New-York tribune., 1914-11-05
LONDON'S VICTORY
REJOICES EAST SIDE
Socialists Celebrate New
Freedom from Grip
of Tammany.

Hurrahing and buying innumerable
newspapers which they thrust exclted-
ly under the noses of bystanders, the
East Side Socialists yesterday cele-
brated the election 10 Congress OF
their candidate, Meyer London, the trst
man TO beat Tammany in the 18th Con-
gressional District, which lies right In
the shadow Of Tammany Hall.
For thirty years the district has
gone Tammany; Charles +. Murphy
looked on it, spoke of it as "sewed
up," and he no more suspected defeat
in such a quarter than the Suitan
could expect a revolt Of the faithful
Between bribery, threats and fixed re-
turns nobody, probably not even Lon
don himself, believed in the possibility
of an upset. The thought OF sucn
thing entered no mans head. IL was
sacrilege or lunacy 10 mention II. =,
But London knows the East side, ana
also apparently he does not know when
ne is beaten. Where others Wouid
have given up he kept at 1t, hammer.
ing into his hearers that the stigma OF
Tammany was on them and their DIS
trict, and that men N other parts OF
the country and out of the country
spoke Of il in shame because II was
run By Tammany Hall.
His crowds grew and the Hall began
70 take notice-not because II thought
he could win, but because Murphys
first principle is TO take no chances.
Thugs broke into his meetings, Lon
don was heckled threatened and
abused; and as the fight grew hotter
the East Side began TO see that the
Socialist fighting Tammany in the lZth
Congressional was no ordinary poll
tician.
The Socialists alone could not elect
him. The Republicans and Progress
sives could not elect him. But the
fight put up fused the different groups
opposed to the Hall; and the campaign
was not half over when it was com
mon talk that if London did not beat
Tammany nobody would. He reused
the district as rivals and reformers
had not done in thirty years.
The outburst of enthusiasm in the
streets. the speeches and cheering for
London-these were tributes TO SOCIAL
ism. surely. and to the strides It has
made as political party; but even
more were they in praise or the New
Freedom" that had come 20 the East
Side. freedom from graft-ridden politics
and corrupt leadership; in praise,
above all, of the candidate who had
made such freedom possible.
Morris Hillquit would say but little
Of London's success beyond declaring 1t
a great impetus 10 Socialism and prov
ing that ballot for Socialism was not,
as in the past, lost vote. .,
Charles Edward Russell attributed
the possibility Of clean election TO
Police Commissioner Woods and the
Honest Ballot Association, which had
watched the polls.
"The power of Tammany is broken
in that part of the city, he said,
adding a tribute to Mr.. London's quail
fications for Office.
London him.el attributed his cleo
tion to the radical trend of the work
ingman and TO the reawakening OF
civic pride"
"The machine tried TO hold up the
count" he said, "and in some districts
we didn't get through till 9 o'clock this
morning"
Mr.. London came 10 this country
from Russia twenty years ago, at the
age of eighteen. He was admitted TO
the bar in 1898, end has acted as coun.
sci for Jewish trade unions. His first
connection with Socialist politics was
in 1900.