The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-19
BY "A. M. WIcKs

Hall over the democratic party of New
York. II one views the conflict as one
between personalities it means that
the ignorant shyster, Hylan, has been
defeated by the corporation hireling
state Senator James ]. Walker, whose
record reeks with infamy as lawyer
for dispensers of rotten meat-the
packing house trust. Mentally Walker
and Hylan are equals; both utterly de
void Of brains or ability, hence both
ideal figurheads for political machines.
From another point of view the out
come appears as the triumph of the
political machine that is known thru
out the world and the synonym of the
most loathsome political venality
known to mankind. And the daily
press and those who read its editor
ials view the outcome as the personal
triumph of Governor AL. Smith and
the humiliating defeat of William
Randolph Hearst who is Hylan's spon-
sor.
Internationally it is Tammanys
victory. A typical triumph, wrought
thru the mobilization of its ward
heelers, criminal hangers-on, pick
pockets, dope peddlers, proprietors Of
houses of designation, pimps, priests,
gangters, bootleggers, bishops, labor
takers. public and private whores-
with Governor AL. Smith as spokes-
man for them all.
But behind this menagerie assem-
bled at the Fourteenth street Wigwam
stands the towering shadow of the
House of Morgan.
The real contest was between the
petty bourgeois Hearst-Hylan combi-
nation within the democratic party
and the banking combine. The mayor
of New York and his sponsor, Hearst,
imagined they could challenge the
House of oMrgan-or bluff Tammany
into acceptance of Hylan for another
term. Once before representative
OF the petty bourgeoisie assailed Tam
Z, many after the Wigwam became the
private property of Morgan. That
person, now almost forgotten, was
Sulzer. governor of the state, who was
impeached in 1913 by Tammany con-
trolled state senate and legislature.
Issues Forgotten
TUST as Sulzer tried to wage a
- struggle against Tammany on the
clean government plea, Hylan raised
the issue of the Scent fare on the
transportation lines of New York. But
Tammany never fights on issues. 1t
did not raise any issues when it boost
ed Hylan into the mayors quarters at
city hall, and 1t required none to eli
inmate him. The mayor of New York
has never been considered legitim-
ate offspring of Tammany, but he was
the best timber available at the time.
Hylan is the bastardized offspring
Of William Randolph Hearst and Tam
many. In 1917 the Wigwam was con
fronted the task of defeating a repub-
licant administration that was then
in ONCE. John Purroy Mitchell was
republican mayor, but was defeated
in the primaries by one Bennett. It
is generally conceded that the defeat
Of Mitchell at the republican primar-
les was engineered by Tammany who
feared conflict with Mitchell. Tam
many had no outstanding candidate,
but Hearst had long been grooming
Hylan. At strategic moment Hearst
yanked HyIan out of obscurity and
impose him upon Tammany as the
price Of united party. The fact that
Hylan was an intellectual zero did not
dismay Tammany and Hearst. Expert
publicity men write his speeches and
Hylan intoned them before audiences.
The battery of Hearst papers pro-
claimed the candidate a man of un-
surpassed ability and exemplary
virtue. The result was an astounding
victory.
After the Victory Hylan remained
Hearst's man, and only secondarily
and as a matter OF expediency the