Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-24
LEADER MURPHY
PRIMARY ISSUE
Great Public Interest in Today's
Gotham Election.
MANY BITTER CONTESTS
Mayor Mcclellan Waging Battle
Against the Boss.
MUST BE REGISTERED TO VOTE
Tammany Divided in Big Fight-No
Fears of Any Serious Troubles.
Talk Mostly Bluff.
Mayor Mcclellan Waging Battle
Against the Boss.
MUST BE REGISTERED TO VOTE
Enecinl nlsnatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK. September 24-The future
OF Charles F. Murphy as leader of Tam
many hinges on the result of the primary
election TO be held from o'clock this aft
ernoon till o'clock tonight. This consti-
tutes really the issue of great public
interest in the election, because many of
the contests are personal and local. On the
republican side there is no general factional
fight and the primary of that party has at
tracted little attention.
Leader Murphy and his lieutenants have
charged that the police are antagonists to
them in this primary. and they have had
many men sworn in as deputy sheriffs to
serve at the polling places. The Tam
many law committee has complained bit
ferIy of the action of the board of cleo
tions in delaying the appointment Of demo-
cratic election officers, and then transferring
Inspectors from one district to another.
Mayor Mcclellan is supposed to be in con-
troll Of both the police department and the
board of elections That may have been
the real cause of the complaints. Police
Commissioner Bingham says that he ex-
poets some trouble in few districts. but
has detailed plenty of extra policemen, with
Instructions to preserve order and arrest
every man who starts fight.
Under all this talk. the transfer of in
spectors. the swearing in of special ~eputy
sheriffs the accusations and counter-ac-
cusations the Tammany politicians are
perfectly calm. The threats and the roor-
back are more and no worse than they
have been IN other years, when primaries
were he'd without bloodshed As a mat
ter of fact no experienced politician IA
miliar with the real situation expects any
bluff put forth for a purpose.
Only Registered Voters.
Enrolled democrats and republicans alone
n n election Much loud
talk of fighting. b,oodshed and intimidation
will have one effect. 1t will cause few
peace-loving, quiet. enrolled voters. men
who seek political favors, to remain at
business and home during the afternoon
and evening. They will not attempt to
vote, and therefore in the Closing hour OF
the primary there will be chance, Just
a chance to vote foaters on the names of
the quiet men who remain at home. But
the watching at the polls by both factions
will be close that the chance of fraud
is reduced to a minimum
The Tammany contests of today are d.
vded into two classes one where Leader
Murphy has directed the fight to defeat
leaders who are allied with Mayor McClel-
Ian, the other where friends of the mayor
are forcinI fights against leaders of the
Murphy faction. Contests of the first class
center in the sixteenth and twentieth as
sembly districts, where Leaders Lantry and
Featherson openly favor the mayor and
oppose the leadership of Murphy.
The storm center of the contests of the
second class is the twenty-third assembly
district, where there Is a hard fight by Nc
Clellan followers to defeat Thomas F. Nc
Avoy, who is chairman of the Tammany
executive committee.
Predicted Stormiest in Years.
Predictions were rife among politicians
that tOday's legislative primary election
would be the stormiest in recent years, ow-
ing TO feeling among the democrats. Wheth-
er these forecasts will be verified remains
TO be seen. Preparations for emergencies
were made by the police department, in
the shertfrs office, the board of elections
and the district attorneys office and by
democratic district leaders. most of whom
Ore members of Tammany Hall.
There is much bitterness between the
followers Of Charles F. Murphy, Tam
rnanys head. and followers of Mayor Nc
Clellan, which has cropped out in minor
disturbances. Struggles for Tammany
Halls supremacy will take place in seven
teen out of the thirty-five assembly dis
t~icts in Manhattan and the Bronx and on
Staten Island. Republican leadership is
involved in the primaries in six districts in
Manhattan and two In Brooklyn.
A Riotous Disturbance
Two men, one OF them a policeman were
hurt in a riotous disturbance in West 57th
street just before the polls for the demo-
cratic primaries opened this afternoon In
this district there is a hot contest for the
Tammany leadership How the trouble
started is not known, but suddenly a street
corner argument developed into a free-for-
all fight
Several shots were fired a great crowd
gathered and for a time the police were
unable 10 restore order. The policeman
and the other injured man both had bad
scalp wounds and were taken to hospital