The Detroit times., 1911-01-24
BOSS MURPHY HAS
\. !. ASSEMBLY IN
HIS GRIP
Tammany Leader Sits in Hotel Four
Blocks From Assembly and Leg
islators Vote For VIM. F.
Sheehan As He Demands.
One Man Had Courage To Tell Him
He Would Follow Nobody, But
Cast His Ballot As He Saw Fit.
sy w. G. SHEPHERD.

ALBANY, =. Y, Jan. 24.-lt was O
disgusting spectacle, this herdinS oil
American citizens, which | saw when
l came to Albany to watch the taking
of q ballot in the senatorial deadlock.
The people OF New York voted Sen
ator ChaunCey NJ. Depew out OF the
senate because he did not stand with
the majority Of the people. They put
the Democratic party into power. hop
ing for squarer deal than they re-
ceived from the Republicans. But, lO
and behold, when the Democrats be-
gan to attempt the selection OF sen
ator to take the place OF Depew, the
same interests that Depew served we're
discovered 10 have as strong hold on
the Democratic party as they had no
Republican party.
These interests desire the election
of William F. Shecnan. He is smart
lawyer, a partner of Alton b. Parker.
They have a Wall-st. law otfice. He
has always served the interests faith
fully. He will continue to be faithful
to special privilege If he gets into the
United States senate.
I'll tell simply what | saw and heard
as the daily noon ballot was taken.
The pages brought out 81 camp
stools and placed them in front OF the
speakers stand, in the lower house.
These were for the senators. AS tho
latter filed solemnly into the cham
Der, the members OF the lower house
arose In the camp chairs the sena-
tors seated themselves and the roll
call was begun.
TTI In h inh I cot nT1
of the house was under the speakers
stand and facing the legislators. They
made a splendid gathering. l didn't
see any fat, red-faced, gruff, vulgar
men, OF the politician type, but y
ccllectlaft- of representative Ameri-
cans, above the average OF inteili-
gence.
They were nothing more nor less
than plain Americans, chosen by their
fellow citizens to represent them In
the state government. You or | WOULD
have been proud to be among them.
You wouldn't think that collection
OF Americans like that could be herd
Cd, delivered by the head like cattle,
by 4 gang boss like Charles Murphy.
OF TammGny hall. And yet we all
knew that in a hotel four blocks away
sat Charles Murphy, there holding the
strings that ended In rings In the
noses Of some scores of them, and re-
member that Murphy Is not an official
OF any sort, only a gang boss, forcing
most of these representative Amerl-
can citizens TO do as he told them.
They sat solemn-faced as the roll
was called, Then the voting began.
MI cir
It. The clerk called name. One OF
the Americans arose and said will
liam F. Sheehan." Another name was
called. A fine-looking, gray-haired old
lawyer arose and said William r.
Sheehan." And so It went on: will
liam f. Sheehan, William F. Sheehan,
William F. Sheehan" 1t was like a
schoolboy's piece. There was not a
man who spoke 1t who did not know
that Shechan was a corporation man.
Most of the men | saw were bound
by so-called honor. | fancied that the
faces OF many OF them were sad as
they pronounced the Sheehan name,
and felt themselves delivered like so
many dumb animals. Now and then
different FIVE syllables came from a
man, forming the name Chauncey NJ
Depew. This was a Republican vet
ing. He, too, was bound by that same
honor TO vote as he did.
And when it was all over, Chauncey
NJ. Depew, betrayer OF the people, ana
William F. Sheehan, led all the rest,
though there were not enough votes
to elect either.
They we're different men, belonging