New-York tribune., 1906-07-26
MURPHY AND HEARST

It;is not necessary TO take with great serious
iness Charles II. Murphy's declarations concern
ting the possibility OF nominating Hearst He
srealy committed himself to nothing BE told
snOthlng which was not already known He has
left all inq,Iirers guessing, and is able to enjoy
the feeling that he is everywhere recognized as
hhOl8ing the fate OF the Democratic party in
1.-THE hollow OF his hand. Murphy says that
deerst's opposition to the Tammany ticket last
..year will not of itself make it impossible for
iraEnmany 10 support him in the convention" F"
slOf course not. That opposition rather endears
lhim 30 Murphy. Murphy sympathiZes with any
AbOdy who opposed the Tammany ticket last
1year. HeslIinself opposes it now when il is too
llate, and as he considers the situation at the
City HalIthe must feel that Hearst was only a
farerunners of himself. Opposition to Mcclellan
is AnO bar to the friendship Of Murphy.
Beyond stating that selfeYident truth, Muir
ply revealed nothing. Il want you to under
''stand fhat am not committing myself. / do
mot Jmean to be regarded as saying that Tam
''many viii be for Hearst" was his warning.
He is 'paging a game for his own leadership.
He knows, and everybody else knows, that
.Tammany c0nsrols the situation, and can nOml-
mate or defeat tHearst,as it pleases. With such
balance OF power Murphy is not going to
throSy away its advantages by committing him
lsself against Hearst without his price from the
conservatives in the concession of leadership.
He is ukesa sagaebOus merchant making a mar
ket for his goods, and the more excitedly per-
sonssaeVertise theiimminent danger Of his going
20 Hearst, and the need Of securing his highly
moral ssupportpOr the cause OF safety and sanity
at anXScost t1es more he will be obliged.
The ssftuationais really a rather happy one for
4Afurp1T Justtt think what immunity from at
sstack he. enjoys! A few months ago the Hearst
papers pictured him as thief and robber, and
Hearst must hrve seemed to a large number Of
persons thrOughoIH the country as a moral hero
whOs had Joined isssIe with the gigantic cOrrup-
tion. OF TammGny Hall, and enlisted for the
taskt of putting its boss in Jail. 1t must be
sweet revenge to Murphy TO make that moral
hero show himself up as an oficeseeker on the
anxious seat, grOaals suddenly tender when they
have nominations to bestOw OF those whom
he ce1ks thieves and tools OF corporations.
In fact, Murphy might make plausible preten7
siOns tOsCredit for distinguished public service
in tlEls exposing the hollOwness of Hearst's
principles to the voters who have been deluded
by the notion that, however extreme or dema-
soglc he. might be, he stood infiexibly against
the old Tammany corruption. AS the seeker
OF ansadfustment with the head and front of his
much denounced Tammany corruption he will
chill the enthusiasm of many men who believed
in his platform, If not in him. year ago.
Perhaps in the end Murphy will support
Hearst Such, support of a man whom he has
described as reprobate and an assassin would
alsOabe a revelation. The organization leader
who nOminateS for Governor a man whom he
adwertises as an assassin must hurt himself and
his candidate just I'm proportion as nen have
believed him. Few persons doubt that Hearst
and Murphy are both perfectly capable of max
ing combination despite their opinions of each
other. But if it should be made it would be a
demonstration which would not be misunder-
stood Ofsthe utter shamelessness and demagOgy
Of both.