Evening star., 1952-02-05
It Turns Out He Has Silver Skates, Too
BY George Kennedy

SUCCESS MdUSI1al W Ju0e1y 0HVAAAAASAA1
that he may succeed in his new assign
ment. the investigation OF corruption
in the Federal Government.
For blue blood Of the t'silk stock
ing 18th assembly district to inherit
the nomination and support OF that
amalgam Of Republicanisn1, reform and
economic New Dealism put together by
FiorellO II. aGuardia. was something OF
an achievement in itself.
Until LaGuardia. no reform Mayor
had succeeded himself. LaGuardia did
that twice. When he finally decided to-
run no more he gave his banner with
the strange devices to the tall young
man with the Groton and Yale back
ground from "just on Fifth avenue. :
BY that time the Democratic Party in
New York had developed candidate
with reform record Of his own, VIII
liam O'DWyer, the fighting District At
torney of Kings County (Brooklyn)s who
convicted Murder Inc" And what was
more Important, Tammany Hall. which
is the Democratic political organization
Of New York County Manhattan Is1and1
and Ed Flynn, boss Of the Bronx. had
been humbled enough to take him.
Morris was defeated by ODwyer In
1915; again In 1940. The days Of reform
were over for the present and as far into
the future as man could see. Morris
position In New York City became simi-
lar 20 that Of Thomas Y. Dewey In the
Nation. He had had his chance; not
once but twice.
Morris had some tough assignments
from IaGuardia and followed through
creditably. with the Controller, Joseph
d. McGoldrick, he represented the city
In the long negotiations which ended
with municipal ownership Of all the sub
way lines, $160-million purchase. He
succeeded also in the toughest problem
that confronts the New York politician
the settlement of strikes. any one OF
which can stop the workings OF that
intricate complex, the economy Of the
metropolis.
Morris was not q great success as
president Of the City Council. It is
doubtful that any man could have sue
ceeded In that legislative bedlam. Pro-
portional representation was made the
method Of election In order to give the
minority Republican, party represen-
tation It resulted In opening the door
to Communists and individualists who
were plain crackpots.
Morris responses when they baited
the chair were usually inadequate and
often inept. It was at one OF these ses-
siorls that q city haH reporter remarked
despairingly. "He was born with silver
foot in his mouth"
Morris successes have been Of more
constructive and aesthetic nature. The
f0fA L. &fvsA4 A1RA To-
Morris, is an unalloyed success. It's pro-
ductions and It's audiences are envied
by Broadway, as the commercial theater
Is usually termed.
It AN started when LaGuardia asked
Morris to take over the WPA Music
Project At the time Morris was serving
on so boards, and committees. but ne
found time to attend the concerts. He
was shocked to md that good music
was being played by orehestTas OF good
musicians ii sparsiey attended high
scho0l gymnasiuns. He got Nelson
Rockefeller to give him the Center The
ater Ia Rockefeller Center Sunday nights
for free. ne got ailrttz hEelch chior as
guest solCist at slae opening concert.
He used the city radio station and cards
In fhe city slbways for promotion
Twelve thousand persons tried 70 get
into the theater. 10 seats 1000. .sS
The Sunday night concerts continued
at the Center Theater, then IN the Met
ropcIitan Opera House and finally n
Carnegie Hail for four years. until WPA
came 10 an end.
when that happened. Morris found
that the city had title to one Of the
largest auditOriums In New York. the
Mecca Temple on West Fifty-fifth street
which seats 5000. The Mobiles OF the
Order Of the Mystic Shrine had been
unable to pay taxes on the $S.5 million
structure through the depression years.
Morris got the city to create public
corporation, something like Port Au-
thority, to operate it without private
profit.
It was renamed the City Center and
its reviva1s of memorable Broadway sue
cesses and opera productions worthy OF
the Met have given New Workers new
reason to take pride In their city.
In the season just closed, the third
under the direction Of Maurice Evans.
$1,000 people attended the two-week
engagement Of Ibsen's wild Duck.
$4,000 saw ONeilIs "Anna Christie" and
. greater number win see Judith Ander-
DOn IN OUme Oh ASe, y P4hy bA13t UAu
mot do very well on Broadway decade
ago but whose engagement at the City
Center has been extended through the
current week, its third at near-capacity
houses.
Morris was president Of the Fifteenth
Assembly District Republican Club when
LaGuardia ran for Mayor in 1888. The
time was ripe for reform. Samuel Sea-
bury's investigation of the city had
forced the resignation Of Mayor Jimmy
Walker. Tammany had succeeded in
electing successor. the bumbling
Mayor O'Brien, in q special election
that occurred during the Roosevelt
sweep Of 1882. but 1t was apparent that
Tammany's days in City Hall were
numbered.
LaGuardia had run unsucceSsfully for
Mayor In 1929 without finding much
favor among the 18th assembly dis
This nnd h,