The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-24
Fusion and Fact.

,hev must In all cases send stamps for that purpose.
Fusion and Fact.
A considerable number OF active and
ingenious gentlemen Of various partisan
and non-partisan a~filiation are at the
present moment engaged upon the i'm
posing task Of providing the good people
Of this city with issues and q candidate
for the next municipal contest. OF
itself there is naturally nothing note
worthy or unusual in this industry. 1t
10 the usual condition antecedent to
the normal Mayoralty campaign. II
is, moreover, Enthusiastically to be COM
maded, in that it demonstrates a
pleasing interest in public affairs. As
to the ultimate efficacy or ucces Of the
present movements, however, there
may be adequate basis for a vide dif-
ference of opinion.
In general terms the purpose Of all
rnovements that have been disclosed
up to the present time is a ti-Tammany,
II Il perfectly apparent that a number
OF separate and divergent attempts are
being made to fan into flames again
the embers of the fire that burned so
fiercely and so destructively eight years
ago. Natural as this line of campaign
10, however, there are not lacking at
the present moment indications Of its
possible failure. At least two things
seem reasonably certain first, that no
leadership Of potential promise has yet
been disclosed, and secondly, that no
issues have yet been discovered which
have aroused even 4 faint echo of popu-
lar responses,
The notion that fusion Of itself pos
uesses any specific for popular apathy
and public indifference is of course
absurd. Without the vitality that
springs from leadership and issues that
arouse popular support a fusion cam
paikn Is even more futile than a regular
Republican contest, which is mere flu
tility. The vast majority Of the voters
at this city are Democratic in local
adairp; in fact, as a result Of the inspired
upstate Republican rule Of this city
are openly anti Republican. II CHARLEs
?. MURPHY and PATRICK H. McCARREN
r UNNECESSARILY unpopular in this
city, there is no outward evidence that
popular d%etestation Of TIMOTHY l..
WOODRUFF and HERBERT PARSONS is
lees widespread or less intense. The
attempt, therefore, TO compel the nomi-
nation of any follower or associate of
either OF these Republican statesmen
under the cover Of rafting the dry bones
Of fusion is ridiculous and doomed to
defeat, for the simple reason that a ma
jority of the voters Of this city prefer
. Democratic 10 a Republican boss
when the issue is thus narrowed.
1t 10 perhaps idle to expect politicians
or Republican statesmen to draw lessons
from the past. II this were not the case
there might be eloquent testimony
available in the municipal campaign OF
1905. II was then demonstrated that
not even the known disaualifcations Of
WILLIAM r. HEARST and the general
distrust his career had awakened could
impair hia po%tontiality as a vehicle for
the expression Of popular hatred and
passion directed against both politi-
cal parties. Nothing. moreover, so far
as We q see, has happened since
that time TO increase the popularity or
diminish the public contempt for the
reigning party bosses of both machines
in this town. To believe lii erently,
in our humble judgment. is to commit
the objectionable political error Of mis-
judging the true sentiments Of this con-
s~tituencv,
Issues, leadership, the men and the
material for a negative anti Tammany
fight or a positive contest for good gov
eminent may lie all about; probably
they do. This is, in any event. not the
time 70 discuss either; but to judge from
oil outward evidences, the effort to OBJ
tain power under false pretences is less
likely to succeed this year thun in any
lectnt campaign we remember. Pub
lie response to such an effort, moreover,
will in our judgment be as interesting
aBit will be instructive.