The Washington herald., 1913-10-12

opponent in the Gubernatorial campaign
that should not make war on Mr.. Platt
or anybody else If war could be avoided;
that what I wanted was TO be Governor
and not a faction leader; that l certain
ly would confer with the organization
men, as with everybody else who seemed
to me to have knowledge OF and interest
| in public affairs, and that as TO Mr.,
| Platt and the organization leaders,
should do so in the sincere hope that
| there might always result harmony of
| opinion and purpose: but that while
| would try TO get on well with the or
ganization. the organization must with
equal sincerity strive to do what I re-
garded as essential for the public good:
| and that in every case. after full con-
sideration of what everybody had to say
! who might possess real knowledge OF the
matter, l should have to act finally as
my own judgment and conscience dictated
and administer the State government as
| thought II ought to be administered
Quigg said that this was precisely what
he supposed I would say. that it was all
anybody could expect. and that he would
state il TO Senator Platt precisely as
had put it to him. which he accordingly
did; and. throughout my term as Gov
ernor. Quigg lived Loyalty UP to our
understandings
An Aggressive Campaign.
After being nominated. l made a hard
and aggressive campaign through the
State. My opponent was a respectable
man, a judge, behind whom stood Mr..
Croker. the boss of Tammany Hall My
object was to make the people under
stand that ii was Croker and not the
nominal candidate who was my real op-
ponent; that the choice lay between Gro
kerism and myself. Croker was a pow
erful and truculent man, the autocrat
OF his organization, and OF a domineer-
ing nature. For his own reasons he in
sisted upon Tammany's turning down an
excellent Democratic Judge who was
candidate for reelection. This gave me
my chance. Under my attack, Croker,
who was a stalwart fighting man and
who would not take an attack tamely,
himself came to the front. / was able
TO fix the contest in the public mind
as one between himself and myself: and,
against all probabilities, l won by the
rather narrow margin of 1900 plurality.
AS have L're3dy said. there is luna
tic fringe to every reform movement At
least nine-tenths of all the sincere re-
formers supported me; but the ultra
pacifiCists. the so-called anti-imperialists,
or anti-militarists. or peace-at-any-pr
men, preferred Croker to me; and another
knot of extremists who had at first ar
IDENTIFY insisted that ] must be forced
on Platt. as soon as PIatt supported me
themselves opposed me because he sup
ported me. After election John Hay
wrote me as follows: While you are
Governor l believe the party can be
made solid as never before. You have
already shown that a man may be alb
solutely honest and yet practical; a re-
former by instinct and a wise politician
bravo hold nd
yet not wild ass of the desert. The
exhibition made by the professional in
dependents in voting against you for no
reason on earth except that somebody
else was voting for you is a lesson that
is worth its cost"
The Fear of Mr.. Bryan.
At that time boss rule was at its very
zenith. Mr.. Bryans candidacy in 1896 on
free silver platform had threatened
such frightful business disaster as to
make the business men, the wage-work-
ers, and the professional classes general
ly, turn eagerly to the Republican party.
East OF the Mississippi the Republican
vote for Mr.. Mckinley was larger by far
than it had been for Abraham Lincoln
in the days when the life of the nation
was at stake.
MIR. Bryan championed many sorely
plain people; but many of his platform
proposals, economic and otherwise, were
OF such A character that to have put
them into practice would have meant to
plunge all our people into conditions far
worse than any of those for which he
sought a remedy. The free silver advo-
Gates included sincere and upright men,
who were ~able to make a strong case
for their position; but with them, and
dominating them. were all the believers
In the complete or partial reputation OF
national, State, and private debts: and
not only the business men, but the work.
ingmen grew to feel that under these
circumstances too heavy a price could
not be paid to avert the Democratic tri-
'In letter TO me Mr.. ouigs states. what had
forgotten, that toll him to tell the Senator that
while would talk lrlely with him. and had no in
tentiou Of becoming a factional leader With a per
sonal organization, yet that must have direct per-
soual relations with rVoy body. and get their views
at first hand whenever ] 80 desired, because could
not have speakng for all