The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-02

News, and in comparatively short time he had made his second venture one of the leading organs of the Catholic Church in this country. Oswald Ottendorfer at this time controlled the Staats-zeitung. Mir. Ottendorfer was growing old Com
 sequently when MT. Ridder called at
 the Staats-Zeitung office one day in 1890 and sought some of the Staa;ts zeitung: stock MT. Ottendorfer, who
 had begun to show a fondness for spending much of ahis time abroad,
 welcomed MT. Ridder's offer. Mr. Ridder immediately became a director, treasurer and manager of the Staats-Zeitung. Later he arose tc control of the paper as chief owner
 of it's stock. He was president of the company at the time of his death. His son Bernard Herman Ridder is vice-president, and his sons Victor and Joseph are treasurer and secre- tary respectively.
 Through the columns of his papers and in his speeches MT. Bidder was an advocate of tariff reform and nom inaIly at least, a Democrat therefore. He was however in fact, an inde- pendent who might be found lined up with the RepubH canparty one year, fusion independent group the next and back in the Democratic ranks the next.
 His position and influence among the German-Americans early made him a leader of a large element of votersM His first appearance in poll tics that attracted any considerable attention was in 1893, or just after the Lexow Investigation. MT. Bidder and his German American Reform Union played an important part in the inde- pendent campaign which brought about the election of William b. Strong to the office of Mayor.
 srry1o 1oic iT1f7 enee was less widespread MT. Bidder had supported Cleveland in 1884, put in 1896 and in 1900E the Bryan free silver heresy resulted in MT. Ridder. supporting Mckinley. He came back into the Dem ocratic fold in 1904 to urge the election of Alton B. Parker and, as has been safd,> he was a stal- swart worker for Bryan in 1908.
 Prominent in Politics ] He was a supporter of Roosevelt for governor in 1898, but 1901 found him ih the Seth Low fusion ranks here. His organization later backed George B. Mcclellan for mayor, and since that time he has been regular from the Democratic standpoint. In the last municipal election MT. Rid der supported Judge Mccall against SUY1n Purroy Mitchell.
 Added to his constant labors for the German cause, were the affairs of the international TypesettiEc, Machine Co, which MT. Ridder controlled until the company went into the hands of a re9 ceiver last December. Then he showed signs of a complete break down, which began with an attack of nervous prostration and. ended with his, death from Bright's disease yes terday.
 His charitable and church work in cluded his active interest in the Ger man Hospital the Catholic Protectory, the, Charity Organization, the St. Vim cent de Paul Society, the IsaoeI1a Hein1ath, the Legal Aid Society and the German Society.
 He was a member of the Metropol- itan Museum of Art, the American Natural History Society, the Arneri- can Newspaper Publishers Associa- ton, the Chamber of Commerce and of number of clubs which included tF1e Manhattan. Democratic, Catholic. l Liedergranz. Arion, Reform City. | New York Press German Press and ! EIardware. He had much to do with 4 about the Huds uIton | and was an active vice president during the ceremonies afoat and ashore.
 MT Ridder was married in 1880 to Miss Mary Amend, a sister of the late Justice Amend of the supreme court. | His widow, three sons and a grandson survive him.
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