New-York tribune., 1906-10-02

1
| 90 The front with this little speech-
o,d .be nomination Of that rusky ruby
seCUl U,ocr.+ from Erie County, William D..
Connars He is on to all the uouseS o.. an - @ Ill I
y9io Of notifies and II we eject MN an
SICK W9iH 9 eruls Who have done the work before
or OF US oia q. Eosy street Let him have the Jon.
If we win. the enemy w1Il is soy thew will saw that
The state chairman is a ID lo2l' 1T e, >
| ubes the game of politics as much as L iiAe INC
game Of draw poker
Charles N Buger of Oswego' poiise0'
SCHOLARLY gentleman of the old schooi OF poitics'
| said that the election of Conners woui0 oe e',i
nently fitting. and he hoped that there would De
no opposition.
A CONNERS CHARACTER STODh'
J Corners is a man of lamentable illiteracy, tre-
| mendous force large wealth and possesses d
: code of morals that will make the honest voters
| of the State of New York sit up and pay stricI
| attention. 1t is not difficult TO get character
stories about Conners. because Conners is an
institution in Buffalo. which has Diamond
Back and an East Side district. Conners used
to abide with the East Siders. He now lives
with the Diamond Backs. but it rests with the
reader to classify Conners as he likes after be-
coming somewhat acquainted with him.
Mr. Conners does not like the nickname OF
! "Fingey," and he has been known to visit per-
! sonal chastiserent on a man for addressing him
| by his East Side handle. But the name sticks,
and doubtless will go with him to the United
States Senate if Mr.. Hearst and his friends
ever are able to send him there.
In justice to Mr.. Corners it should be said
that the stories about him told by Buffalo peo-
pie living in New York probably have not lost
any of their pungency by transportation. In
the main they true. In some of their minor
features they perhaps would possess a greater
degree of accuracy If Mr.. Conners himself could
tell them Taken altogether, the stories told of
him by former townsmen living in this city make
a truthful portrait Of the new Democratic State
Committee chairman
There are two stories of the loss of Mr.. Con-
nerss thumb. a loss by the way, which gave
him the nickname of "Ffngey." One is that
when he was a young man he was painting the
side of a boat on the Buffalo waterfront. The
boat rocked. and the swinging scaffold caught
Mr. Conners's thumb against the side and
crushed it, Another story is that fellow long
shoreman twenty years ago had new revolver
and looking around for a mark at which
to shoot His wandering glance caught Con-
nerss attention and irritated him. Conners does
not like indecision in any one.
What you'se lookin' fer?" he asked
"A mark TO shoot at"
''Shoot at me t'um'," said Corners, sticking
it up The Buffalo William Tell shot little low
man. the result being that his thumb was shot
off short. Since then he has been "Fingey' Con-
ners along the Buffalo lakefront.
Following one version Of the loss of the state
charmans thumb. the story runs thus:
HOW HE BEGAN LIFE.
Conners was laid up with his wounded hand,
and went to work cutting sandwiches with
hand in a restaurant. Here he stayed for two
or three months cutting sandwiches and serv
ing beer to customers. He liked the work.
saw the money TO be made in 1t. bought out the
saloon and restaurant and soon had a snug sum
laid by. The elevator he catered to had trouble
with it's grain shovellers and Conners agreed to
do the work He hired the men, kept a close
watch on them compelled them TO work harder
than they ever worked before, and at the end
of year had made a lot Of money. His saloon
business also had prospered. He took grain
shovelng contract at another elevator, and
hought another saloon and eating house. He
made more money than ever, and bought
other saloon and took another elevator contract.
Then he spread out suddenly, got all the SHOW
elling contracts, and started saloons in cOnnec-
ton with all the elevators In order to drive the
laborers to his own "boozeoriums he made
them take part of their pay in brass checks re-
deemable only at the Conners saloons. He grew
rich In a year or two. but not rich enough. He
bought a brewery to supply his own saloons,
and made money.
But there were hurdles The Conners beer and
the Conners brass checks palled the long
shoremen They kicked and finally Conners had
the biggest sort of a strike his hands He
sent word to Police Commissioner KiIeen.
straightforward man. TO send down some police
men to knock the heads off" some of the strike
leaders. Killeen refused. Conners never for
gave him for his refusal, and finally drove him
out of office and out of politics.
The strike went on with Conners on the los
ing side. Some one suggested arbitration Con-
ners jumped at the chance. The laborers chose
as their arbitrator Representative Rowland b.
AIahany Corners named one of his personal
friends The opposing referees chose Bishop
ougley. now Archbishop Quigley. the third
member of the board of arbitration.
CONNERs THE VINDICTIvE.
The decision went against Conners. He was
furious and at once ATTACKED Mahany and
Bishop Qugley. It is said In Buffalo that Arch
bishop Quigley's name never appears in THE
| Courier" Conners's vindictiveness prompted
him to unremittng warfare Mahany. who
soon afterward failed of reelection to Congress.
| The Iaboring men of Buffalo have been 'sore"
on Conners over since that strike.
There was fast boat called the Say When
! on the lakes. and she could beat anything going
out of Buffalo Conners did not like it. He had
| built. at Sost of about $4,000 a boat that he
named The Enquirer after his evening paper.
The Conners boat was built for speed and she
| had it. 4 race to cover about two hundred and
fifty miles for large purse was arranged be-
tween The Enquirer and the Say When. Con-