New-York tribune., 1909-12-19
CONNERS PERKS UP
LETTERS PLEASE HIN.
State Chairman Thinks MW-
Dbu Unable to Hurt Him.

Probably there is no man in the state
who is taking such keen satisfaction in the
publication OF the letters received by
Charles r. Murphy when the Tammany
boss was AT Mount Clemens as William j.
Ccnners.
Mr.. Corners who is spending much Of
his time I'm this city these days. feels more
than ever convinced that Murphy can do
nothing TO dislodge him from the chair
manship of the Democratic State Commit
tee AS n matter of fact. the Tammany
Hall leaders are more than annoyed be
cause of what they term csreiessness on
the part of Mr. Murphy in failing utterly
TO destroy such intimate correspondence.
They are showing a disposition to go d.
rect TO Judge Gaypor when IL comes TO ap-
pointments or other favors.
Another result OF the publica tion Of the
Mount Clemens correspondence. from the
point of view of Mr. Conners. is that it
has tended TO cast suspicion on the mo-
tives Of some of those ged i'm so-called
reorganization of the Democratic party.
AS purely independent movement. cal
cuiated 10 throw all the present bosses out
OF power. II held an element of danger for
Mr.. Conpers. The latter points to the let
ter of A. J. Johnson TO Mr.. Murphy $
in measure willing to work in harmony
with Mr. Murphy. Even if this be not
true, the statement will have its effect,
Mr.. Conners believes, in weakening tho in
fluence of the Saratoga movement.
A close friend of the Democratic state
chairman said last night that he did not
have the slightest fear that Mr.. Murphy
could do anything harmful 20 him. AS a
matter Of fact, Mr.. Cenners processes to
believe that the Tammany Hall leader is
verging nervous prostration over the
local situation.
During the latter days of his life Senator
McCarren. the Democratic leader in Kings
County. was working hand In glove with
Mr.. Conners. The state chairman will not
talk regarding his relations with John II.
McCooey McCarren's successor. hut he lets
IT be understood that he is not worrying
about the support OF the Kings County
members of the state committee.
While Mr.. Conners says his prolonged
visits TO this city are purely on matters of
personal business, he has been able to keep
in touch with the upstate members of the
state committee. They have come here TO
see him i'm no inconsiderable numbers. On
Friday night he entertained at dinner Will
lam S. Cameron. of Warren County: Wes-
ley J. Springstead. of Rockland County;
James Z. Schwarzenbach, of Steuben
County: Harry S. Patten, Of Oneida Coun-
ty and George B. Van Nalkenburgh, OF
Greene County.
Mr.. Conners is trying to insull into the
minds of the various county leaders that
he stands for square deal His friends
say he wants to forget his part in the
throwing out of delegates from Kings
and other counties at the Carnegie Hall
convention. They say II was entirely due
to him that the McCarren delegates ana
the anti-Cassidy delegates from Queens
were not thrown out at the Rochester
convention a year ago last fall. As mat
ter of fact his friends say. his absolute
refusal to stand for any strong arm Work
there. as planned by Murphy and Daniel
r. Cohalan. was largely responsible for
his break with the Tammany boss.
Thomas Hassett. who is pulling the wires
for Mayor McCIellsn's Governorship boom,
snent Yesterday afternoon with Chairman
Conuers. There has been an impression
that the state chairman was standing
back of Mayor McClellans aspirations in
return for patronage in the Catskill water
project given to upstate leaders. Those
who are close to Chairman Conners de-
clare emphatically, however, that the state
chairman is not tied to Mayor Nc
CIellan's boom. He may make this more
clear after the first of the year.
In the daily budget of Mount Clemens
letters printed i'm Mr.. Hearst's American
Yesterday the one that caused the most
nirth was the following written TO Charles
= Murphy and signed j." supposed to
stand for James F. Gaffney. II read:
Dear Commissioner: Yankee Doodle went
after Corners and invited him TO go golf
ing over Sunday But the state chairman
was coy. and strung Cram by saying that
he was going home to Buffalo. Then Con-
ners spent Sunday with the judge at ST
James. If Cram is going to be let butt IN
on the patronage | have no doubt that
Corners will get his share of ii. Take this
tip from me. Yours, +
The reference is 10 a visit that Chairman
Corners made to Judge Gaynor before the
latter had returned from his summer home
There was story last night that J.
Sergeant Cram. thus facetiously referred to
by Jim Caffney, exceedingly wroth
when he read the letter Yesterday.
In addition TO the Yankee Doodle" let
ter there were a number reproduced yester-
day that had been written 10 Senator James
J. Frawley while the latter was at Mount
Clemens. Some were signed Tom" some
Jerry and others Tom and Jerry"
jeremiah J. Flood. superintendent of con-
struction in the Bureau of Sewers. and
Thomas Clark are both active workers in
Frawley's district. The letters gave some
idea Of the working OF Tsmmany district
machine in looking after its men in the
courts and in the various city offices.