New-York tribune., 1908-07-31
M'CARREN DON'T CARE"
Says His Leadership Is of Small
Moment to HIM Personally.

night that on the question of his remaining Demo
cratic leader of Kings he is like the girl in the
song whose refrain is Il don't care The occasion
of this confession a mass meeting in Brett
kopf's Congress Hall at Vernon street and At
lentic avenue, which is in the I'd Assembly Dis
trict out in East New York, where Robert F.
Craig is fighting to gain the district leadership,
held by James p Sinnott who has gone over
TO the Murphy forces.
1t was a meeting surcharged with the possibility
of trouble. Outside the door OF the hall. which Is
over beer palace there hovered minions Of the
Sinnott- Murphy forces distributing circulars head
ed: The Heavenly Twins McCarren and his self
appointed leader will storm the district. Then the
circulars went to point out McCarren's alleged
shortcomings. and TO say he does not represent
Democratic thought
Occasionally a husky McCarrenite would push
one of these earnest workers. with his pamphlets.
off into the gutter. There actual fighting,
possibly because the Sinnott bill singers were
featherweights Anyhow, the police were on the
job, and Lieutenant Mccormick, OF the 1881 Pre-
cinct had fourteen uniformed men in the hall. with
half dozen plain clothes distributed through
the big crowd that filled every seat. Outside four
policemen lounged about. Considering the
small hall and its seating capacity. it was honored
by police attention than East Side anar-
chist talkfest
McCarren. whose length and narrowness Of beam
were accentuated by a tight fitting black suit was
the centre of attention and everybody was expect
ing him to mention his untoward experiences this
year as the rubber ball delegate who has bounced
of every convention But Magistrate Geismar.
who preceded him, pointed at the lanky statesman
and shouted; Look at him Look at the Hon.
Senator McCarren. Look at 1904 Then there was
a national convention Kings was represented by
strong delegation. with Senator McCarren at 1ts
head They practically decided who should be the
Presidential candidate of the Democratic party
Alton r. Parker Cheers and catcalls, with the
ringing of COW bells) This year the Kings County
men admitted the conveption were the slaves
of the leader across the bridge and he sat SILENT
The West. and perhaps the South. decided-
After several more speakers pleaded FOR nome
rule" McCarren came on as the headliner Of the
night He was cheered and applauded and the
cowbelis pealed forth right merrily until man
intoxicated by partisansm and third ran Wits
key was pushed back into his seat by one Of the
many policemen. Then McCarren made his con-
fession of faith by saying, Il don't care a cont.
mental whether I'm the leader of Kings or not
He was interrupted by yell from the gallery Of
I'VE want yer Long Pat want yer!' This was
taken up as a sort of beseeching chorus
The Senator wiped his brow and went on: III
won't make a cents worth of difference to me-
It's more your sake than my own that I'm
here. I'll get along, whether I'm in politics or out
of politics" Somebody shouted "A Cinch! but
policeman hustled in the direction of the voice
and the statesman went in his calm manner
"In any case I shall always contend for the inde-
pendence of the Democracy of Kings County
While we are part of the greater city, We are
an integral organization, asking no privileges or
favor from any other organization"
He then went to say that the conditions were
not due him but to 'the seven men who en-
tered into conspiracy with Murphy and signed a
compact" He waved paper above his head and
said these men had been "duped by being shown
Section II of the election law. and told by a
"fat witted lawyer that they could the cleo
ton inspectors. He referred then to the decision
of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court
handed down on Tuesday. declaring his men legally
admissible. ut is not my Intention, he said, ito
discuss this decision more than to quote that sec
ton which This is government of laws
and not of men, That is just what have always
contended'
He then proceeded attack Snnott, the leader of
the district He asked his hearers to ask Snnott
why he had acted toward the McCarren men as he
had He answered his question by saying: 1T
was because he was fulfilling his compact with the
leader across the bridge. Mr.. Murphy told him TO
vote TO throw out the regularly chosen delegates
at the Carnegie Hall convention and he did so. He
has besnirched himself and his children forever
You can go out and murder man in the street
and people mag forgive you but once a man has
branded himself traitor, the stigma lasts for all
time
After comparing Murphy to King Canute and the
tide of the sea 20 a tide OF Indignation McCarren
sat down amid cheers. Most of the crowd didn t
wait for other speakers that included Craig, the
would-be leader