Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-17
g lveu'ne est eHfay 124OO
WEDNESDAY, JULY Il. 1918.
Political Campaign in New York.


Tho political campaign IN New York.
this wear. gives promise OF unuSnai IN
terest. II will witness several new enc
meuts. all OF which will add TO the I'M
certainties of the situation Already the
rrcliminarics are under way and soon
the primary campaigns Of the two leaulhR
poJiticaI parties Will come to a FINISH,
with possibly unexpected results
Chief among the new clements are
the injection Of the woman vote the
decided progress IN Socialist sentiment
and thr increased activity Of Tammany,
growing out of IFS great victory ut the
m1niclpal election IN New York City,
last fall. This victory, apparently, has
filled Leader Murphy Of Tammany Hall
with an enlarged sense Of power and IN
H,,cncc. and ne is cndeavorng 20 secure
control of The state organization of the
Democratic party. with the purpoS" q
debating ltS nominations for governor
and other state offices
Tins attitude br Murphy i q m
usual importance by reason Of the IN
settled Republican situation Governor
Whitman seeks Republican denomination
- 4 third term. and while he IS Likely 70
succeed at the primaries. he has madc
himself So unpopular with the voters
that his defeat hy an acceptable Dcm-
ocratlc candidate IS regarded as 2 rea-
eonablc probability But tho great task
confronting the Democratic party IS ~
secure such \ candidate. and i is an
parcnt that Murphy is not going to give
the Democratic voters what they desire,
# he shall nc permitted to have his way
The changes IN political warfare ar
radical NJ times. and none was ever more
radical than tho change wrought n
Murphy from what process Of reasoning
il IS difficult 10 imaginc-in his favor Of a
Democratic candidate for governor. II
he can have his way, he VIII give the nom
nation 10 his old-time enemy, William
Randolph Hearst, the man who in times
past fought Murphy as vciously IS though
he had been a Wild beast and pictured
HIM in his newspapers rs a fclon in
stripes.
Fortunately for the Democratic party
of New York. the candidates for governor
and other State offices viii he nominated
bv tho Democratic voters at popular
primaries. Much may he done in the
way Of directing party sentiment, how
ever. hv the favor Of the State com
mittec IN presenting candidates 80 the
voters, and Nzrl,hy Is employing tins
means 10 advance the chances Of Hearst
Tor the nomination Tor governor II he
can place Hearst AT the head Of the
names to be formally presented and
eliminate the names Of those whom be
does not favor. he viii have taken . long
step in the direction OF success.
Murphy already hss taken a hand in
respect of elimination, and one OF the
names he has stricken from the primary
slate is that Of William Church Osborne
ono of'the abest Of upstate Democrats
and man of high character. conspicuous
among other things for his opposition t.
Murphy and all that Murphy stands Tor
Ills names does not appear IN the Inst o.
the committee s slated candidates But
this docs not dispose Of Osborne. ~ ann
means He has determined TO be candI
date for the nomination for governo
before the Democratic voters al the lega
primaries, and has made public declara
ton to this effect Murphy cannot elm
mate hlm from the contest, and when th
test comes the Democratic voters @
New York State will determine whet he
they Will lndorse Murphy and his Tam
many methods, or nominate a candidat
with whom they could go before the peopI
with encouraging promise of success q
the election.
Osborne has thus challenged Tan
many to battle in the open, and Murph
pilI have to face the issue. 1t is up
the Democratic voters, therefore, 70 sa
whether they VIII name candidate VII
may win, or take Murphy's choice an
invite certain defeat