New-York tribune., 1914-10-18

the probe. But above that he considered practi-
cally only two points-that grating backmRil
had been practised, of which he had the clews,
and that the thing TO do to get the grafters.
Small wonder then, that Tammany and its up
state allies working they have never"
worked before TO keep away from the Governors
chair a man who is approaching it with such
complete knowledge of their operations his
work in the District Attorneys office has given
Whitman.
The only mystery of the campaign that is now
on is the stand of Roosevelt and his following.
Roosevelt knows that Whitman is in position
to uncover the worst phases of Tammany aclW-
ity, and he knows that Whitman will uncover at
the same time all crookedness by former bosses
of the Republican party that can be reached.
He knows also that any vote he can muster Tor
Davenport can result only in increasing the cd
vantage of Tammany and Glynn, who together
labored to block Whitmans work when it threat
ened to uncover Tammany graft last winter.
Whitman believes that the voters will appre-
ciate these facts in spite of Roosevet's attempts
to becoud the issues for his own purposes.
The keynote of the campaign as Whitman sees
it, has been sounded in a defensive way by Gov
ernor Glynn himself In a speech to the Demo
cratic State Committee in Albany, just after pr-
mary day, Governor Glynn concluded with these
words:
"He who says-as one candidate for Governor
has already said-that if elected Chief Executive
he will be the chief prosecutor of the state IS
either dealing in theatrical bid for votes mis-
understands the first principles of American gov
ernment."
THE THEATRICAL PLEDGE WHICH WHIT
MAN Is PREPARED TO REDUCE TO REALITY.
On that ground Whitman is prepared to meet
his opponent far more than half way The Repub-
ncan candidate stands by that pledge and cor
siders it in exactly the light of pledge
Taking the Governors own words" was his
comment, "when he speaks of first principles
consider honesty in the public service the first
principle of American government 1t will be my
first principle in the government of the State of
New York to emphasize the fact that l will not
stand for nor protect men who from the vantage
point of a state office which awards contracts levy
campaign fund blackmail upon the contractors
who win awards. I know of better way to
emphasize that point than to bring to justice
those who have done that Such action serves
the double purpose of Furnishing the guilty and
warning their successors, and it will save more
money to the state than any method know Of.
Naturally it is admitted that contractor who IS
thus forced to contribute money gets its back,
and when ne proceeds to get IL Dack from lhe
state on his contracts and the extras that mys-
teriously appear in the wake of such blackmail
the state officials who levy the backmail are not
likely to hold the victim of their blackmal to
strict accounting on his contract
Tha. is Whtman's side Of what he considers one
of the big issues of the campaign. Glynn has
given his side of it.
WHAT'S T..R. Up TO NOW? Is HE ROOFING
FOR MURPHY?
# is Whitmans notion that if Roosevelt con-
tinues his campaign for Glynn and Tammany nc
also must take up the burden of Tammany pro-
lection which Glynn pOintedly assumed.
As to his ability to do what his programme
calls for, Whitman is Enthusiastically retcent
81 believe | am able to weed out graft" he said.
Back of that unadorned statement, however,
stands a record of achievement that would justify
a more sweeping claim, but Whitman would be
the last man to allow even campaign to drag
from him the plans he has already outlined. Dur
ing the whole course of the police investigation
i'm New York City, when he uprooted the most
deeply intrenched graft of Tammany's home dis
trct he made various announcements of what he
was going TO do, which we're followed up immedl-
atelv with the fact that what he was going to
do he had done
lie has been condemned often for such moves,
but has always been content TO let the record OF
what he did stand as his answer to those con-
demnations There were few, indeed, even among
those who followed his moves closely, who real