The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-27

fronted with the possibility of a default on their pay rolls. And everybody had forgotten to take sufficiently into account how strong is the popular impulse everywhere to turn out the Ins and have some kind of New Deal.
 The awakening came with the returns from the September pri- maries. In the Republican party, the old boss and political associate of Tammany, MT. Koenig, was overthrown. But what was even more significant, in the Demo- cratic primaries the Tammany candidate for Comptroller was de- feated by Mir Prial, who may be described as the walking delegate of the civil service employees. This was immensely important, for 1t showed that the shock troops of the Curry -McCooey regime were in revolt. In New York City poli- tics the victory of Pria1 was like the revolt of Machado's army in Cuba; it forecast the certain end of the existing political control. Almost immediately thereafter the evidence began to come in that the rebellion had spread to the voters. All the reliable test polls showed that LaGuardia and Flu sion were destined to sweep the city.
 It was then that certain of the shrewder, abler and more reputable regular Democratic politicians de- cided to act. The Mckee move ment was organized by the Roose- welt Democrats and the semi Roosevelt Democrats who had been excluded from, or had too much conscience to participate in, the Curry -McCooey district leader con- trol. They decided to have i'm mediately the revolution within the Democratic party instead of wait ing until after the party had been defeated at the polls. It was well calculated coup, and on the whole, it may be said that, after noting the conspicuous absence of Al Smith, the men who carried it off represent actively or potentially those who have the best title to control the Democratic party in New York City. They have a good title and great strength. They already control the Federal and state patronage; if they elect Mc- Kee they will control the munich pal patronage, and with this much power they can and would un- doubtedly substitute themselves for the junta of district leaders which has dominated the Walker and O'Brien administrations.
 But their coup has been badly timed. It came too late to be con- vincing that hostility to the abuses of Tammany is their chief motive. It came too early to promise thor ough reform. They are trying to give the regular Democratic or ganization another lease of power, to be sure, under different leader ship. But what that organization needs first of all is to be defeated, to be driven out of it's entrench- ments, and separated for many years from the public payroll. That alone will give the younger liberal Democrats a chance to purge the party.
 The question presented to the voters is whether change of control at the top is enough. Ger tainly it would be an improvement. But is it likely that the new con- trol could or would strike at the roots of the favoritism and privi- lege and racketeering by which Tammany is fed? doubt it. I do not myself believe that a party, while it is in power, can effective 1v reform itself from within. There is always the next election to be considered and the danger of alternating this local leader or that one. It seems to me that the practical experience of party gov ernment shows clearly that sys- tenn like Tammany will not be radically reformed by men who have shown themselves to be as careful, as prudent, and as con ciliatory to Tammany as those who sponsor the Mckee candidacy. They have too much to lose Dy deep reform.
 Al Smith reformed the state government. He has never been willing to undertake the reform of the city. Why? Because at Albany he was Democrat decaptitating Republicans and uprooting Re- publican abuses. In the city he would have had to decapitate old friends. For myself, I do not be- lieve that what Al Smith has not been willing to try to do, Joseph II l. Il