New-York tribune., 1917-07-18
Wagner Launches
Tammany's Fight
Against Mitchell
Is City to Re.elect "The Ear
on the Wire" Candidate?
Senator Asks

Senator Robert +. Wagner, whom
Mayor Mitchell once referred to as the
Senator from Prussia" in relation TO
the legislative blockade Of the Far
Rockaway fortihcations, dragged out all
the old campaign bones from the Tam
| many closet and ratified them in the
face of Fusion and the Mitchell admins
tration. at the last meeting of the plat
form committee of the Democratic
Fusion Committee of 10 last night.
Senator Wagner is one Of several
prominent Tammany men who are mem
bers of the Democratic Fusion Com
mittee. Several other workers in the
Fourteenth Street wigwam were among
the speakers who rallied to the attack
on the Mitchell administration.
Senator Wagner appeared as the
spokesman for Tammany Hall, and his
speech was considered the keynote OF
the Tammany campaign. So strong was
his Endorsement of municipal ownership
and other planks which have been the
political pets of W. r. Hearst, that the
chances of the latter being the Tam
many candidate for Mayor appeared to
be greatly strengthened
Municipal Ownership Urged
Joseph P. Holland, president of the
state Federation of Labor. spoke in
favor of municipal ownership of the
rapid transit systems and other pubic
utilities. The labor leaders also urged
plank which would declare for edu-
cation free from the sislster influences
of Rockefeller and his agents Joseph
NJ. Callahan. Democratic leader OF the
Assembly, appeared on behalf OF the
Bronx County Democratic committee
and submitted plank for the public
regulation of the distribution OF food-
stuffs.
John R. Voorhis, dean of the Tam
many sachems; Senator James Foley,
Thomas F. McAvoy and Sheriff Alfred
L. Smith were the other representa-
tives of Tammany Hall Senator Wag-
ner's speech was loudly cheered by the
Democratic "fusionists." He elected
loud protest from his hearers at the
start by declaring that it was a case
of "rescuing New York from Repub-
licanism" in the coming election. He
said that the Republican leaders had
openly boasted that New York City
would be Republican, like Philadelphia,
if they won in the coming election :,
at Is time we got real business and
not patent medicine administration
for the City Of New York. declared
the Tammany Senator toward the end
of his speech. at is time that we cut
out the fads and fancies of spectacular
city officials and got down to a real
government of the people, by the people,
/ for the people, for what the people
need most, for the essentials without
/ the frills, for that which is of real
worth, free from the personal whims of
any one man.
Denounces Old West Side Plans
Speaking of the wiretapping scandal
in the Thompson committee investiga-
ton of the Public Service Commission,
the Senator branded Mayor Mitchell as
"the ear on the WIRE candidate. He
declared that the Fusion Committee of
Two Hundred and Fifty, which is work
ing for the reelection Of Mayor Mitchell,
might better be labelled "The Four
Hundred" He denounced the old plans
for the West Side improvement as a
"grab" and an "unholy contract"
"The keynote of the coming munich
pal campaign, as ! see it, will be de-
d
the people TO rule themselves, as dis
tinct from the right of any special
group to set themselves us as the rulers
of the people.
"All men with democracy in their
hearts, and not merely on their lips,
should fight as valiantly for democracy
here in the City of New York. as our
Young men who are called upon to fight
for the democracy of the world.
"Give the government of the city
back to the people, where 1t belongs;
destroy the sinister influence of those
who, under the cloak of charity and
through the instrumentality of so-called
charitable foundations, have stolen the
city government from the people.
"Dd Mayor Mitchell have in mind his
rrcmise TO conduct the business OF the
city in the open when he directed the
tapping of the telephone wires OF law
abiding private citizens and labor or
ganizations? Are the rights of free
speech and criticism of the acts Of the
public officials 20 be menaced and
sti1ed by the tapping of private tele-
phone wires? VIII the people of the
City of New York indorse these auto
cratic methods in the government of a
free people? Are the people of the
Alty OF NEW iOIh bOlHE W it'i'NN AH'
car on the wire candidate and invite
four more years of official eavesdrop;
ping?
Calls Mayors Committee "the 1907
"We are told that the Committee OF
107, which conducted Mayor Mitchel's
municipal campaign in 1913, has been
enlarged to a Committee OF $50. II
could more properly and with truer
significance be labelled the 400"
The so-called psy-asyou-go policy,
he said, had become borrow as you
20" policy. The speaker contended
that the campaign promises of Mayor
Mitchell and his associates of four years
ago had not been carried out.
| Colonel James A. Bell spoke for the
Kings County organization. Charles l..
Craig. who led the fight of the West
Side Association against the New York
Central-West Side improvement plan (;
Senator James A. Hamilton and Repre-
sentative Murray Hubert also spoke.
Americans on Canadian List
Ottawa. Ont, July 17.-The casualty
list Of the Canadian overseas force ~