Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-17
CHOATE AFTERWIGWAM
HE CALLS TAMMANY wICKEDEST
ORGANIZATION.


for the purpose Of ratifying the ticket of
the judiciary nominators against the
candidates of Hearst and Murphy, Joseph
H Choate. former ambassador to Great
Britain made q lively attack on Tammany
Hall, with particular relation to its corrup
ton Of the judicial ermine. In good set
terms he also paid his respects to the deal
and division between Murphy and Hearst
upon which their present alliance is based.
They say we are all corporation lawyers.
the candidates and the 2 500 lawyers who
nominated them,' said Mr.. Choate in the
beginning. well. I don't suppose It's pos
sfble for any man of character and of merit
and fitness to practice law in this city up
to the age when he is fit to be presented as
a candidate for Judge not to have acted at
some time or other for a corporation. But
there are all sorts of corporations besides
business corporations, and there is one to
which I wish particularly to direct your at
tention. because 1t has only. been discovered
within the last two days. 1t is known as
the Independence League.
What kind of a corporation it is I don't
know, but what the object of it's formation
was is obvious. 1t is a corporation formed
Tor the purpose of converting its directors
into judges, if possible. and If not, into
some other important offices Of the gov
eminent They brought their directors be-
fore the public the nominee of Tam
many Hall for the great and sacred Office
VI JuuSc, So 1t Is not WONDERFUL that that
complaint about corporation lawyers has
entirely ceased to be ventilated in the quar-
ter IN which 1t arose. 1 have heard great
deal Of complaint about corporations, but
corporation that ever existed since the be-
ginning Of time Is this same Tammany
Hall"
Political Plumber It's Object.
Mr. Choate then referred to the days
OF the Tweed ring, when 1t was discov-
cred that Tammany Hall had creatures
on the bench who sold justice for money"
to the Maynard incident, when a Judge
was attempted to be foisted on the people
who had prostituted his sacred duties and
powers In order to consummate a steal of
former Judge Joseph F. Daily, who was
turned down by Mr.. Croker, the official
representative of Tammany Hall, for not
deciding as he wanted him to decide Then
he went on to say:
THE motto Of Tammany Hall Is that all
public office Is political plumber and the
whole object of it's -ormation, of its oper-
alton and of it's continuance until now is
to gather together in its own grasp all
the local political offices possible and dis
tribute them as spols to its followers
ana they have not hesftated to lay their
hands. as you have seen. upon the judicial
office and to treat 1t as party spols Just
as much as the pettiest office upon the pay
rolls. Now. why do they cling to these
judgeships so much and so tenacously?
May l raise the lid a little on the judicial
pot and show you what is going on there?
THE casual observer would say that 1t
Is something for them to have the appoint
ment to give to their followers and hench-
men of these eight judgeships That is
S17, 800 year. Why, that is a mere baga-
telle to the patronage that is covered up
under the lid to which I have referred, for
If we take the refereeships and the receiv-
erships and the commissionerships that are
under the control of the courts by whom
such appointments are made. the value of
this patronage runs up into hundreds of
thousands, and l don't know but into the
millions, every year.
Scores Candidates
''We have heard terrible rumblings and
grumblings and scratches and caterwaul-
ings which showed us that there was a ter
rible fight going on between the Tammany
tiger and another adversary that was
worthy Of his claws. but all we know
about it Is the result. the ticket that was
produced. Well what do we know about
that? The friends of Mr. Hearst-and 1
like to take everybody at his word-insist
that there was no DEAL and they are very
much offended If the word deal Is used
and SO, in Difference to their gentlemanly
qualities, l. too refrain from the use of
the word deal Well. then. say that they
did not come to an understanding They
certainly did come to a misunderstanding
and fought it out. and the result is the
ticket they have placed before you
Now. the result of this fighting 1t out
was what? I won't call 1t deal, I won't
call it understanding, but it certainly
was a division. and nobody can deny that.
neither Mr.. Hearst. Mr.. Murphy nor their
most devoted admirers And you can ten
just where and how the division was made
by the line of cleavage in the ticket, the
Murphy judges and the Hearst judges,
six to four. How long 1t will stay SO 1
don't know. The more they quarrel the
better like 1t.
"Who are these candidates? They are
all pretty well known. but they are known
as politicians, not as lawyers; they are
known chiefly for the number of political
offices they have occupied and the politi-
cal spoils they have enjoyed. Giving them
all credit for the best natures and the
most honest dispositions and purposes.
there is one thing we are clear about and
that Is that with three or four exceptions
they will have to be educated after they
go on the bench"
Mr.. Choate's address was punctuated
with loud applause throughout. Other
speakers who were also heartily received
and who took up various phases of the
question were DR.. Felix Adler, former
Judge DAILY to whom Mr.. Choate had re-
ferred; DR.. David Blaustein of the Educa-
tional Alliance: Cyrus L. Sulzberger, for
mer Judge William N. Cohen and John De
Witt Warner.