Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-24
PARKER AND POLITICS
Comment Upon His Reappear-
ance in New York
AT JEFFERSON BANQUET
DESPITE DEFEAT He RETAINS
STRONG HOLD UPON HIS PARTY.
Gossip Over the Next Leader of the
Democratic Party in the En-
pire State.
Special Correspondence OF The Star.

| Special Correspondence OF The Star. <
NEW YORK, April %, 1905.
| The temperance of Judge Alton b.
| Parker in national politics in connection
with the Jeffersonian banquet at the Demo-
| cratic Club is one of the most interesting
and important political events of the year
AS might have been expected, the speech
made by the recent democratic candidate
| for President of the United States was
| framed along the most conservative lines
| Judicial by temperament and education,
! statesman and a scholar, with an inf1uen-
tial following here in New York, popular
| Impression in the south and the west to the
contrary Notwithstanding. the people OF
this country have not heard the last OF
| Judge Parker and the party policies which
| he represents.
Though not apparent on the surface there
| was more behind this temperance Oh
Judge Parker at the Democratic Clup BAN
| quet than even the politicians and the
| neWspapermen of New York city dreamed
Of The severe defeat which the demo-
Gratis of the state and nation received last
| fall upset some of the plans OF 'iudee
| Parker and his friends. When the juuse
resigned from the bench, retiring from tne
| court Of appeals of the state OF New 1oih
during the presidential campaign. II IS olily
| fair to say thGt the election or lneooole
|
| probable There was. of course, chance
| that Judge Parker might win.
| The unexpected happens sometimes even
| in political campaigns one-sded us the
/ campaign of 1904 appeared to be- lake IL
ALI in all however Judge Parkers accept
f, ance of the party leadership at that par
| ticular time. his resignation from the pos.
| of chief of the highest court IN 'he sta'e V.
| New York appeared nothing more nor less
| than a sacrifice of self to lead forlorh
| hope in good cause. -
! Men here in the east do not, however, as
general thing play politics as they DO IN
| the south and the west. They are more
cautious. more careful, more caicuiat,is,
if you please. Aad it was anticipated d
| the time of the nomination OF Judge farkei'
| AT the time of his subsequent reslgnatlo
| from the bench, that even though delea.eu
| he would become a powerful force In pom
| tics in the north Atlantic states. / ne Coii
| seryative forces of this city were surprised
! NOT at the defeat itself, but at the large.
sized pluralities piled up 1of fresioei''
| Roosevelt. ,,,,o,,s
| Few there were even among repuollcans
! who did not believe that the democIdtlc
| party would show gains over ls:" ana iooo'
| especially here in the east Nhen the ie
| turns commenced to come in ana II was
| discovered that Roosevelt had made gains
over Mckinley. not only in the south anu
| west but in the very cities OF the as
where most had been expected py nue q
! little time for them to catch their breath
| and reorganiZe their forces
What made the situation all iHe Hholc
| nuzzliug was the fact that for the hrst
| time in ten wears the daily newspapers Oh
the great cities of the east had been IN
i usually friendly to democratic candidates,
| and even though their news columns mlehU
have indicated the election OF Roosevelt
| they did not give warning of the approach
ing disaster by majOrities so pronounced
Strength in Defeat.
Time. however, has shown that there .is
n strong undercurrent in democratic circles
ia favor of that conservatism so eloquenty
| nIeaded for by Judge Parker and That
plans of Judge Parkers friends, which
| might have appeared Impossible last NO
| vember In the light of the election Oh
| Theodore Roosevelt, are quite possible now
The sympathy which goes with de-
! feated candidate, especially candidate
who has resigned a post like that of judge
| of the court of appeals to mead 1oriorh
hope, has proved a powerful factor me
dignity of the judge himself, the high char
! aoter of the business men VINO were re-
( sponsibIe for his nomination, have contrib
| uted toward the restoration of the judge
| as a party leader. The Willingness OF the
| Judge TO accept the results and become a
| plain practicing lawyer here in New YORK
| has won for him friends even among re-
| publicans.
In consequence of a powerful plan OF
| forces and because of this high-clasS back
| ing given Judge Parker, it is safe to assert
that his friends are now in control OF the
! state committee here in New York. In look
| ing toward the future the Importance of
| this cannot be oVerestimated. Possessing
| more votes than any other state in ma
| tional conventions, possessing more votes
| than any other state in the electoral col
| lege, things to be carefully considered IN
! all political combinations; possessing com
| mercial supremacy and political prestige
| of high order, there can be no doubt but
that the leaders of the party here in the
| empire state are destined Il play a large
part in democratic councils in days to come.
| Those who know. know that this is the
| meaning of Judge Parkers recent speech,
| his sudden temperance in national poll
| ties a thing that at first surprised republic
| can and democratic politicians alike. Judge
| Parker is simply taking his natural posi-
ton the leader of the democracy OF
| New York and vicinity, and as such
| leader the strength of his power ought not
| to be underes tmated.
| BY this 1t is not meant that he expects
to secure another nomination for any posi-
ton, judicial, executive or legislative. Mr..
| Parker has repeatedly stated that he will
| never again run for Office and those who
know him best believe that he is absolutely
sincere in making this announcement. But
rs an advisor of his party he may be
pected TO WELD an influence somewhat sim
liar to that possessed by Samuel J. filden
after his defeat in 1876.
Everything considered, his temperance
was well timed. Owing 10 the rivalry be-
tween the Democratic Club of New York
and the Iroquois Club of Chicago, Parker
in the east, Bryan and Judge Dunno in the
west, the semi-facetious wager of ex-Mayor
Van Wyck that the New York banquet
| would attract much attention as the
| Chicago dinner-all of these things
tributed 10 focus the eyes of the political
world upon Judge Parker. He made no
enemies and he made friends.
Ripe for Leadership.
The democrats of the empire state are
really without a state leader This is not
to say that the party has gone out of bust
ness. There are as many democrats in
| New York today as ever in the history of
the party. Ex-United States Senator David
B. Hill, for many years the state leader
during the campaign 1T will be remem-
bered, announced his withdrawal from pol
tiles, the withdrawal to date from the list
of January, 1905. There were those who
insisted at the time that this was mere
political dodge the part of the Sage OF
Wolferts Roost, and that after the elect
ton last November the former governor
and senator would not be slow to recall
his voluntary resignation of the position
of state leader.
Nearly four months have passed, and
Mr. Hill has not uttered one word which