New-York tribune., 1908-09-22

HUGHES rs. MURPHY AND CONNEfS
The nomination of Governor Hughes was
/ enthusiastically hailed in this state and
throughout the country as q splendid triumph
of the people. a victory encouraging to those
! every where who put their faith in the people
and believe in the efficacy Of a fuller and more
perfect democracy. great issue had been
presented to the public in the question whether
one who had served them so faithfully as their
Governor and represented such high ideals OF
public life as he could safely be sacrIhced to
personal grievances and petty politics, ana
the public decided ii Alright. But after all,
that victory was only preliminary, and it will
not do for the people TO treat it as final 1t
will be an empty triumph to renominate Mr..
+ Hughes and then fail 10 elect him. His re-
election is lust as much of q moral issue as his
denomination was. and the question of his sue
cess at the polls ought TO awaken the same IN
tensity and depth of feeling as did the doubt
of his victory in the convention. As he was
then the candidate of the people for the Re
/ publican nomination, he is now the candidate
of the people for the election. His case is In
their hands. Just as the fate of the various
policies with which his name is associated was
ar various times in their hands.
The issue which the Governor presents as
candidate for reelection differs little from the
/ issue that was raised by the fight against his
/ denomination. If Mr.. Hughes is elected 1t Will
/ be triumph of the people pure and simple
If Mr. Chanler is elected it will be triumph OF
bossism Mr. Hughes owes his nomination
solely TO the Overwhelming popular sentiment
for him. Mr.. Chanler received his in the
orthodox way from a convention owned out
right by Murphy and Corners II the Demo
cratic ticket is successful it will mean the
domination of the state by the Tammany boss
/ SrIpb I1OsS
ism as the state has not known in years If
Mr.. Hughes is elected he will take the con-
troll of the parties out of the hands of such
men as Murphy and COnners and put il In
the hands of the party voters. If the Demo
Gratis win it will mean a setback, probably or
several years to the cause of the popular rule
/ of parties. 1t will signify that the voters pre-
/ fer Nurphyism 10 Hughesism, Tammany Hall
political terrorism to the full democracy of the
direct primaries. and bossism of the worst
! sort 10 intellectual and moral leadership.
/ For what the Democratic party represents is
bossism of the worst sort Its victory will
mean that the voters condOne the thuggism of
the Buffalo convention and Of the Carnegie
Hall convention of last spring. If they elect
Murphy and Conners's candidates ii will be
because they are callous TO brutal disregard
/ of the primary laws and of all the other safe
guards which the state has erected to secure 70
the individual party voter his right to repreSeD-
tation and it will be because now. when the
state is face 10 face with opportunity.
through Governor Hughes, to end the evils or
bossism the people are Indifferent TO the
( coarsest most vulgar, most cynical and most
violent bossism In the history Of the state. Mr..
Murphy has made himself master Of the Demo
cratic party by the strong-arm methods which
bring victory in Tammany primaries and he
has been ably assisted by Mr. Conners, who
learned the art of politics while making his
way in the world with his fists from the ranks
of the lake front stevedores. They maintain
harmony and subordnation in the Democratic
ranks the way BOwery and. doubtless. lake
front saloonkeepers maintain peace aud order
/ in their establiShments-by the prowess of
their "bouncers." The ''bouncers were not
in evidence at the Rochester convention, be
cause Mr. Bryan and his friends begged that
no such exhibition of physical force in politics
as characterized the Buffalo and the New York
+ Cirv conventions be given on the eve of a Pres
idential election. But the people of the state
have not forgotten the brutal bosSism at Buffalo
and in Carnegie Hall.
To elect the Democratic ticket is to give ap-
proval 10 such bossism. 1t Is to condone Buff
faIo and Carnegie Hall and the extremes 10
which Murphy and Conners went in denying
localities the right 70 choose their own party
representatives and form their own party
ganizations. 1t is 10 put the most completely
organized state machine that there has been in
New York in control of the state government.
II is 10 Tammanyize New York. The
paigu presents the issue of bossism in It's most
acute form.