New-York tribune., 1909-11-01
big TIM'S" SPEECH
WHY HE GIVES SHOES.
BoTery Statesman Got His In
smration from Teacher.

THAT may not be every ones idea, and
maybe | amt the kind of man you'll tell
your boys TO pattern after, but it's my idea
OF doing good, and ] don't give damn
who likes it, said Big Tim Sullivan at
Miners Bowery Theatre last night after he
had told the audience the story OF how he
came 10 give out shoes every year.
At previous yearly gatherings Just before
election big Tim has said a half dozen
words thanking his friends for their well
come, but last night he announced at the
start that he was going to make a speech
Every man and woman in the place list
ened breathlessly he told them OF his
early life. his struggle TO rise and of his
success. Tim told them that the firm
OF Sullivan & Krauss cleared SIS. 900 In its
first years business thirteen years ago. and
had beaten their previous record every
year since then.
Besides that am a member of the firm
OF Sullivan e. Considine.' said he. "and !
wouldn't tell you how much that frm
makes: there'd be too many around for a
touch tomorrow. But we control more
theatres than any other firm, not corpora
ton. and we're the largest theatrical firm
Of two in the world
FLING AT HEARST
Sullivan said had been printed by man
who was trying 10 get into Office by at
tacking and throwing mud at every one
who was against him, and which said that
big Tim had become a millionaire sew
eral times over on salary of $3.50 a year.
He went on:
The trouble with those hysterical reform
politicians of these latter days is that they
don't know our conditions down here. and
N her q ~etfn lsS r,.Ay dSf1 hAy
they think there's something wrong.
Back in 1873 there was schooiboy down
and slushy day he got to school with his
feet all cold and vet because the shoes
were all ripped. There was several more
~ home 10 buv shoes for, so nothin dom
for him. And this kid got there early. TO
school SOS he could get his feet up near
the stove and warm 'em up. The teacher s
came in. and her name was Murphy, by
the way, and she looked kind OF funny al
this kid. but that was all. and schooi
started.
Along that afternoon, when this kid
hadn't been dom nothn' at all, Miss Mur-
ply hollers out, Sullivan. you stay IN
after o'clock" and thought that some
kid must have laid somethin' on me, and
And after school was over I sat there.
and sat there, an finally L says: Miss
Murphy. 1 gotta get out OF here and
get down and get my papers: Whatye
done?" And she says: You haven't dohe
anything, Sullivan. Come here
BIG I'm = E1hSi SfioGo-
Brennan men sd down at No No. White street. and
told me TO see him at O'CLOCK that night;
and ! did. and he gave me an order on
Jameson's in Canal street, for pair OF
shoes; and ! got 'em, and then and there
] thought II ever got any money Id
buy somebody shoes. and I'm going to o"S
'em as long as / live.
big Tim paused there, and for q fuu
half minute the crowd kept still, and then
roar Of cheers broke out and swept through
the house from boxes 10 galleries, and the
crowd stood up and yelled like mad at the
big fellow for over minute.
Some one asked him once why he picked
out February as his day TO give out the
shoes. and he answered, Well. it's the
N coldest time Of the year, SO we'll let II so
at that"
On the Turner article concerning white
slaves Big Tim" said he'd stand for being
pilloried between thieves. and I'm not the
first man in the world that's been plloried
between TWO thieves" he said, "but won't
stand for this. This is too horrible. and
this fellow Turner" and the speaker waved
his arms IN anger. well. he better stay
! away from around here" he concluded
! quietly.
No man on earth, he said, believed In
women as he did.
| u
Turner up when the former article came
lout, and he wanted TO refute one lying
0statement, he said. that was given IN that
yformer article. 1t was about the Larry
'Mulligan ball.
- 1T says here" read Big Tim," that the
grand march was led by women OF easy
virtue and men Of worse. Now I've got
here a list of hundred couples that was
I'm that grand march, and wish i could
read 'em to you-all people that you'd
know, respectable and all. and it's open,
this list. for any one 10 come and see it,
big Tim said he'd heard of almost
everything else, and been accused of almost
everything else. but the white slave
cusations he denied absolutely.
James Hagan, candidate for County
Clerk, delivered an address Just before
big Tim spoke. in which he compared
the campaign to melodrana.
It's my little idea" said Hagan. that
this campaign is as much like a melo-
drama as anything else" and then he
went on to tell how President Parsons OF
the Republican County Committee the
heavy villain in his little rnelodraIna, and
another character was a candidate whom
he termed "a drunken crusader" and then
proceeded to give il as his opinion that
man was a reformer under two circum-
stances only-one was disappointment and
the other was drunkenness
Hagan touched on the fusion candidates.
and ended up in a burst Of oratory IN
which he said that the thirty-fve leaders
of Taulinany Hall are the real reformers-
ordained by Christ himself"
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