The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-14
A Different Viewpoint of New
York Governor.
He Has Been LiOniZed in the
Magazines.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER SIDE
Said to Be Thorough Tammany
Man.
Why He Broke and What He
Hoped to Do.

New York, Aug. 14.-Sulzer, a pic
turesque politician, who had served
his organization unbrokenly for 20
years, became the governor of New
York January 1, this year. Fortune
had smiled on his candidacy. The
Progressive movement had split his
opposition, and Charles F. Murphy,
grand sachem of Tammany Hall, had
pasted his seal of approval upon him.
Perhaps Boss Barnes, leader of the
Republican machine, had even given
a little aid So Sulzer was elected and
Tammany began it's favorite amuse-
ment of parceling out the pie.
Played to the Gallery.
But the organization had reckoned
without its tool. SulZer, always an
egotist and gallery performer, declared
war on the power that had elected him
in the first speech as governor.
81 am free. without entanglements, -
enthusiastically he declared from the
steps of his capitol in his inauguration
address, land shall remain SO. No in
huence controls me except the dictates
of my own conscience, and my deter
mination to do my duty, day in and
day out, as 1 see the right, regardless
of consequences"
The people cheered; the bosses in
New York smiled, and wrote down a
few more names of the faithful for
JODS. but SulZ0T IdIh-
ing about the iniquity of bosses and
boss rule. In his egotism he decided a
wave of popular demand for Sulzer,
instead of Tammany aid, had made
him governor. So he declared war on
silent Charles F. Murphy; and Tam
many prepared to chastize its recalci
trant son.
Golfers Viewpoint.
Golfers Weekly prints an editorial
estimation of Suffers character based
on close observation at Albany and N
Washington, when Su1zer was a mem
Der OF congress. 1t says:
1.-THE best to be said about Sulzer is
that he might have been worse. He
might have kept peace with Tammany..
Tammany could have gone on with it's
graft and Sulzer could have avoided
the exposures that have followed his
break with Murphy. But let no one
hope that New York will ever be de-
livered from Tammany by anybody
with Suffers fiber. Between the two,
Murphy has much more character
than Sulzer-character in the sense
Of stability and substance.
How weak and impossible a crea-
ture Sulzer is the public will never
know, for his f1abbiness is SO artless
have a weakness for him, and aside
from occasionally a subtle verbal
wink, SO to speak, never speak i'll of
him. AS artlessly as child he will
ask newspaper men to print some
thing nice about him, to circulate a
rumor that Sulzer is spoken of for vice
president.
Moreover, he is far from wicked
man. His weaknesses don't flow from
love of money, of love of the approval
of those who have money, which is the
prevailing type of undersirability
among public men. He is vain, ran
ter and poseur, quite without power of
thought. He doesn't know that such
a MI
Politics, according to his perfectly
sincere an dcandid conception, is an
occupation in which you make a de-
cent Hving-and Sulzer doesn't care
for more-by doing favors for people,
by placating this group and that group
and the next group and never Offend
ing any group, unless to curry favor
with a fundamentally larger group,
to make a grandstand play, as in the
case of the present Tartarin Sault
on Tammany. Politics is a better way
of making a living than most, because
it carries with it pomp and pose,
strutting and big talk, and these Sui
ger likes better than money. New
York will never get direct primaries
nor any other incident of good govern
ment through Sulzer."
WohId's Work View.
The Worlds Work says:
He threw in his fortunes with
Tammany Hall because that policy
seemed likely to pay returns; under
Mr.. Sulzer finds it convenient to adopt
q different program. The fact that
the people refuse to accept him at his
own present valuation, and become
lukewarm even when as governor he
is apparently striving for things in the
public interest, discloses a healthy
political state of mind
William Sulzer is the son of a Ger
man political exile who came to Amer
lea in 1851. AS a Heidelberg student
he had Joined the revolution of 184S.
He settled in Elizabeth, n. J., and be-
came contractor. He married girl
nor of New York was born March Is,
1868.
A Thorough Tammany Man.
Young Sulzer went TO New York
with his father and was educated there
in the public schools and the Column
bia Law school. He was admitted to
the bar in 1884. Almost Immediately I
ne became active in politics. He join
ed Tammany Hall and soon was recog
nized as one of its most devoted work |
ers In 1883 he was elected to the
state assembly as Democrat and was
returned each year until 1894. That
fall he was elected to congress as rep
of the Fourteenth district |
that body until elected governor last
fall.
sulzer has always been a talker. In
fact to that propensity the Troy, n. Y, |
Record ascribes his present difficulties |
He would talk any time on any subject, |
that paper says, and adds
Certain newspapers were featuring him |
Pm the first page, and the way he fell for |
this cheap flattery was amazing. Every |
morning and afternoon, practically, he |
would tell the reporters that he would |
give them fine story later, one that |
would make an excellent article for the |
title sheet He kept his word in this re- |
spect, and when he failed it wasn't his |
liam Sulzer was the subject of the yarn |
and naturally he saw his name in print |
There was no doubt to his egotism, |
and there were occasions when he praised |
himself enthusiastically that il was diff |
t1cult for the safe and sane men who do |
the capitol to keep from laughing in his |
face. As a matter of fact, nothing was |
ever known enIa1 il and 1t WAS q daily |