Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-03
WHITNEY AND CROKER
Why Tammany Hall Supported
Cleveland In 1894.
HOW A HARD PROBLEM WAS FACED

IOAOneA GEORGE harvey TeIAB OF Wkns
@. Whitney's Work as n Peacemal1-
er That Ended In Election of q Pres
ident-HOw He Was Helped by For
mer Tammany Chief.
Colonel George Harvey, the editor
Of Harpers Weekly, tells in a recent
Issue a remarkable story of the man.
ner in which the late William c. Whit
ney harmoniZed the anti-Cleveland
Democracy in 1892 and paved the way
for Mr.. Cleveland's second election.
Instead of having to harmonic the
petty bosses of the two boroughs of
New York Mr.. Whitney had to placate
the entire working element Of the
whole state Colonel Harvey writes
that the next morning but one after
his return from Chicago Mr.. Whitney
summoned to his house in Fifty-sev-
enth street, New York, Il friend with
whom he was accustomed to discuss
his most trying political problems and
stated the situation in substantially
these words:
1T may Seem strange, but it is
IdCJ. IndJ until lJSl CNSlilllS L diA ASS
begin to realize how serious Il respon-
sibility 1 had taken upon myselfS i'll
doing what l did to bring about the
nomination. of Cleveland. 1t is quite
possible, although L do not think so,
that another candidate. if nominated
with practical unanimity, might have
proved successful at the polls. Cen
Sequently my responsibility is not on
ly to Mr.. Cleveland, whom L have
urged SO strongly to make the trial,
but to the Democratic party itself,
with which l have always been iden-
titled and from which l have received
many hOnors.
Il have been so busy ever since l
returned from Europe i'll trying to
accomplish the nomination that, to tell
the truth, l had overlooked the grave
problems bearing upon the election OF
the nominee. When | sat down last
evening and canddly reviewed the sit
uation L must say that L was appalled,
1t is useless to deny to ourselves that
practically all of the old time Demo-
cratic leaders, the men who would
naturally be looked TO as the guiding
and most efficient helpers in the cam
paign, are bitterly opposed to Mr..
Cleveland. Not that they will fail To
vote the ticket but their support at the
present moment certainly promises to
be lackadaisical and tinCtured with
feelings of personal hostility.
The first and most serious problem
to solve is here in New York, and l
feel that have not an hour To lose IL
1 hope to succeed in breaking the COM
bination that insisted upon Hill and is
still hostile and likely to continue SO
to Cleveland. L feel 50 strongly the
necessity for the greatest promptitude
of action that 1 shall be utterly dis
couraged if go to bed tonight without
having made distinct progress. That
he added, with IL characteristic shruS
of the shoulders and Il laugh that his
friends would recognize. lis what
wanted to talk to you about"
"A discussion of ways and means
followed" writes Mr.. Harvey, end
ing in Il recognition of the necessity Of
obtaining at once the hearty co-opera-
ton of one of the three dominant fac
tors in the organzation-Mr. Hill, Mr.
Murphy or Mr.. Croker. Mr.. Hills
name was promptly eliminated from
considerable His disappointment had
been too great; his wounds were too
recent. With Mr. Murphy, Mr.. Whit
ney had, at that time, very slight ac-
quaintance and 1t was partly forathis
reason that he had called into con-
sultation one who knew Mr. Murphy
more intimately. After careful con-
sidcration ofsthat gentlcman'S charac-
teristics, his feeling that both II q party
and himself had suffered unnecessarily
at the hands of Mr.. Cleveland. his nat
urally unfOrgiving spirit in Il situation
of that nature and his inclination TO be-
lieve that Mr.. Cleyeland'S reelection
would bring more harm than good to
the Democratic party, his name, too,
was dismissed.
"OnIy Mr. Croker remained.
"I don't know Mr. Croker Mr..
Whitney said. Il suppose / have seen
him twice i'll ten years ana then only
to speak to him casually. / can think
of only one possibility in connection
with him. When / was Il young prac-
ticing lawyer, just beginning TO get
ahead, the two men whom / looked up
to most in the Democratic party were
Mr.. Tilden and Mr.. Hewitt. and
knew them both pretty well. One day
Mr.. Hewitt sent for me and said that
Richard Croker, one of the minor lead
ers in the TammaLy organization. had
been indicted for murder and seemed
likely to suffer unjust punishment be-
cause of his logged refusal to clear
himself. Mr.. Hewitt said that he had
made a thorough investigation and
was absolutely certain that the guilty
man was not Croker, but man who
had befriended him and whose name
Croker would not under any circum-
stances divulge. Dir. Hewitt added
that he considered Croker an honest,
faithful and deserving young man, and
he proposed TO get him out of the
scrape If there was any way to do it.
He said he was willing to furnish mon
eY for the emnlOYment Of LAWYERS and