New-York tribune., 1906-10-18
Mr.. COCHRAN EXPLAINS.

The Hon. Bourke Cochran, playfully alluded
to not long ago by Mr. Hearst's newspapers as
the Hon. Bought Cochran. advertised as
the chief speaker at the ratification meeting in
Tammany Hall on Tuesday night To those
who remembered his ringing denunciations a
year ago of Hearstism and his exposition of
the folles of municipal ownership and state
socialism, the mere announcement that Mr.. Cock
ran would appear in the great act Of swallow
ing not a sword, glass or nails. but his own
words, sufficient to draw a good sized au-
dience. Mr. Cochran, we concede, justified the
expectations of those who appreciated his WILL
ingness to juggle with facts and situations.
though he went through the expected perform
ance somewhat wearily, II feeling that such
effort could hardly be reasonably demanded
even Of him. OF course, he and his hearers also
knew that what he to say meant
for the ear. that it was the price which Tam
many in this year of Its disgrace. is compelled
to pay TO the political proprieties. In Tam
many Hall il Is necessary before all to keep up
appearances. and Sachem Cochran happens to
be the unfortunate man upon whom that duty
devolves.
OF course, the whole question as to why Mr.
Murphy, few months ago denounced by the
Hearst Newspaper Trust as "the chief criminal
of them all" and a probable early candidate for
residence in Sing Sing, and Mr.. Cochran.
ferred to by the same Star" trust as the Hon.
Bought" Cochran. are supporting the man
who applied these epithets to them Is extremely
simple. Mr.. Murphy and Mr.. Hearst do not
love each other immoderately, but they are nee
essary to each other in fimfamming the pub
lie. and hence have agreed to play together as
against the public and divide profits Mr. Cock
ran OF course, as the spokesman of Mr.. Muir
ply and Tammany Hall, is merely an appur-
tenance and goes with the real estate. This
oyT1ia tom, hon do
public ratification meeting In Tammany Hall.
Hence Mr.. Cochran was called upon to con-
struct something neat but not gaudy, some
thing that would look well If not examined too
closely, even though it could never be expected
to wash" The propreties had to be recog-
nized. Mr.. Murphy, Mr.. Cochran and Tam
many Hall had to be represented as logical
and consistent, patriotic, and If necessary even
forgiving, and ell for the sake Of "the dear
people" To construct such an explanation and
then to deliver II required art Of high order
and Mr.. Cochran, we regret to say was not
fully equal to the occasion He Informed his
audience that, speaking for himself, he was
far from being anxious or even willing to sup
port Mr.. Hearst but that after Tammany had
almost strained its optics sweeping the field
Of vision to discover q man who could stand
on our platform 1.-THE platform Mr. Cochran
wrote] and have a chance to win" the man did
not appear. There was" said Mr.. Cochran
with the gravity Of q Roman augur, "but one
serious, honest candidacy before that body"
There was only one man who would have q
chance to w1n," and therefore Mr. Murphy and
Mr.. Cochran placed this man, W. R. Hearst,
upon the platform they had constructed and
pronounced the hand-me-down suit Of clothes
they had made for him "a perfect fit" Said
Mr.. Cochran:
There was one thing on which we stood like
rocks, and that was the adoption of that plat
form. The one condition that we made for sup
porting the nomination OF Mr. Hearst was that
he stand on that platform, paragraph by para
graph. 1t was given to the candidate for Lieu
tenant Governor, and by him, I understood it
repeated to Mr.. Hearst. and word for word it
was approved.
This statement was not received with the
roars Of derisive laughter which 1t might have
been expected to call forth. The audience also,
to that extent respected the proprietes and,
like Mr. Cochran, kept It's real opinions on the
subject to itself. Alas that 1t had to 60 home
without hearing the speaker Of the evening add
that Mr.. Hearst is not now standing and never
did stand, except to take the nomination on the
platform which Mr.. Cochran laboriously con-
structed for him, and, In fact is paying no moro
attention to 1t than to last years birds nests.
Mr.. Murphy and Mr.. Cochran however are
still presumably standing like rocks" upon
their precious platform, and-to mention a fact
omitted by Mr.. Cochran In the rush of his elo-
quence-are holding the bag for such game as
Mr.. Hearst who is beating the bushes. NAV be
able 10 drive into It