The Washington herald., 1909-10-23


was about that time that Senator McCar-
rem referred 10 Mr.. Murphy and state
Chairman Corners as "fathead politi-
Clans
Corners anu Murphy in the Carnegie
Hall convention organized cabal by
which McCarren and his delegates from
Kings County were forced out. and Me
Carren's State committeeman were sup
planted by Murphy's selections. which
included Bird S. Coler. Corners and
Murphy charged that these delegates
were fraudulently elected. McCarren
promptly organized the Utica conference
Of home rule Democrats and defied Con-
ners and Murphy to ever again throw
out Tightfully elected delegates This
defiance was needed at Rochester in 1903.
when Chanler was nominated for COVER
nor Nevertheless the act Of Corners
kept McCarren and his men out OF the
Democratic national convention at Den
yer in 1905. This was Bryans special
command
McCarren was always opposed 10 Dem
oCratic radicalism. He was never the
friend of Bryan and never the friend
Of Hearst. He only took up with Gaynor
because he believed that Gaynor, with
all his radical utterances, would be
bound by law. At the recent primaries
held in Brooklyn McCarren insisted that
the inspectors should be equally divided
between his men and the opposition. He
won his fights In nineteen Of the twenty
three districts, and thus proved that the
charges OF 1907 about his delegates to
State conventions were baseless.
Always on Top.
Several times in the last few years Mr..
Murphy has made well organized at
tempts to wrest the control Of Brooklyn
from Senator McCarren. but one attempt
after another failed Several times il
looked pretty dark for McCarren, but
when they got through counting ballots
at the primaries Long Pat was always
on top. Five leaders got away from him
and sat in rebellion. but their influence
was never strong enough to threaten Sc
riously the senator's boss-ship
For a good many years the senator was
said to be the particular friend OF the
Standard Oil Company and the sugar
trust up in Albany Also he was an I'M
renting opponent of reform in any
guise. He first won general notoriety
a defender OF certain corporations in
1897. A legislative committee was in
vestigating the sugar trust I'm Brooklyn,
q committee Of which Senator LeXow was
chairman. In that investigation McCar-
rem came right out as the defender OF the
sugar trust. He fought for the trust in
the committee and he dissented In a mi
nority report from its findings Many
predicted McCarren's downfall at that
time. That fall, however. he was re-
elected senator from the Fourteenth DIS
trict by a largely increased majority
~ III
pany were a matter Of comment for
years and the senator himself never
took the trouble TO issue disclaimers
He set himself 10 break the wave OF al
legged reform that Gov Hughes set in
motion when he came into office McCar-
rem with John Raines. the Republican
leader. led a coalition against the COVER
nor that baked the removal Of Otto
Kelsey. There were times, il was said.
when Raines weakened and was willing
TO quit, but McCarren never turned a
hair. He fought the governor to a finish
on the proposition Of putting through a
law TO stop gambling at the race tracks.
and fought 50 hard that despite the fact
that the governor had the support OF
almost all the newspapers and that
every senator was shOwered with appeals
and threats from constituents, McCarren
was beaten by only one vote when the
showdown came.
McCarren was genuinely liked by most
OF the men who fought him. They be-
Neved that he was a bad influence in
public life, but they fancied the long
senator as friend. McCarren grimly
recognized the opposition as would-be
officeholders.
Studied nnd Reflected.
McCarren was a lawyer. but he never
had time TO practice. Politics kept him
far too busy. He was admitted to the
bar after he was forty-three. and al
though he probably hasn't appeared in
court a dozen times his fees were said
to be very large. 1t has been alleged
that he got a large annual retainer from
the Standard Oil Company. To the
knowledge Of law, as well as to a COM
prehension Of most other subjects. Nc
Carren educated himself The Brooklyn
cooper read and studied and reflected
most of his life He was very fond Of
reading and mis- favorite authors. he told
friend once, were John Stuart Mil
and Benjamin Kidd He was a brilliant
and easy talker among friends.
An incident occurred in the racing sea-
son Of 1903 which showed Just how much
chilled steel nerve the man had Nc
Carren had a bad season on the track.
He hadn't been able to win a big bet,
and his stable of horses had performed
worse than indinerently. The senator
had great hopes that his two-year-old
FLY Ocean Tide. entered for the Great
Filly Stakes. would pull him out Of the
hole. The stake itself was worth $4,000.
n Tcfr fvF, A.
and down the rows Of bookmakers until
they stood to win ct least 100000
Ocean Tide and August Belmonts Bel
dame came down the stretch noddng
together. For a furlong their heads could
have been covered with saddle blanket
They shot under the wire as a team
II looked as II Ocean Tide had thrown
her nose an inch or two in front OF Bel
dames-just a hands breath, maybe.
The crowd sent Up a wild yell. ocean
Tide wlnsi'
McCarren, absolutely unmoved. as cold
as a chunk OF ice, stood by the Judges
stand. Wait till the numbers go up"
he said. easily. Up went the red board
and Beldame's number was on top. 1t
ment difference Of $1,000 at least.
The Senator smiled when his friends
shouted with angry disappointment.
Weil' Dogs ne sald SLOWLY, they can
see the line up there better than we can
down here. That's what the judges
sre there for"
Ten days later the sale Of Senator
McCarren's racing stable was announced. |
Ocean Tides defeat had been the last
straw
Incident Of Gnmeness.
more recent instance Of gameness
occurred after the brokerage firm Of !
Ennis & Stoppani failed. The senator |
had been playing the market heavily. !
When Ennis & Stoppani went under |