Year: 1877

er0n Incident.


NEW YORK, Oct. q, 1877.


Being within ten days of the annual election
public attention just now is directed to politics,
and although there is much less perturbation
as yet, than is customary at such times there
is prospect of an animated contest. The
combination against Tammany is complete,
and if the Germans vote as their leaders prom
Use they will, there will be pretty good chance
of breaking the sceptre of the Kelley dynasty.
That both sides appreciate the importance of
the Teutonic support is made clear by their Sc
lection of candidates. The nomination for
Register which is an Office worth 100000 year
is given by both parties to German. The
Democrats are running Frederick W. Loew, an
ex-Judge Of the Court of Common Pleas. Mr.
Loew was beaten two years ago, when running
for re-ele ction to a seat on the bsnch by Judge
George M. Van Hossen, an anti-Tammany
Democrat. He is a very respectable gentle
man, but he has the misfortune of having
brother-Charles E. Loew-who was unpleas-
antly associated with the ''Ring'' in the days
of its successful infamy. Under their auspices
this brother was twice elected County Clerk,
another place of large emoluments-anywhere
from $780, 900 to $4,000 per annum. Charles
was the man Tammany had picked out to be
put on their ticket for Register, but the odor of
Tweedism is SO shockingly offensive nova
days that it was too great risk to infuse any
of it into a county ticket. The Germans are
pretty honest set, and it is doubtful whether
they would have felt complimented by the
designation of one of the few of their coun-
uymen who held Office for six years by the
grace of Tweed and his confederates, and was
never known to be antagonistic to any of their
schemes of peculation. To surmount the en-
barrassng difficulty, Frederick W. was substi-
tuted at the last moment The plan may work,
but people who are of an inquisitive turn will
be apt to ask why it was thought advisable to
keep the nomination in the family, and what
assurances there are that one brother is of so
much sterner virtue than the other as to make
it perfectly safe for the opponents of munich
pal corruption to vote for him.


The Republicans have accorded their nomi-
ton for this place to Jacob Hess, a young Ger
man, of whose popularity they had test two
years ago when he ran for alderman at large
and got a much larger vote than any other
man on the Republican ticket. Mr.. Hess was
member of the Legislature one term, having
been chosen is a close district. These are the
only offices he has held. He has never suffered
the pangs of defeat. He is butcher by trade,
a square manly fellow, who says what he
means and means what he says He undoubt-
edly strengthens the ticket and will make
first rate run.


The contest on which the largest share of
interest will be concentrated is that between
John Morrissey and Augustus Schell, who are
competing for seat in the state senate. The
district has about two Democratic voters to one
Republican. Tt takes in a good deal of the
brown stone front population. but on the water
edges it is densely Irish. In 1871 James
O'Brien carried it by majority of over 1000.
James w. Gerard is the present Senator
He was thrown overheard because he voted in
favor of the constitutional amendment restrict
ing suffrage in respect to the choice of enc
branch of our local council, to Taxpayers.
Tilden, Hewitt, Cooper, David Dudley and
Cyrus W. Field live in this district There will
be good deal of curiosity to know in what
direction the sympathies of these gentlemen
tend in this particular conflict. Scbell is a
thorough going Tammany man, and does not
even pretend any friendship for Tilden. He
opposed his nomination at st. Louis to the
very last, protesting al the time that he was
the weakest candidate that could be thought Of
He is one of the main pillars of the Express
newspaper, which has been insisting upon a
new state ticket all the while. There is no
love lost between the two factions. They do
not like each other at all. Edward Cooper,
Hewitt's brother-in-law and partner, seeded
from Tammany in formal and emphatic way
a week or two ago. 1t is not at all probable
that the success of Morrissey would grieve these
gentlemen particle. But whether they will
actually sustain him will depend very much on
his chances of winning They would be in an
awkward predicament if after venturipg to
bolt Irregular" nomination they should en-
counter defeat. Democracy visits condign
punishment upon deserters.


And for the matter of that the Republican
citizens of the district will be somewhat puz.
zled what course to take in this battle. Mr..
Schell has the accessories of wealth, social posi-
tion and personal respectability. But on the
other hand he is largely interested In the Gen.
trail Railroad and will unquestionably be If
elected the Senatorial advocate OF that gigantic
monopoly. He was one of the conlave that
raised its stock Indebtedness eighty per cent.
in single night, transaction quite as
equivocal from moral standpoint as playing
faro.


Per contra, Mr.. Morrissey laboIs under the
disadvantage of conspicuous Identification
with pursuit which is illegal as well as bane-
full. 1t is impossible to overlook this glaring
objection to his candidacy. But it may be said
by way of palliation that he has held two pub
| lie trusts without abusing either of them; tina