New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-19
Are They Right?

I. v.
ayers Of Mr.. HillQuit's campaign are IN
agreement that the victorious candidate
for Mayor this year will be Hylan or Hill
quit. Only the slight difference exists that
Murphy thinks the Tammany candidate
will walk away with the election, while the
Socialists think their man will snow under
all his competitors.
At the present stage of the contest straw
votes and kindred indications may be con-
strued to mean anything at all. The salient
facts are that Hylan. despite the somewhat
less than cordial reception his nomination
grew from Tammany, Is getting regulation
organization" support, and seems to be
holding the straight Tammany strength
while Hillquit with an excellent and ag-
gressive Socialist organization working for
him. is drawing support from elements
which ordinarily would not vote the So
cialist ticket.
Mr.. Hillouit. as a member of the party
in full accord with the Socialist majority,
is anti-war. lie has been denounced re
peatedly by eminent Socialists as one OF
the leaders of the pro-German group. His
campaign attracts various paciiist ele-
ments here which have done Germany's
service, consciously or unconsclously'
Thousands of voters among the foreign
horn have n notion that his election would
somehow take America out of the war ana
bring the drafted men back home. This Is
an unquestioned and unquestionable factor
in his campaign strength on the East SIDE
in The Bronx and in East New York and
Brownsville. 1t must be said to his credit
that he has not lodged this phase Of the
campaign. Instead he has exploited 1t. lie
stands against the war, and to that extent
against the avowed policy of this nation
which is in the war and must remain IN 1t
until the end.
Judge Hylan asserts his Amercanism,
but he does not enlarge much on 1t. He IS
the candidate Of Hearst whose pro-Ger-
man newspapers have won German APP
proval. The Brooklyn man is willing to
run on the same ticket with Mr.. Bruckner,
apologist for the McLemore resolution in
Congress. which would have committed
this nation to acquiescence in the Won Tlr-
pitt submarine policy of frightfulness.
Senator Ottinger says Judge Hylan, IN
conversation with him, admitted that he
intended 70 run on a platform Of opposition
to the selective draft. That being one of
the chief war policies of this government,
the Tammany candidate would thereby be-
come an anti-American candidate also.
These are the opponents Of Mayor
Mitchell Differing in many things, they
are alike in the fact that each relies for
much support on opposition, open or yelled,
TO the governments war policy. The cleo
ton of either would not put into City Hall
a man skilled in handling municipal at
fairs-ouite the contrary. The election Of
either would put at the head of the city ad-
ministration a man unlikely to uphold the
hands of the Federal government in this
crisis. unlikely to be fearless and ardent
exponent of unqualified Americanism. The
election of either would put at the head
of five million people as their executive
and official leader man whose campaign
had gathered behind him disloyalists, Sc
ditionists, sackers and indictments.
Mayor Mitchell is all that these men are
not. He is trained by years Of experience
in the handling Of municipal problems. He
has proved his worth by giving 70 the city
the best administration within the memory
of living man. He is not appealing for
Stacker votes, for seditionist votes, for
anti-American votes. He is repudiating
them. His Americanism is unassailabe
His assistance to the Federal government
has been Of the utmost value.
Is it conceivable that the voters of this
great city will repudiate such a man, when
the alternative is Hylan, Murphy's man
and Hearst's, or Hillquit, frankly opposed
to the government, when it needs every
loyal mans support?