO OF THE LEADING
NAWSPAPERS
Party Lines Seem to Have Been Almost
Wholly Swept
Away.
Special From STAFF Correspondent.

| Away.
Special From n STAFF Correspondent.
! NEW YORK. October 26.-This is a cam
| pAgn of paradoxes. For example: Two men
| are speaking from the same platform in
behalf of the Tammany ticket. Bourke
| Cochran says that the existing city admin
istration is the worst since the days OF
| Tweed"
! Following him comes Mr.. Grout. Tam
many candidate for controller. who speak
| ing from experience allows that the ad-
| ministration has been good could
| be expected from mere human nature. And
| there YOU are.
The other side. however is not without
| its paradoxical situations. Witness Mr..
| Jerome. the district attorney under the
| fusion administI alton. who. when il WAS
| proposed to rcnominate Mayor Low again
| fairly frothed at the mouth in opposition
and abused him outraScously. Now he is
| making a whrlwind canvas for the Low
| ticket; so there you are again.
| All of which goes To show the complete
| dSlntegratinn of mere party lines i'm the
! fight for control of Greater New York 1t
! Is evident that party lines are going to
! smash to a greater extent this year than
| two years aga. The fact is also demon
| strated in the polls" of the city being
| indeed.
| about the only fact which these polls do
! show. The Herald and the Brooklyn Eagle
! conducted lDint canvas. using the same
| ng ures and arriving at opposite conclusions.
| The Herald gives Low a plurality of 81 900
| while the Eagle gives Mcclellan a plurality
| of 35.c9o.
Shifting of Party Lines.
| The poll of the World reveals the shifting
of party lines, showing that in one-ninth of
the whole voting strength Of the city about
| 2.SD former democrats Will vote for Low
and about 1900 former republicans will vote
| for Mcclellan. It is this changing of party
affiliations that is worrying the campaign
| managers and making the betting men shy
1t shows that the people are thinking and
| are deeply moved by the issues of the cam
p&Isn as ,hey are presented to them.
| Ihe democrats are confronted by a para
doX when they attempt To decry the exist
| ing administration. If they charge that the
| city government has failed to make good
It's promises they must meet the fact that
part OF that government has been exercis d
py dcmocrHtS. Jerome. the district attorney
| is a democrat: Ledarle, of the health boird
who undoubtedly has bettered sanitary con-
diuons is a democrat; Woodbury. of the
| street cleaning department. who has ac-
| compliShed wonders in his bailiwick Is a
democrat; The controller, the president of
the borough and the president of the board
! OF aldermen are democrats. 1t were a foul
| ing of their own nest with which the demo
crat orators would be charged
| The platform OF the fusionists on the
| other hand, is plain They say We stand
| FOR a fusion government pledged to the best
| interests of tie people of both parties as
! against government by a partisan organ
| izatlon whose record is alleged to be one of
! personal aggrandiZement and profit AT the
| cltys expense. However correct the claim
| it must be admitted it has logic and cogency
| and certainly is appealing to the conserva-
| tive clement of both parties.
The Excise Question.
One question which is bound to exercise
| great influence in the election is the ad-
! minstration of TIE. excise law Tammany
| is covertly appealing to those who are
| against stringent administration of the
| liquor traffic regulations for support hold
| ing out by inference the promise. which
every one knows would be fulfilled, of free
and easy times. Candidate Mcclellan read
! ing from his typewriter speech, says: Il
propose to regard New York as il is. [
| shall take it with an its virtues and with
| all its vices. | shall not Shun the truth OF
! the light around me- nor shall avoid con-
| tact with these situations which may even
! be repugnant and distasteful to me.
| shall strive to make the city purer in its
| morals.
| Mayor Low an evening or two ago con-
| frOnted the excise question SQuar"iy and
| fully. He speaking in Williamsburg
| to an audience of Germans in commu-
nifty of Germans whose vote is desired by
the fuSonists, and which is feared to be
| uncertain because of alleged dissatisfac-
tion with the Sunday-closing regulations.
Mayor Low began by saying that the only
thing for an honest gentleman to do is to
| administer the law it is found upon the
statute books. That statement was receiv-
ed with silence by the audience, an omi-
nous silence. In the next breath he went
on to say that he would favor a special ex-
else law for Greater New York. TO be
framed by the majority vote of the citi-
Zens.
Under existing law a wide-npen town on
Sunday and after closing hours practically
depends upon the laNity or severity OF the
| administration of the law by the city Off
cials Tammany is aNowedly for laxity,
| the opposition for strinSency- But the fu-
sionists are pointing oat to those who COM
nlain of the law that they will pay dearly
in other directions for Tammanys com
plaisance in this one respect Ta'nmanys
rule will mean, according to their ideas. a
great deal more than the recognition OF
personal liberty. The people are being
asked whether Tammany's sop to personal
liberty will be worth the cXactions which
will be demanded in other ways.
Devery Will Draw From Tammany.
Big BIZ Devery is TO the fore again.
He is very much of thorn in the side OF
Tammaly He is running on an independ-
ent ticket of his own for mayor. and nine
tentbs of the votes he will command, it is
| estimated will be drawn from Tammany.
| Big BIZ is out for revenge and other
Considerations the side best appreciated
by himself. II knows me own game ana
am playin' f." he says. To use his own
| expressive vernlcular, Tammany has
| kicked him in the Stats until he is dead
| tired of it,
The Tammany men say that Devery has
| a financial stake, and charge that he Is
| being paid by the fus.onists TO distract
democratic votes. Mr.. Grout makes the
| charge openly and names figures. Leader
Murphy makes drive at Devery and says
he was the collector for the red-hsht sys-
| tenn in the olden time. Devery comes PACK,
| calls Grout li'r ny name and threatens
TO peach on .8urp'y. He says that
| Murphy runs cAop sEeE joints, pooirooms
| and notorious dives =i winds up with the
statement that III tHai guy Murphy breaks
| a window in my house can come over and
kick in every = q" of glass in his house..
w. j. Bryan in Town.
Mr. William Jennings Bryan is in town,
y 1ra.nncr.ffc laa IIa