New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-18
Once Poor German Boy Raised to High Places
as Protege of Croker, Reilly and Other
Tammany Leaders,
COULDN'T STAND MURPHYS TYRANNY
Break Came Soon After His Inauguration Governor,
and When He Then Began to Turn Search
light on Grafters in Office Orders Were
Issued to Silence Him by impeachment


sworn into office as Governor of New
vo,k on January /. 1913. IT became evil
s.,, n the man in the street that his
,.rure would be stormy one. To an in
...,dswer less than three months after
:. ,s6 become Governor he said:
.ot course. you understand why my
.rsmies are now lighting me so bitterly
am waging war on the enemies OF the
n.onlA on grafters Of every type and de-
.o-nt,on Wherever 1 turn l find graft
AID plunder Of public funds; in almost
wary department find the trail of the
rrotter. Millions of dollars have been
stolen from the people of New YORK
-.,,,,ons have annually been squandered
-, Irconnpetent and corrupt officials
ass than half year after William
su,zer had made these statements ne
ssd been impeached by Tammany Leg
,.,oture II was the beginning OF the
.rd of career that was marked with
MANY buffetings. for in the years that II
.oot sulzer TO climb TO the place OF head
~ the government Of the greatest state III
,,s Union all was not plain sailing. But
:. vss more or less Injured 10 hardship
from his earliest youth. Whatever elso
nav be said Of him. 1t cannot be oehieu
that ne was tenacious Of purpose
tn some men, while yet he was Gimp
,,g sulzer appeared 20 be a vain ana
enntv demagogue, butt OF ridlcule' d
dangerous and irresponsible agitator. 10
o,bers he was a fearless defender OF 'he
wsak against the strong. an ardent pa
triot and a born leader Of progress.
Como Two Years for Water.
suIzers father was a German. who LETT
his country after the revolution TOT CON-
sttutional government In lS4S ana came
70 America. after spending some years IN
switzerland. He settled in New Jersey
near Elizabeth, married and became
farmer. He had seven children, ano VIII
lam, who was the second, was born March
Il 1853. William Sulzer rebelled against
home discipline at an early age and when
q mere boy was a wanderer.
He was lust eleven years Of age when
his mother sent him one day for pail
OF water. He did not come back for two
wears. and In that time he had been a
cabin boy on board Of brig that traded
IN the West Indies and at South Amerl-
can and Central American ports. But his
career as a sailor did not end with the
ending of his first voyages He had made
I'D his mind while a cabin boy that he
wanted to become a lawyer and decided
10 make the money TO defray the ex-
penses of his education by following the
sea.
He bought a two-masted schooner for
about 5000 on easy terms. He traded In
Caribbean waters and while boy became
acquainted with Cipriano Castro. after
ward President of Venezuela and later
political exile. Soon after. Sulzer was
elected Governor Of New York, Castro
who had been detained by immigration
officers at Ellis Island. was released He
went directly 10 Albany, saying that Sui
Ger was the only man in America that he
cared 10 see.
1t was said that Suffers parents wished
him to become a Presbyterian minister
because that was their faith OF course
he did not Sulzer. when he quit the sea,
was rot far in his teens. He got JOB
in law Office and attended lectures at
the Columbia Law School. Also he Joined
a debating society at Cooper Union and
learned 10 speak.