New-York tribune., 1906-08-29

(
xentiong Those a'e questions that Hearst has
not answered
Hearst says: 4 shall run only as the nomi-
ma OF The independence League. Does he
mean By that that he will reject the nominal
ton os the Democratic convention, or that ne
VIII accept the Endorsement OF that convention! /!
Jn other words. if he wants 70 be the head Oh
!, new state party he can only succeed py
,-iumphing over the other parties. and now ne
wants one Of these parties TO make him hls
candidate There seems 20 be some intellectual
confusion on this point. II is very easy for
HEARST TO clarity the situation by few well
chosen remarks written out by Arthur Bris-
bane and get Brisbane TO tell him IL the IN
dependence League IS going to absorb the
Democratic party and make the Democratic
party its tall or whether the Democratic party
IS eoin. 20 absorb the Independence League
Asked If he was going 70 make any fight for
control at the coming primaries Mr. Jerome
replied:
NO, Z usIl not am not allied with the
Democratic organization in the city of New
York; in fact. I have always been lighting 1t,
as / believed it was dominated for corrupt
purposes. rather quasi-criminal conspiracy
than a political organization. I have never
been in accord with it, although have many
warm friends in It, I am willing TO follow
political leadership, but / am not that type of
man who is willing 70 take orders from a boss.
IL ever get to that condition 1 shall select
boss of Intelligence, not ore like Murphy.
The situation for me personally is one that
does not concern me very much. did not seek
70 get in this fight, only there principles
involved, and else would stand for them.
can't expect sympathy from the machine, as
the success Of my fight would mean the de-
struction of that type Of organization. The sue
n fight
that l would no. be a Democratic Governor, I
would be simply Governor, and 1 would not use
the patronage or powers Of that Office to build
Up the Democra ic organization or to depress
the Republican.
WILL GUST OLD GUARD.
If I am nominated and succeed in election
my prestige viii be such. however, that will
have something to say about the Democratic
party. l might serve notice now that IL I am
elected l Hill take men Of the Conners type and
drive them out of the Democratic party. There
win be room for men Of his type and men Of
mine in me same organization; they will have
so walk the plank and then thev might go to
the Independence League If l make the fight
AID win, the Old Guard will have to go; if it
never retreats then it will have to die
so 1 can't expect any great enthusiasm from
the men who control the machine. / know that
no convention would come together and choose
me voluntarily its choice. but there are
enough decent, respectable people in the party to
make the convention afraid if It didn't name me-
No one can ever accuse me of breaking po-
litical faith, for never will be in the position
Of making political contracts, except to serve
notice on these bosses that me and mine can't
ANe IN the same coop with birds OF that feather,
and so birds of that feather can flock together"
Then, the Inference to be drawn from your
statement is that, whether the machine nOmi-
mates you or not il win not alter your attitude.
and that if the machine bosses name Hearst you
would be willing TO run as the candidate OF
the real Democrats?
We'll, that is a proposition that can be met
when We come TO IT, There are times when TO
run for a principle is wise. even though defeat
seems TO be q sure thing. There other times
when 10 run when defeat seems sure is not wise,
for human nature is constituted that it at
tributes the defeat 10 the weakness Of the pTin-
ciple. That what bothered me a great
deal in my fight last year. 1 knew was abso-
lutely right, but l felt that if l ran and was
overwhelmingly defeated 1t would mean that
the principle for which stood would get very
bad setback.
''As 1 told Governor Hill in 1904. if l was
ever Governor l would the prestige such
a victory would give me-that is, a victory
not simply the candidate of party but
a victory without strings to t-so that We
could look for great. strong militant Democ-
racy in this state, a Democracy held together
by principles. not by peanut patronage or petty
HEARST STEALS MY CLOTHES"
Reverting to Mr.. Hearst Mr. Jerome con-
tinued:
Mr.. Hearst seems to be stealing my political
clothes just the Republican party has been
stealing the clothes OF the Democratic party
for years. I have never shirked my fight on
the bosses, but | recall the political career
Of Hearst do not remember that until he
thought there was something in it for him. he
ever voiced any violent spirit Of antagonism to
political bosses. When he was running for
Congress after accepting the Tammany nom
inatioD he said nothing antagonistic to boss
rule. did any who made speeches for
him Even now. in that brave procession of
statesmen and politicians that were pictured
in Hearst's newspaper the other morning. 1
looked in vain for a picture of Charlie Murphy
in striped garments and changing chains
Wouldn't victory such as you desire be as
valuable without the regular party stamp as
with it," NJ Jerome was asked
No. don't think So for don't believe that
for many years ii will be possible 10 work our
system Of politics without parties. There is Il
relation of state parties to national parties
which ] think, would not make this possible,
if desirable The important thing is not
the destruction of parties-that would be inn
practicable-I is the driving out of the party of
those who have got control of the organization.
II the Republican party could have direct pri-
naries and select its nominees, you know that
10 man, bar Hughes who has been mentioned,
would be chosen We i'm the Democratic party
haven't had since Cleveland's time Democrat
who was the real choice of the party.
Then victory running independently would
be less OF public service and have less elements
of permanent public service than running a
party candidate, for if successful party
canulQate. WIN Ine pfeSuBe Nnlcn InlS WOuld
bring. one would be in such position as to drive
out these miserable whelps from the party. 1t
evil day when both parties fell into the
hands Of the bosses. They have idea of eX-
pressing the VIII of the people in the party, but
simply take the men they want and elect them.
i never knew John Kelly. but from what /
have heard he had some of the elements that
so 10 make up a leader. But under the pres
ent regime locally they are hunting not only
the loose dollar, but every other dollar and
there are not enough 10 so around"
Nj. Jerome win go 20 Middletown. y. Y. to-