New-York tribune., 1913-11-06
Danger to the City from Political
Bushwhackers.

No camnsicn ever revealed the dangers IN WHICH
good municipal government here STANDS more 'Nlui'
than the one which has just ended. Several unleS
the efforts of the city to escape from It's despoler
seemed certain to be defeated by the reacnery anu
sefshness of petty political cliques and their lead
ers. and success was only won in the end through
combination Of fortunate circumstances and the
stupid laundering of the Tammany boss.
The meanest kind of politics deprived the city at
the outset of the strongest available candidate 1or
the Mayoralty. The Gaynor candidacy threatened
division of the forces opposed to Tammany Hall
The characteristic treachery of Hearst 1mperilleu
the prospects of an antiTammany Board of Esti-
mate and Apportionment. AS it was, only the over
whelming sweep Of the revolt against Murphy pre-
vented Hearst from delivering an important part oi
the city government over to the boss. lie appe'''
to have succeeded in causing the election OF one o
Murphy's candidates for justice of the supreme
Court-after being himself bitter critic OF the sys
tenn under which judges go hat in hand to Murphy
And the danger of the city's being betrayed has
been greatly increased by the class of leaders whch
the Progressive party has brought forward. we
say nothing against the honest men in that party
who sincerely desire development along progressive
lines But they have let their party fall into hands
as dangerous to municipal welfare as those Of
Hearst himself.
spoiled child of politics like Bird has all the
capacity for mischief of unprincipled marpiot
like Hearst first operating on one side and then on
another in the antTammany war, like hired mer-
cenarv. as his interests seem to dictate.
The city needs protection from the Birds ana tne
Hearsts. With the breakdown of the great natona
nartes in municipal affairs such political oush
wbackers have tended to multiply until the Ameri
can two-party system has ceased to exist IN mu
ncipal elections and condition like that in foreign
pariiaments has grown up, where fusion has TO be
created in order to give any one party the majority
The ignoring of national party lines in city cleo
tions was desirable. The Tribune has itself
preached the need of it often in the past But while
II has contributed much toward cleaner and more
busnesslike city administration it has also brought
for the Hearsts and the Birds to surround them
selves with a following, hold seeming balance of
mower and demand their price for protecting the
city from thieves.
Sooner or later laws will have to be passed to
meet the situation created by these ignoble petty
chieftains. Had the opposition to Tammany split
into fragments this year. it more than once threat
ened TO do, the demand for such measures would
have been irresistible But though the danger was
averted it exists for the future. There will always
be Hearsts. There will probably be more Birds.
Some other cities deal with their kind by holding a
primary, in which all but the two candidates having
the highest number of supporters eliminated
from the Mayoralty race, and the election is mar
rowed down to these two. Such a primary here
would insure straightout Tammany anti Tammany
fight at each city election.