Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-12
WILL Be CLOSE RACE
The Political Contest in
Greater New York.
TAMMANY'S VANTAGE
ITS SPLENDID ORGANIZATION
MAY WIN VICTORY.
The Grout-Fornes Incident Appears to
Be an Undetermined Factor in
the Situation.

special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, October H. 1903.
The campaign is now on. Both sides have
their candidates and their headquarters.
Each candidate has made his bow to the
public. Mayor Low talked in Brooklyn to
large audience and told his hearers that
if Mcclellan was elected there would be
more harm done to the city by Tammany
than under the Van Wyck admin ,stra ton.
Mcclellan has told his people that if elected
he will be the whole thing; that there is no
dog collar attached to his acceptance of the
mayoralty nomination.
Mcclellan makes very good cand date
from the viewpoint of campaigning. He
will speak in four different languages and
will be a marked contrast to his Tammany
predecessor, Van Wyck, who had Croker
paddock upon his lips. Van Wyck did not
open his mouth once during the entire cam
paign.
Opinion is divided as to the harm or bene
mt to the two tickets that has been done by
the Grout and Fornes incident Some fu-
sionists say that If they had been allowed
to remain on the ticket that they could not
nave taken part in the campaign on the
stump, and they would have been harmless
to their ticket. But Senator Plat, who was
seen by your correspondent at his office on
Saturday, said:
They are both traitors and should have
beeH ldhell OIL just DIS QUICK DIS II was pos
sible.'
Tammany Not Enthusiastic Over Them
Certain it is that there are many men in
Tammany who have no love for either of
these gentlemen, and the fact that they
pulled off two of the latest berths in the
gift of the Hall does not add to Their affec-
ton. One of the Tammany leaders, who was
an aspirant for the nomination of borough
tn
respondent
MY district will work Loyalty to elect
George Mcclellan, but as for the candidates
for controller and aldermanic president l
don't care a rap whether the ticket is
scratched or not. 1t is bad politics to fly
in the face of the men who have waited
so long for the promised chance to get back
into the control of the city. Charlie Muir
ply could have nominated almost any kind
of a straight ticket without going into the
fusion ranks for his candidates, and would
have won hands down. Why, even the fu-
sionistS themselves-that is, those who will
tell the truth-admit this. But Murphy has
for some reason which he has not made
manifest pushed his will to the front and
in doing SO has antagonized Hugh Nc
Laughlin and split up Brooklyn in such a
way that it is morally certain that it will
return a majority for Low.
This election means a whole lot to Muir
ply. 1t means if he wins that he will be
the undisputed leader of the hall, more
powerful than Kelly or Croker in their
palmiest days; but if he is defeated it will
be the defeat of Murphy. The Tammany
leaders have had very little to say about
the situation"
The general opinion is that the Grout and
Fornes incident has given Seth Low a good
lighting chance for reelection. The ex-
IRENE bitterness of feeling that is mani
tested by fusionists and democrats alike is
astonishing. The general verdict is:
This Is not the first time that Grout has
changed coat. Some men are mean enough
to do anything"
Low Will Answer Charges.
Lows campaigning will be of a very high
order. He will exhaust every complaint
that has been made against his admins
tration from the stump. One thing that
has disturbed him considerably has been
the charge that he did not enforce the law
in regard to collections from corporations
TO those who ask why millions of dollars
due from the railroads and other CORPORA
IONS have not been collected since they
are due he will show a list of suits as long
as an evil day and another list of appeals
twice as long by which the corporations are
hghtinS the city. He will tell what weary
steps have been taken daily on the path of
the most intricate litigation a city admins
tratiOn ever saw.
The campaign will begin to warm I'D
during the week. Just now both candidates
are getting their bearings. During the
week, also, the usual speculations rumors
and charges will be launched and then
there will be something doing worth chron-
icing. Just now it may be summed up in
a few words. The chances for the two
candidates are nearer even than in any
campaign seen in this city for years If
there is any advantage it is with Tammany.
because of its splendid organization. but
1t Is not believed that this organiza ton will
bring it victory when the fire of the fusion
campaign is turned full upon the voters of
the city