The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-12
MAY CARRY NEW YORK
TAMMANY PREPARING TO CAP
 TURF GOTHAM AND STATE.
Good Chance to Succeed-Walter Wellman Says Political Condi- tions are Settling Back
 Into the Old Rut.
Walter Wellmans New York Special to
 Chicago Reocrd- Herald

l
 Walter Wellman's New York Special to Chicago Record Herald
 1alnmany Is preparing to take possess 1 lon or the town again, There Is very little doubt that at next falls election the | reformers are to be turned out and the Tammanyites are to have a new lease of power.
 This is probably more interesting to people hereabouts than to the West, but | IL has an important national significance | too. because four men out of five not only | think Mayor Low cannot be reelected but that the Democrats have a mighty good chance to carry New York State 1 next year for President. In fact politi- cal conditions appear to be settling back into the old-time rut, so far as the Presi- dency Is concerned. The one chance to win the Democrats have is in finding the man who can carry New York, New Jer- sey, Indiana and the solid South. Where | Is the man?
 As to the great improbabillity of the re- election of Mayor Low, l do not find much difference of opinion. Republicans as well as Democrats say Tammany is officials of the present city government say; ''Of course they are going to lick us, but we'll give them a fight anyway" As Tor the Tammany people. they are the scent of victory in their nostrils, and a good many them have picked out the jobs they expect to hold after Jan. l | next.
 | It is not because Mayor Low has not given New York a good government He | has. But the metropolis is so constituted | that 1t cannot stand two reform admin years 1t has maintained a consistent re- cord. TWO or three successive reigns of Iammany, each worse than Its prede- cessorS. till at last things get so bad the people can't stand them any longer l Then the three Rs-Revolt, Revolution and Reform. But two years of being good is all they can stand at a dose, and there invariably follows q fourth R-Revulsion- and Tammany gets its hungry snout in | the flesh pots once more.
 l Here and there Is a man who tries to deceive himself into the belief that May l or Low can be reelected. The few who entertain this hope are ardent reformers not politicians, and not very practical 1t is safe to say that if a man were to start out with a roll of money offering ten to one against Low in sort of futurity sweepstakes he wouldn't find any takers among the gentry whose habit 1t is to back their political opponents with wag- CTS
 There is no discOunting the fact that Seth Low has given New York one of the very best governments 1t ever had. He has kept the promise which he made in the campaign. For the most part he appointed good men. Every department of the administration has felt the new spirit The police force has been over hauled and renered approximately decent and honest, Selling of promotions for cash has been stopped A frend of mine was telling me to-day about his brother ln-law, who was a roundsmen under the Tammany government He wanted to bc a sergeant. and the price named was 5000, It seemed to him q good thing. But before making the deal he called a family council His sisterin-law told me Tammany was going out and the refor- meTs Were coming in. All he had to do was tn hold tight to his money and wait and he would get his promotion. He ac- cepted this advice, saved his 5000 and is now a sergeant.
 Naturualiy," said his brother-in-law.
 you'd suppose Jake is red hot for another fusion victory and two years more of re- form, but he isn't. Hes for rammany. early and late. Why? Because under the present government he cant make d cent outside of his salary. He wants to get another $2,0O0 the way he got the first
 The foregoing incident tells a good part of the story. My friends brother-in-law the police sergeant. Is not only one who wants to go back to the good old days There are, others. New York is tired of has closed up the dives-he and Jerome. They have suppressed gambling and 1t is bold sport who keeps a peep.hole place cleaned out the tenderloin" and compelled il to put on an outward show of decenCy; they have closed all the dance halls, with one exception; for some reason un-
 
 open. They have waged a successful crusade on thes policyshops and sent the policy king to Sing Sing
 Plenty of reasons. one would think, why New York should hold up Mayor Lows hands and give him second term. But there are lots of people in New York ness and reformation The town Is too dull-almost like Philadelphia. The tyyi- cal resident of this city dotes upon the appellation Gay New York" It may be | uaV-tOO much crime tph rIr mailing by the police too much graft ing all down the line from the king on his throne in Tammany Hall to the man who won't move an ash barrel unless he's bribed. Then again. it may be too good. so good that it Is stupid. fiat and unin- viting. One Sunday in seven days is all 1 sure about that. So Tammany is to be 1 called back and things are to be gay , again.