New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-09
TANNANY AND GAS.

The punishment melted out by Charles Z. Muir
ply to the Tammany Senators who failed to
respond to his wishes and vote for the SO-cent
gas bill will be watched with interest. VIII
he boil them in oil or find some more slow and
terrible torture2 We may be sure, at any rate,
that it will be slow, for Mr.. Murphy has reIe-
gated the execution of the penalty to the peo-
pie, and they will not have chance to get at
these particular offenders for nearly a year
and half. Mr.. Murphy says; THE people viii
"Iook after the Senators who voted against
"the gas bill" But before the people can look
after them 1t will be up to M Murphy to
take stand. Before the election comes the
nomination. Not one of these men can be sent
back TO Albany unless Tammany Hall renomi-
mates him. VIII BIr. Murphy really keep in
mind their msdeeds and refuse them nomina-
tons? Or is he just making a sacrifice Of
words TO public opinion, thinking that it will
all be forgotten In little while?
OF course, everybody knows that this ina
biLty of Mr.. Murphy to control his followers is
all assumed If he had been particularly anX-
ious TO pass the gas bill his representatives in
the legislature would not have voted against
IT, though they might easily have got away
from him a part Of the play. Tammany is
not accustomed to have its men go back on it
at critical times. The organization which has
been ruthlessly throwing men out Of office sim
would not have been baked by five Senators
of its own making if Mr.. Murphy had cared as
much for giving the people cheap gas as for
winning his own personal battles Even now,
If he is in real earnest, he need not wait for
the people, or even defer his own action TO the
nominating conventions Of 1906 He can make
them feel the weight of his displeasure in a
moment. He can withdraw from them the pat
ronage of the organization and give them a
year and a half Of outer darkness before they
are finally dismissed to private life. He viii
probably, however, having publicly expressed
his disapproval Of their conduct, privately &C
cord them all favor, and it would be safe TO
wager that some Of the Senators will be re-
nominated and reelected as sons of Tammany
and true friends of the people.
Mr. Murphy's account of his strenuous in
sistence on the united Tammany vote for cheap
gas is hardly consistent with the conduct Of
his spokesman the Senate floor, who, he ad-
mits, was in close communication with him by
telephone. Senator Grady, while himself vot-
ing for the bill, gave repeated hints in the de-
bate for his followers to divide. lie predicted
that they would divide, and furnished them
the excuse in advance for their action, declar-
ing that the record of the bill which the Mayor
was urging, and which he himself pretended
TO support, was a record Of "thimblerigging,"
and that Democrats voting against it might
"believe themselves voting on al economic ques-
| 'ton." The rollcalls plainly showed to those
familiar with legislative tricks a scheme 10
hold back Democratic votes and cast for the
| bill all that were not needed to defeat IT. It
was evident that more Tammany votes wera
at the cal. Of the Gas Trust only it was not
necessary to unmagk them. Mayor Mcclellan
may be sincerely opposed to the gas despotism
| At any rate, political expedencY directs him
| TO that side Mr.. Murphy, the sponsor for
| the Mayor ana head of the organization, must
! show the same zeal for the popular interest.
But Tammany Hail. true to the Croker motto
| Of working for its own pocket all the time, can
| be trusted to keep in with the gas company.
Last year the whole organization was ready to
serve the gas interests, but as a municipal cleo
| ton approaches il seems expedient to divide the
force. Perhaps the people TO whom Mr. Murphy
looks for the punishment of the unfaithfuI may
decide to punish the master instead Of waiting
TO punish the creatures.