New-York tribune., 1912-02-15
MURPHY AND THE RING
BLAMED BY OSBORNE
Democratic League Chairman
AssaiIs Tammany "BoSS" as
Menace to Party and State.
WAR ON BETWEEN FACTIONS
Resolutions Adopted Seeking to
Curtail Machine Control OF
Delegation to National
Convention.

Albany Feb 14-After bitterly asSailing
Charles r Murphy, leader OF TammanY
Hall. who was characterized as the ar
bitter Of our destinies," and adopting reso-
lutiona seeking 10 curtail his influence IN
both the state and national conventions
this year. the annual meeting Of the gen
eral committee Of the Democratic League
Of New York State adjourned late this
afternoon to meet for conference on the
day preceding the state convention for
the election Of national delegates.
Prominent Democrats from all parts oil
the state were present. Thomas Mott os-
borne, chairman, in a long address, oc-
nounced Murphy and the ring MI os-
borne said in part:
No Democrat who believed i'm true Demo
cratic principles or cherished high hopes
for his party could have come away from
the Rochester convention without grave
disappointment and serious mlsslFlhss.
Not a single real leader Of force and char
Acter throughout the state was admtted
TO the inner councils OF the Murphy Iins
that dominated the convention. During
the last evening session, when the dele
gates sat, hour after hour. awaiting liKe
a patient drove of cattle the word OF COM
mand from their mssters-whle the nomi-
nation slate was being finally made up--not
one word of advice or assistance was
asked or desired from any one outside the
hdif dozen or so mon " nose OneQleul htif-
cations under the hateful and undemocratc
unit rule, gave them a majority OF votes.
although not necessarily majority OF
delegates. and thus made them masters
of the situation
Never Such Boss Rule Seem
Never have We seen more complete eX-
hibition of undemocratiC boss rule; never
a more depressing exhibition Of the sur
render by the representatives OF great
party Of their rights duties and reSponsi-
Of hat ind
the breath Of life TO our democratic IN
stitutlons.
After reviewing the victory Of 1910 Mr..
Osborne said:
We were in the flush Of success. although
some of US even then Ganuary 26, l9lD had
begun 10 realize that the party was drift
ing as fast as possible upon the rocks upon
which We were wrecked In last falls cleo
tion. All that was needed 10 insure per
manent Democratic rule in New YORK state
was ordinary common sense, some concep-
ton of the existing trend of political
promises. Unfortunately these were eN-
aCtly what were lacking in the ring which
controlled our party destinies.
With an effrontery almost unparalleled IN
the history of our bOss-ridden state, with
out waiting for such a trtflng formality as
the assembling of the elected legislators
and apparently considering the action or
the party caucus as only a perfunctory bit
of machinery TO register its sovereign de-
cree, the ring. without DOtleTlnE apOut
such unnecessary formalties, was prepared
10 hand over the senatorship 20 the chosen
recipient.
There is not time to so further into the
senatorial fight of last winter although 1t
could be made not only entertaining but
instructive Those Of MS who thought we
already knew something Of politics as she
IS played" had a chance to reach the con-
clUsion that our cyeteeth were not only
not cut but had not yet even put in an
appearance Big business" its connection
with practical politics, its immense power
and resources, its capacity to pry out each
mans hidden weakness and to play upon
it-all these things were never more .striK-
ingly shown, Were the story told 10 YOU in
detail Won would suspect disordered
imagination and I confess as look back at
II all IL seems almost like the wild phan-
tssmagoria of a nightmare.
Legislators Awaiting Orders,
out of II all, however, comes one picture,
clear and distinct-the picture of the elected
representa- tives of a great party--the party
Of jefferson. Of Jackson, of Tiden and OF
Cleveland-the Democratic Senators and
Assemblymen OF the greatest state of the
Union sitting idly-waiting hour after hour
in the great chamber of the state Capitof
while their leaders in side room were
ringing at the telephone, hour after hour.
Nainly endeavoring to get their orders from
the boss in New York City,
The spectacle Of the elected representa-
tives Of New York Democracy sitting con-
tented and jovial, ohediently awaiting the