The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-10-13
Interest Nation Wide

Interest Nation Wide
New Yorks mayoralty contest IS
attracting nationwide interest. Tam
many has a first-class row within its
own ranks and . fusion ticket IS
seeking tho defeat Of two states re-
cruited mostly from men who usu-
ally fight and bleed under the Tigers
banner.
As far as the candidates. of
O'Brien and Mckee are concerned,
the fight seems to be for the control
Of the spoils. with the Roosevelt ad-
ministration secretly aiding Mckee.
LaGuardia, the fusion candidate for
mayor, is . former Republican con-
gresham and his success hardly fits
in with the Democratic scheme of
political control. Big Jim" Farley
feels that II there Is any house clean
ing to be done within the Democratic
ranks Of New York city, Democratic
rather than . fusion Republican
broom should be used.
The Literary Digest, whose polls
have ben fairly accurate in the past
on national affairs. has entered the
picture. It's publishers started a poll
before Mckee announced his candi-
dacy. In the first returns, Mayor
OBrien showed up so poorly that
some OF the Tammany leaders had
the cold filters. Mayor O'Brien. In
the Digest figures. loomed up as q
Jonah on the ship and LaGuardia
appeared in the picture as the aveng-
er Of the tax-bled populace of New
York city whose public Golfers are
empty and whose credit Is gone.
Then genial James Farley, he Of
the soft voice and fine Italian hand,
made hurried trip to New York and
called a few boys into secret conclave.
They were told that Mayor O'Brien
could never make the grade and that
the Democrats, to win as q party,
must give Tammany the gate. They
were told the ancient political ark,
the craft Of many a valiant on
slaught, was leaky and loose in the
joints, absolutely unseaworthy for
this campaign at least.
Immediately many Of the Happy
Warriors began to buckle on life pre-
servers, water wings or what was
handy and made for safety islands
under the disguise Of independents,
with Mckee as their candidate.
Mckee had refused for months, while
the reformers were at work to Dust
Tammany, to accept fusion nomi-
nation. Fortified behind . $4,000
year Wall Street job, he told Sea-
bury and the crew which wrecked
Tanmany and sent Jimmy Walker to
southern France that he Mckee,
was through with sordid politics.
But o'Brien's weakness threatened
Democratic control Of the greatest
patronage counter In the world-New
York city-as well as . war chest
which has enabled Democrats In the
past to elect governors Of New York
and maybe presidents Of q nation.
That Just could not be. What Nc
Kee was told no one will ever know.
but he came forth clothed in white
robe, waving . FURNISHED sword and
denouncing his old Tammany team
mates In torrid terms.
Mckee Is the man who was 50
popular at the last election. Al
though not q candidate some 250,000
people wrote his name on the ballot.
He had succeeded Walker when the
playboy Of Gotham resigned. Mckee
in his short regime instituted some
reforms which pleased New Workers
generally, but offended Tammanyl
leaders particularly. Up to his sue
cession to the throne, Mckee had
been quite complainant and played
along with the Tammany boys in
their political racket. Now the fu-
sionists arc saying that Jim Farley
just put white robe on Mckee and
affixed q couple Of wings.
Many aligned with the fuEonists
deserted and are now out for Mckee.
Literary Digest returns make Mckee
and Laduardis fsvorites with O'Brien
running . poor third. Hearst has
given Mckee one Of his screaming,
page one, stud-horse type endorse
lments. Many old Tammany leaders
and stool-piseons arc jumping for
the Mckee bandwagon.
The 1usionists have the fight Of
thar lives before them. At first It
looked like easy sailing for the La
0uardia- seabuxy fusion machine un.
III pleasant .Jim" Farley turned up
On the SIDEWALKS Of New York.
New York city has seldom liked
too strict : city government. Tam
many has run politics on . soup
ticket basis With plenty Of loot for
the boys o. top. The rest Of the ma
tion y taking q keen interest Ia the
City's dilemma. Will it take the
Tiger, Mckee o. LaGuArdia7