Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-25
Special Dispatch to The Star.

novelty of the roof gardens Is a much more
attractive subject, while for real heart in
terest the New Yorker wants to know when
they are going to turn on the cold air In
the subway He swelters twice a day in
the tube and the work of cooling the sub
terreanean atmosphere is of vastly more
Importance than premature campaign con-
versation.
In other words New York city has suf-
ficiency of hot air. just now, and prefers
to wait until the subway's refrigerating
process is put into operation before warm
ing up on politics. At the present rate OF
progress IL seems that the refrigerating
plants will be ready in the subway about
Christmas time.
Since the hot weather set in the subway
travellers have grown appreciably thinner.
The trips downtown in the morning and
uptown during the rush hour are like so
many minutes spent in the steam room OF
Turkish bath establishment. There may
be method in the subway management s
madness for the thinner the people grow
the more the guards can pack into the over
crowded, superheated underground car
riages.
The summer subway needs the pen Of a
Dante and the brush of Dore to do 1t
full justice.
A "Chowder."
But to return to politics The only en-
thusasm that SO far has been apparent has
been OF purely a local character. The Tim
othy MCGOWAN Pleasure and Profit Cub
with the accent on the profit, gave a
"chowder' the other day and the district
nearly went wild in its delirium of joy.
A "chowder'' is first and last a New York
institution. First you hire a pleasure
barge which is a sort of a floating pavilion.
sometimes two and three stories high In
its beginning the pleasure barge was
canal boat or perhaps a mud scow. At
any rate there is never anything aristo-
cratic about its forbears. Aristocracy is
tabooed at chowders. After you have got
the barge and had It decorated in red,
white and blue, with just dash of green
thrown in to prevent riot. you engage a
tugboat. One with good Irish name is
preferred.
Next you buy a brewery. All ordinary
sources of supply fail at a chowder. You
transfer as much of the brewery as the
law allows to the barge. But don't for
get the little German band. After shov-
ing off from the dock, you go to Herr
Schmittbergenspieler, the leader, and speak
to him gently, but firmly. the tenor of
your conversation being that IL any Dutch
on board the good barge Nc
Gowan attempts to foot anything but
"Tam-ma-nee, Tam-ma-nee'-he will be
under the painful necessity of swimming
home.
nearby beach, where already clans are
and baking by the time the
cursion arrives Here the day is spent In
revelry Speeches are made, nights are
fought, heads are cracked and everybody's
happy. If all the chowderites get home
alive the day is accounted rare success.
Seriously, though. there is lack of po-
litical enthusiasm here which is rather puz-
zlng in view of the several important
events that are transpirng. The wonder
full awakening of the easy boss" Mr..
Plat, who was referred to the other day
as the last of the BOSSES" is of momen-
re xt-if hod
Benny" Odell. who is daring good frankie
Higgins. his old-time pal to stop into the
alley and fight 1t out. Odell worked to put
Higgins in the governors chair two years
ago. Now it's another story. Platt re-
divivus and Odeil militant make a pretty
formidable combination. But Hold-on Hig
gins and al the state office holders havea CO.
hesive strength which is bravely to be reck
oned with.
Gov. Higgins is terribly anxious to draw
President Roosevelt into the fight, but the
President would like very much 20 be left
out of the equation. He has so declared
himself, although he is open to reason. 1t
has been persistently rumored lately that
Gov. Higgins would soon be a caller at
Oyster Bay. and just as persistently stated
there that New York's governor had no ap-
pointment with the chief executive at Sag
amore HILL Gov. Higgins either has been
hoping for an engagement with the Pres
ident. or else he enjoys the humor of
joke at the expense of his opponents, for
duced him to deny the report that he was
bound for Oyster Bay. The governor left
Albany last Saturday without giving any
one hint as to where he was going. He
was tracked to the depot and seen to board
a New York train. The news was flashed
to this city. The governor found himself
by newspaper men when he set
foot in the Grand Central station.
II positively will say nothing" he said
and that is all he would say.
He entered n cab, drove rapidly down
9Th avenue, with the newspaper men In pur-
suit. He turned Into West 23d street
alighted at one of the Jersey City ferries
crossed the Hudson and took a train for
Atlantic City Then every one breathed
easier. The governor may go from the Jer-
sey seashore to Sagamore Hill In a subma-
rine. but the danger is not great.
Democracy at a Standstill.
With all these sprightiy doings in the
republican camp, the regular democracy is
absolutely at a standstill No one seems to
want to get out and stir things up. The
Tammany wigwam is deserted. Leader C.
Francis Murphy is busy with his crops at
Good Ground the coupon season being par
ticularly promising. Mayor Mcclellan is
enjoying a visit to the land of his BIRTH
for while an American in every other essen
tial, he first saw the light OF day while his
parents were sojourning In the kaiser's
Whatever designs the mayor may
have on the democratic state machine are
slumberinR far across the Atlantic The
mayor may have had the notion that he
like the eminent Bryan, might hear a call
10 duty In the roaring of the Atlantic
breakers on European shores, but so far
no such impulse has made Itself appar-
ent. II the mayor had won a complete
victory in the municipal campaign last fall
there would have been no doubt as to the
democratic gubernatorial candidate this
year. There has been but little talk of
any such arrangement since that time,
however.
Sleeping democracy offers no opportu-
nifty for attack by the republicans, and
this may account for the strenuous battles
the grand old party men are waging
amongst themselves. The republicans OF
New York have got fighting blood in their
veins, and IL there are no democrats handy
they spend their time cracking each other
over the head
Here the Hearst proposition looms up
with marked intensity. and apparently Just
now Ii Is the one best bet. Having COM
pleted an effective organization up state
the Independence League is gradually
working its way into the big city. II is
doing this without attracting too much
early attention, and thus hopes TO secure
a foothoid before any opposing forces are
in the fed On the outskirts of BROOKLYN
several Independence League district head
quarters have been established Banners
announce the fact. They contain the
words Independence League and will
liam Randolph Hearst" No office is mem
toned In connection with Mr. Hearst The
League Is for Mr. Hearst for