New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-01
MCCLELLAN AND TAN WICK.

Mr.. Mcclellan protests vigorously that III
elected Mayor he will be his own master ana
can be trusted to prevent any dishonesty ID
government or any spread OF immortality. MI.
Van Wyck said the same. His promises OF IN
dependence. devotion to the people ana Vigil
lance for honest government were as sweeping
and loud as Mr.. McClellan's. And everybody
knows the result Not even Mr.. Mcclellan any
longer pretends TO say that the four years or
the Van Wyck administration were not period
Of red lights and graft" Mr. Mcclellan is
an educated intelligent man, we are told. so
was Mr.. Van Wyck On that score there was
Just as much reason TO take Mr.. Van Wyck at
his word as there is now TO take Mr.. Mcclellan
at his while on the score or character ana
training there was much more reason to expect
independence and resistance to dishonest forces
from Mr.. Van Wyck than there is to expect
them now from Mr.. Mcclellan. Mr.. Van Wyck
was positive man. stubborn and domineering
in disDosition He seemed TO enjoy being dis
agreeable to people. He had long been judge,
and free In a measure from the ties of the
working politician. From temperament and
training he had every opportunity TO make his
own policy enforce discipline and punish IN
faithful Su5ordinates.
Mr. Mcclellan. on the other hand, is much
younger man, with no such habits OF selfasser-
ton He is by nature complaisant. He wants
to please His habit from boyhood has been to
walk obediently in the path marked out for
him by his political mentors Of Tamm2ny Hall
Nothing they did was too bad to command his
approval His declaration in 1901, in the face
of a citizenship aghast at the revelations of
Tammany's partnership with vice and patron
age of the cadets" we have nothing for
which 10 apologize is characteristic. He took
the same attitude toward the Tammany cor
ruption revealed by Mr. Golf in 1894 That
such a man should be utterly transformed In
the twinkling OF an eye into a sturdy, indie
pendent force able and willing to resist the
vicious influences which completely dominated
the Van Wyck administration that he thought
so good. is almost inConceivable. If he did not
know g red light in 1901. If he thought
Tammany had done we'll then, there is every
reason TO fear that he would be equally blind
again. and would think he was doing well when
he gave free rein to the men who made the Van
wyck administration what 1t was
Mr.. Mcclellan is doubtless man Of good in
tentions, though he evidently lacks ideals Of
civic righteousness and is content TO walk In
the paths Of conformity to the ways Of the
world, and that the world of Croker. who works
for his own pocket ali the time; Of Tim"
Sullivan. whom Mr. Grout called a member Of
the gambling syndicate, and of Murphy, the ex-
bartender and owner of questionable resorts.
We believe that he would rather be the head
of decent government than otherwise but
can he show one single act Of his whole polit-
zeal career which warrants the hope that he
would not be the head Of an indecent govern
ment rather than sacrifice his personal pros
poets? Is there the least likelihood that he
would resist his political creators and stand for
a clean city at the cost of 4 break with Muir
ply or Sullivan? There is yet little time for
Mr. Mcclellan 10 answer and show why he
should have the support Of any citizen who
would not vote on Tuesday for Van Wyck if he
were running again. Can he do il?