The New York herald., 1921-07-25
MONDAY, JULY 25, 1921.
Calder's Strength and Weakness.

The genuine and powerful demand
city for the nomination of Senator
CALDER for Mayor undoubtedly is
based on an appeal which in these
days carries far. This is the appeal
of business sense, business capacity
and business action.
The American public in general
and the New York public in particu-
lar is now lost in admiration of the
business administration of President
HARDING and the business admins
tration of Governor MILLER. Senator
CALDER is a bus mess man with a
rong record of soInd methods and
solid success in his own affairs. In
his private life an extensive builder,
ne recently has devoted much of his
public service to the great questions
of housing, fuel and other heavy fac
tors in the cost OF living problem.
This is a popular as we'll as prac-
tical asset of big value.
in tine municipal contest the cam
paign slogan of business admins
tration in Washington, business
administration in Albany, and a busi-
ness administration in the City Hall
would poll many thousands of votes
that otherwise might divide into va
rious and varied blocks on ordinary
issues and candidates.
Everybody would recognize also
that CALDER in the City Hall could
command from the Republican State
Legislature such backing of his mu-
Mayor of New York, whether Repub-
lican, Democrat or independent, has
had from Albany in generations.
The enormous advantage to this city
Of such situation would be apparent
to all men who realize how largely
dependent upon Albany any munic-
ipal administration always must be
for the working out Of its plans and
- fulflment of its promises.
The natural and practical strength
OF Senator CALDER, therefore, is obvi-
Gus, both as a man who would know
how to do well the things that must
be done for New York city to save
II from becoming a business and
financial wreck and as Mayor who
would not be shackled at Albany
against doing them.
Yet the offsets to Senator CALpER's
ignored. For a quarter of century
this community as a whole has been
distinctly and increasingly nonparti-
san on municipal issues. Tammany
Hall in all these years has been able
TO win the Mayoralty only when the
nonpartisan majority has been riven
by its own partisan wedges. Never
in this time has Tammany defeated
the nonpartisans. When Tammany
has won it has been the nonpartisans
who have defeated themselves.
Senator CALDER is, as from his
State and national point OF view he
ought to be, the personification of
partisanship. He Is not merely de-
voted and uncompromising Republi-
can. He is a loyal and intense or
ganization Republican. He is an ac-
tive and commanding leader of the
Republican machine.
There is no gainsaying that this
highly useful and entirely honorable
role of the practical Republican poll
tician would alarm thousands of in
dependents who are irrevocably COM
mitted to their nonpartisan VOWS in
municipal affairs-deeply jealous OF
their safeguarding. Such men need
not be expected under any circum-
stances TO vote for Tammany profes
sionals or the tools and proxies of
Tammany professionals They can be
counted on not to do such a thing
But when they feel the issue has
boiled down to municipal PARTISAN
ship they do refuse to vote at all.
Again, the independent Democrats,
who seldom are successfully organ
lied but always large body of
voters. do not hesitate to vote numer-
ously and usually decisively with
Tammany to forestall in this city the
establishment and entrenchment of
an all but invincible Republican ma.
crrne like the Republican machine
so firmly established and so heavily
entrenched in the State.
Senator CALDER could poll, and be.
yond question would poll. aside and
apart from his virtually full party
strength, thousands of other voters
who want for this city in this crisis
sound, capable business manage