New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-16
4 rRLRrTE 10 PISTON.

The timid fusionists who 20 about wondering
If Mayor Low VIII Ice strong candidate. ana
predicting that New-York is tired of reform and
ready TO throw itself once more into the arms
Of Tammany. would do well 10 ponder the words
OF Mr. John l. shea. the trusted lieutenant OF
Boss" Mclaughlin. Mr.. Shea takes il Tor
granted that the Manhattan end of the Tam
many combination will name the candidate for
Mayor but he SAYS that WiIouGhby Street OBJ
jecfs TO Mcclellan because he il too closely
identified with Murphy. and that viii make
him a weak candidate in Brooklyn- He adds;
We have a hard fight ahead Of us. and we
'have a peculiar people TO deal with Our peo-
pile do not want any wide open town, and we
want Tammany TO give us a high class lnoe-
pendent man for Mayor
Residents OF Manhattan may not think highly
complimentary to them the suggestion that the
Brooklynites are "a peculiar people in their
regard for decency and in their demand for
candidates Of a high class. Neither is IL exactly
felcitous for Mr. shea 10 suggest that Mr. Muir
ply the leader OF his party in this city is so III
esteemed that his association with candidate
hurts the candidate with decent people. But we
are not concerned with those matters. 1he
point is that Mr. Shea. a hard headed politician
a regular who has. for himself. no more use Tor
independents than have Croker and Murphy.
sees hard fight ahead and realizes that II is
the independent reform spirit which is FREEDOM
inant I'm the community He sees that the only
chance for his party is IN so far pretending TO
the virtues which the people have seen in the
Low administration 10 gain large body OF
voters who on the simple issue Of reform gov
eminent against Tammany government would
certainly be counted against Tammany.
Imitation is TIE sincerest fattery. Two years
ind
former Mr.. Shepard. in the endeavor 10 per
suade the people that it was for good govern
ment. There was an obvious reason for that
quite aside from its estimate Of the strength of
non-partisan municipal principles The Van
wyck administration had been so bad that
contrast was needed. But now the situation is
different. Two years of reform have dulled the
remembrance Of Van Wycl and the present ad-
ministration has itself made enemies. Now. the
natural thing is for Tammany-if reform has
been even half as much of a failure as il says
10 nominate q straightout Tammany man. In
stead according 10 Mr. shea, il ought 10 imi-
tate the fusionists put up an independent. one
who is not identified with Murphy. Of whom
Mr. Shea seems n: he rather ashamed. Such
course would not be necessary If Mr. Low were
n weak candidate or if the people really were
sick Of reform Mr.. Shea is concerned because
his peculiar people are not sick Of reform
They do not want wide open town. they do
not want the things which Tammany typihes.
They want the things which Mayor Low typi-
fes and. unless they can be fooled into thinking
that they are getting something equally as
good" along the same line from Tammany. they
will Mr. Shea fears. overwhelm his friends fin
Brooklyn. That is a not insignificant tribute TO
the strength Of the fusion ticket.