Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-06-06
DEMOCRATS AT WAR;
TAMMANY is DIVIDED
BY William f. Curtis. Correspondent
of Chicago Record-Herald.

eral factions of the Democratic part,
in the city of New York. Several gen
tlemen of national prominence as wei
as local Influence have been trying I,
get the leaders together. but 1t doe.
not seem possible to reunite them
Mr.. Hearst is not In favor OF union
II he should join the regular organi
zation he would not only lose hi!
prominence but also his Identity ant
all his stock In trade He may. there
fore, be expected to fight Tammany
and the regular organization unles.
they agree to come under his banner
and call him chief. There is nc
telling what Mr.. Hearst intends to do
but he can be depended upon to con
tribute to the interest of the next cam
paign in some form or other, either
as candidate for the presidential
nomination himself, or as the Warwick
who would control the Nomination
Last year Tammany and the rest of
the Democratic organizations submit
ted to his dictation and supported him
Tor governor. Even that eloquent apos-
| tie of sweetness and light, the Hon.
| iiourke Cochran, seconded his nomina.
llon Tor governor and testified to
Hearsts integrity of character and
nobility of Notwithstanding
the evil things he had said about him
before. And all the other Democratic
leaders fell into line. But they now
declare that they viii never. never do
so again, and Mr.. Hearst has had a
ialling-out with his own managers for
reasons that are not particularly in
teresting to the public. 1t is sufficient
to say that If he and the Democratic
organization march In the same pro
cession it will be under a Hearst ban.
ner.
The difference between Mayor Nc
Clellan and Tammany grew out OF
the attempts of MIR. Murphy, the Tam
many chief to control municipal pa
tronage, which Mr.. Mcclellan would
not permit He has denounced Murphy
IN vigorous terms, and Murphy has
been equally severe in his attacks
upon the mayor Last year Mr.. Nc.
Clellan. in a written statement to
the newspapers. said:
Il am Democrat, and win be a
Democrat as long as that party has
a name. But, as a Democrat, and as
mayor OF this town, | am unalterably
opposed to Charles F. Murphy and to
everything that he stands for"
Shortly afterward Charles f. Muir
ply, in carefully prepared state
ment, referred to Mayor Mcclellan as
follows:
Whenever an official Is compelled
to explain or excuse a betrayal of pub
lie trust he must have recourse to the
only two weapons available in such an
mergency-hypocrisy and falsehood"
Tammany suffers long and has pa
tience but its leaders and its rank and
file never forget or forgive. They
live TO get even" and II they can't
crafty their resentment in one way
they Will try another. Just now they
are trying to get even with Mayor Nc
Clellan by procuring the passage of
bill through the legislature direct
ing recount OF the votes for mayor
at the city election In New York
two years ago. II is generally believed
that there was n good deal of ballot
box stuffing at that time, and GER
tainly the Tammany leaders ought to
know, because they supported Mr.. Nc
Clallan against Mr.. Hearst. and the
latter has always claimed that he was
counted out. He went into court and
asked a mandamus compelling the
election board to open the ballot boxs
and recount the votes. The court de
cided that he was entitled to the
benefit of such proceedings provided
he would pay the expenses out of his
own pocket but when he found that
it would cost more than 100000 to
crafty his curiosity he lost interest
in the subject and has done nothing
since.
During the present session of the
legislature. however, a bill was intro
duced directing a recount of the votes
cast for mayor of New York city in
November, 1905, at the expense of the
taxpayers, and, In the interest of JUS
tic,e to determine whether Mr. Hearst
or Mr.. Mcclellan was elected. Gov
ernor Hughes Is believed to be the
author OF the bill. Whether he started
the movement from his inner con
sciousness and sense of justice or
whether 1t is the result of a suggestion
from some source, political or other
wise, nobody seems TO know. The
governor explains that his only motive
In the matter is to settle an irritating
controversy and vindicate the voice OF
the people. The Republican members
OF the legislature and politicians gen
orally throughout the state consider
1t an adroit political scheme still fur
ther to distract the Democracy and stir
up strife between the various factions
of that party. That may have been
the governors object, but he is not
politician and that is not the way
he usually works.
The Tammany members of the leg
islature became very virtuous all at
once when the recount bill was intro
duced. and, although they supported
Mcclellan and their society is respon-
ufI 10