New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-09-08

NO FIT LEADER FOR THE FUSION
Justice Gaynors letter puts him out of con-
sideration for the anti-Tammany nomination
for Mayor. He sees no issue in the campaign.
His letter reveals him flirting cautiously with
both sides, ready to take the fusion nomination
if he can get it but keeping Tammany in re-
serve if he can not and intimating that only
political perversity will rule him out from a
unanimous nomination. The judge will not
pledge himself not to accept a Tammany in
dOrsement if he is the fusion candidate because,
he pretends TO think, only by keeping himself
open 10 nomination by all parties can he main
tain his -partisanship'! This is giving to
nom partisanshp in city elections new mean
ing, according TO which a candidate who is not
the choice of all parties is a partisan; a can
didate who stands for principle is partisan;
a candidate who is loyal 10 a cause is a parti-
san. And so he is, but not by any means in
the sense in which the phrase non-partisanship
in city affairs is regularly used. 1t is an
amiable, wishy- washy kind of non-partisanship
that Justice Gaynor represents, one which finds
no difference between Tammany and anti
Tammany which has no regard for principles
or issues but which elevateS the personality of
the candidate above all other considerations. We
are only truly non-partisans. according TO the
implication of Justice Gaynor's letter, when we
ready to forget all else and fall unanimously
behind the standard of one great man and shout
for him.
But where is the man sufficiently great to
inspire the confidence that it will all be right
if we put our trust in him without regard to
his associations or affiliations: Justice Gaynor
is not such man. 1t does make difference
which camp he is in. 1t does make difference
whether he pledges himself to the cause which
sees no permanent gain for good government
until Tammany is starved out Of existence or
whether he lends his respectable reputation as
a crutch to Tammany. 1t does make difference
whether he is heart and soul in the movement
10 obliterate party lines in city elections or
whether he looks upon the present eXigency in
New YOrk's affairs as a possible stepping stone
10 promotion in his national party 1t does
make difference whether the rest of the city
officials who may be associated with Justice
Gaynor. if he is chosen Mayor, are to be Tam
many men anti-Tammany men, whether the
Board of Estimate is to be controlled by Tam
many not, whether or not Tammany is to
have the borough presidencies. controllership
and the other offices to be filled 1t makes diff
ference both regarding the character of govern
ment the city is TO have for the next four years
and regarding the fate and permanency of the
organization of political loOters who have for
Years made the administration of the city a
bywOrd of reproach. If it made no difference
Bosses Murphy and McCarren would have no
use for Justice Gaynor as the head of their
ticket
A man who Is ready TO be a Tammany can
didate is not fit TO be an anti-Tammany candi-
date. 1t makes no difference that he says he
will give no pledges to Tammany. The
who is not against Tammany is for Tammany.
If it were not for men like Justice Gaynor, who
are ready to save the day for Tammany when
ever it is in a critical situation the organiza-
ton would go to ruin. In politics half a loaf
is better than no bread. and Tammany is ready
TO put Up men of the type of the Brooklyn
jurist at the head of the ticket in order to in
for itself the half loaf that the minor
offices constitute And the men of the type
Of the Brooklyn jurist who lend themselves
10 Tammany's uses know that they are the
means by which the half loaf is secured They
stoop 10 promote their own political future with
the aid OF party regularity and sometimes while
dreaming partisan dreams and having their
own eyes fixed upon remote partisan advan-
tages they lecture the rest of their fellow citi-
zens upon the narrowness of their partisanship!