New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-23
Municipal Defeatisrn

World War, was the influence that
brought civilization near to the
abyss? Defeatism.
What, in these critical first days
of the municipal campaign, is the
influence chiefly dangerous? Defeat
ism once more.
Foch was right when he declared
that the side would win that be-
heved in itself during the last fiji
teen minutes. So was Clemenceau
when he left Paris to climb in and
out of the trenches. SO was Joffre
when he plead for even one Amer
lean flag on the battle front to
revive dropping hopes. All France
was right when it took defeatism by
the throat and throttled it.
Hylanism, born of the union of
Tammany and Hearst and inherit
ing the qualities of both parents, can
be overcome even as Kaiserism was.
To doubt this is to indict our people.
Between now and November the
simple issue, now somewhat OBJ
scured, can be made clear to all.
Who is warranted in questioning
the result? Faith does move noun
tains. The will to victory brings it.
If among those who have assumed
the responsibility of direction is a
single person who thinks so meanly
of the power of truth that his heart
is trembling or his feathers are
white let him instantly retire.
Pessimists spread infection. The
head shakers, if they don't resign,
should be escorted to the door.
Hylanism is concretely expressed
by doubled taxes, by a starved school
system, by the creeping paralysis
that affiicts the whole city govern
ment. Can we beat this thing? Of
course we can.
Hylanism, back of it's symptoms,
is foul spirit. It's nourishment is
grating selfshness, it's weapon a
sinister demagogy that cynically
avows that multitudes are easily
fooled. 1t is an appetite that chews
it's food loudly and wastes no time
in cleansing it's lips with napkins.
It insults the general intelligence by
pretending it is opposed to special
interests. Can we beat this thing?
OF course we can.
Hylanism, besides its special of
lenses and it's malignant spirit
represents the tradition that the
way to rule New York is to rob it.
For a hundred years the municipal
problem has been whether or not
the victims of Tammany should
submit or throw off the yoke. I'm
changeable Tammany has never re-
formed. But for twenty years now
it has lost more often than it has
won. Can we whip it again? We
can.
Education, though not yet COM
plete, has brought results. Time
was when Tammany relied on clubs
and brickbats to subdue it's critics.
Then it was forced to turn to stuff
ing ballot boxes. Then it bought
votes with money blackjacked from
criminals and protected corpo-
rations. Now it's method is that
which is called honest graft. Does
not the public know that the object
in view has always been and now is
the same? 1t does.
But the new defeatism is most
perniciously active. 1t pretends to
think efforts ere of no use. In flut-
tering cowardice it would run away
from manly labor. 1t chills those
who are eager to respond to the clear
esll of the cause. 1t burrows and
seeks to disintegrate the hope of
those who, in full confidence, are
once more ready to serve.
We don't know the motives of
those timid surrenderers. They may
be disguised Tammany agents or
merely morally weak and made