THE NEW YORK ELECTION.

Election interest centres this year upon the mayoralty contest in New York City, the only place where the issues involved are vital and the outcome uncertain. The eternal fight of Tammany vs. non-Tammany is more than usually complicated, with four candidates in the field, struggling for definite, specific ends, in place of the customary two. Mayor Mitchel running for Fusion, stands for unqualified patriotism, and can boast of having given New York the best administration for over a generation. Hill quit, the Socialist, possesses great mental power, but stands firmly at the head of the anti-national movement, both in theory and ideals. Hylan, a typical Tammany politician, has been proved to be in league with the pro-German activities, and has been unable to win the support of any reputable class of citizens; while Bennett is an admitted nonentity, the candidate of the Brooklyn Republicans opposed to Fusion. Such is the situation as the polls open, with the betting over two to one in favor of Hylan. New York has never been able to keep a reform mayor in office for more than one term; its bursts of idealism are not of long life. But in this critical year, any victory of Tammany would be doubly disastrous, a menace to the public security and a knockout blow to good municipal government.