New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-06

Tells College Politicians of His
Experiences Here.
CONVENTION AT COLUMBIA
Civic League Gathers to Discuss
Work of Clubs in Recent
Elections.

DltCbAOhS'
The INTERCOLLEGIATE Civic League held its
annual convention at Columbia University
vest er,lay. when delegates representing poll
tics and good government clubs in All the
larger colleges and universities IN The East
and some from the West, assembled for
The business meeting. which vas held un-
der the auspices of the Columbia Politics
club 4 luncheon was held in Earl Hall.
over which q y Compton. of the C"lum-
bia club. presided.
President Butler Of Columbia delivered
tho address Of welcome He told the col
lego politicians that Columbia was probably
better suited for the study Of politics than
any other college or university. and that
foy that reason many Columbia men went
into public life He said that in the very
beginning that Was probably the case. for
Alexander Hamilton. when student in the
( then Kings College. took = lively Interest IN
the politics Of the day, and recountec the
story of Uami'ron's haTsngUe V'len he
stood on the college steps and held of a
mob with a powerfully delivered piece Of
4 o-a;ory while tho college president, MyieS
cooper fed To a British warshir.
/ Following the luncheon the delegates
! went 10 she front of the university library
4 " here they had their photographs taken IN
a group The business session of the con-
ventior was held in the School of Mines
building.
! Robert 4 Taft. the son OF President
/ Taft. who is in the Yale city Government
/ club. was unable To Ice present, and the
paper which he had prepared "n 'Nolun-
D teer Watching i'm New York was read by
/ L. " Hinkey. Of the Vale club Mr.. Taft
wrote that he had prepared the paper under
4 pressure. and was sure that other men at
the convention knew more about conditions
I at the polls in New York City than he. He
told how he came down 10 the city the
night before Election Day and received
instructions with the other Republican
watchers He was trihe late in getting
around to the polling place 10 which he
had been assigned. he said. although he did
get up at ; O'Clock in the morning.
Il found the regular watcher already
there" said Mr. Taft. and the election
! officers about ready TO OPEN the polls to
a line Of workingmen standing outside The
time passed rather SLOWLY, except when
held the card box and identified the voters
About noon everything seemed To promise
/ a quiet day. so 7 left the regular watcher
and Joined a crowd in an automobile on a
sort of tour Of inspection. We stopped at
number Of polling places all over the
city. especially I'm the worst districts.
Down along the Rowery were some Of
the toughest looking men I have ever seen,
hanging about the saloons or tailor shops
OF undertakers parlors where the booths
had been set M. In the rougher districts
the rooms were always crowded with men
simply talking or watching the election Of
ficers behind the rail. The law which al
lows the public constant access to these
rooms seemed rather ridiculous. as a great
many Of the men seemed to he there chief
" with the purpose Of intimidation. We
had 4 crowd of exceptionally big men with
Us and our purpose was to show that the
Republicans were alive and on the lookout
for any crooked games, to encourage Re
publican voters i'm the heavy Tammany dis
tricts and see that our watchers We're I'M
molested and active.
In almost every case they were work
ing though in few places they had been
bullied out OF challenging except on rare
occasions. In few cases we thought that
the watchers. or more especially the Re
publican leaders, were In league with the
Z Tammany people. hut we could not be Ger
tain and we continued on our way.
During the afternoon quite q crowd Of
as were sent down TO polling place ON
Stuvvesant street where our watchers had
II
an attempt was TO be made to run in
/ crowd OF reporters. There We spent the
rest Of the day. sometimes in the tailor
shop and sometimes walking up and down
on the street and mixing around with
Tammany captains and a crowd OF rough
} looking loafers one Of the watchers had
( been blackJacked in the morning on his
way 20 the elevated. but after the crowd
Of u arrived everything became quiet.
. The election inspector was arrested lit
4 tie later because ne refused admittance -
a watcher. and 7 went down 10 the court
and heard his trial. He was later fined
quite heavily This was practically ali
! In the evening We wandered through
+ the streets. listened TO the noise Of election
night in New York, and heard the returns.
some with regret. some with pleasure
We did not feel Iha, We had been of any
4 indispensable assistance. but perhaps We
had accomplished something for the cause
. Of cleaner politics. and we certainly knew
more about the problems connected with
election. Late AZ might We returned home
tired out but happy"
/ The moment Nh Hinkey sat down a
delegate from the College OF TIE city OF
New York began To critiCise the Yale men
iutima5inc that they had dressed ConsplcG-
ously In the lower parts OF the town. lie
drew 4 reply from the Yale delegation.
Roger Sherman Hoar. SON a. the late
Senator Hoar. of Massachusetts presented
n paper on the work OF the Harvard roli-
4 tics club IN Cambridge H. Z Russell. of
Cornell, read paper or The Cornell poll
teal ,luh. and -. \ Content. Of ColuIn oia
made speech or Tammany IN New York
z ''irN politics.
The officers elected for the following. YEAR
are
Executive Conmittee-R. Bayard cutting.
Harvard, q. Charles NJ. JesUp. " T. :
GrisW old. Yale %. William H. chad
bourne. Harvard 80. Harry D. Minis
Williams %. John Bowie. dr.. Columbia
~ Charles Beard. De Paw. 'aS. Elihu
Root jr.. Hamilton. u5. J ia rden t;uen-
( Princeton. "a. aud Edward NJ SAT-. To-
. Ionto. o.
JUMPS ON ROY IN STREET.