The independent., 1905-03-23

an area of only 326 3-4 square miles,
has more inhabitants than Texas, with
an area Of 265,7S0 square miles. Yet
this magnificent metropolis, the great
est centre of wealth and commerce on
the continent, finds itself today abso-
lutely at the mercy Of small band
of ignorant but cunning political
knaves. It's two great political parties
seem dead to the shame of the situa-
ton.
Take Tammany Hall, for instance.
1t calls itself democratic simply be-
cause that is good name to do buSi-
ness under. 1t has no democratic prln-
ciples and does not care for them. 1t
is ready to knife the democratic tick
ct when it suits it's purposes, and has
done it repeatedly in the past. To all
intents and purposes it is business
organization, which makes business
out of the city government. Every
body knows something about the
Croker fortune, which reeks with dis
honor. The fortune which Murphy, his
successor, is piling up will be just
as much tainted.
The man who picks my pocket in
crowd may be more honest, when prop
erly judged, than those who make use
of public Office to despoil the people.
The vast system of rascality which
now oppresses New York would not
have been dreamed of in the days Of
Tweed, and the most marvellous thing
about it is the patience with which the
people submit to it. An overwhelm-
ing majority of the citizens are brave
and honest. Perhaps majority OF
those in Office are brave and honest.
Yet brave men here submit like cow
ards and honest men submit to what
they know is dishonest rather than
fly the flag of revolt and fight it till
they kill it,
"Such a system as that which Tam
many has imposed on New York could
not stand real fight. The only hope
Of the thieves is the continued pa
tience of a plundered public. Let~an
independent ticket of honest and cour
ageous men be put up, and the whole
corrupt Tammany ring will be
smashed like lot of rotten eggs.
ITO accomplish such purpose there
should be no partisan politics intro
duced into the fight. There is no hope
of help to be found in any OF the regu-
lar political conventions in New York.
The regular machines will control the
nominations. What is needed now in
this city is union for honest and cour.
ageous action by honest and coura.
geous men, by no matter what name
they call themselves. That is the way
to clean out the stable.
Great Enterprises Held Up
.Under the present system great en-.
terprises vital to the citys growth and
happiness are held up, things which
the city needs and can not get till its
false officials are first bought off.
"Yet all this is in the second city OF
the world-the metropolis of a coun.
try which boasts of its progressive civ
ilization and which is so anxious to
it's civilization upon foreign
countries and upon it's own world-mis.
sion that it has gone thousands OF
miles from home, with rifle and can
non, to impress this system upon other
peoples.
"The Pennsylvania Railroad COM
pany, under Mr. Cassatt, and the Me.
tropolitan Street Railroad company,
under Mr.. Ryan, have undertaken
great enterprises in this city which
are being held up by the Tammany
board Of aldermen. AS l understand
it, these two men WELD vast power,
and are men of the highest order of
They are reputed to be
masters of their business, and repre-.
sent hundreds of millions of invested
dollars. Yet they are halted in the
highway and reduced to impotence by
a lot of nondescripts who happen to
find their way into municipal Office.
"The way populist would look at
a thing like that is this: If these en-
terprises, undertaken by Mr.. Cassatt
and Mr.. Ryan, are undesirable, they
should not be permitted at any price;
but if the enterprises promise to be
beneficial to the city, if the city is
actually suffering for want of them,
then whatever money is paid by the
should go into the public
treasury for the common benefit of the
people, who own the franchise wealth
created here by concentration of popu-
lation. Why, the state itself has