University of Northern Iowa
The Strength and Weakness of Tammany Hall
Author(s): Walter L. Hawley
Source: The North American Review, Vol. 173, No. 539 (Oct., 1901), pp. 481-486
Published by: University of Northern Iowa
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THESTRENGTH
ANDWEAKNESS
OF TAMMANY
HALL.
BY WALTEB
L. HAWLEY.
so long dominated,
demoralized
of
New York is
and disgraced municipal
in the city
government
as
a political faction?the
classed
mistakenly
regular form of one
of the great political parties of the country.
It is true that one
The
that has
organization
of the elements
of strength of Tammany has been nominal party
to alleged partisan prin
and
ostentatious
adherence
regularity
mass
know
the
of
its
but
little, and care less,
ciples,
membership
as campaign
issues.
about national questions that are designated
held together by a
corporation
of
interests.
selfish
carefully adjusted community
Those persons who would credit one man with a genius of
to encompass the recent successes of the organization
organization
must
lose sight of the fact that for almost one hundred years
is essentially
Tammany
a close
in
has never been exterminated
and rarely defeated
Tammany
reason
will
such
No
fully explain
city elections.
purely political
a record. While party regularity
is an element of strength, the
chief sources of its recuperative
and enduring powers must be
of partisan feeling.
to unite
itself of all the tricks of partisanship
avails
Tammany
and hold together antagonistic
racial, religious and social elements
of society, but no party creed in this country has endured for a
century; so the real strength of this organization must be looked
sought
for outside
for beneath
Americans
the surface of its campaign declarations.
form
of govern
their
of
the
assured
individual
liberty
proud
by
ment are slow to admit that racial or religious influences exist in
the
exists and dominates
Tammany
politics and public affairs.
city
of New
VOL.
York
CLXXIII.-NO.
by skillfully
539.
combining,
under
31
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the creed
of
482
THE NORTH
AMERICAN
REVIEW.
race and religious prejudice.
This assertion may be
self-interest,
it
be
cannot
denied;
disproved.
Of the thirty-five district
leaders of Tammany,
the men who
the
Executive Committee and decree its policy, an average
compose
of thirty are Irish Catholics.
The others are Germans and Jews.
These three elements of the community
supply the working mem
in numbers
bership of the organization, with the Irish dominant
and influence.
The real voting strength
of Tammany
lies in
channels of social and religious sentiment
that are the basis of
collective gratitude
and individual
The Associa
self-interest.
tion is organized and in business at all times.
It brings the lower
strata of society into harmless
and harmonious
good-fellowship
at free entertainments,
and knows neither creed nor clan in the
of its charities and non-political
distribution
favors.
In brief, Tammany
relies for much of its voting and moral
three elements
of human
upon
strength
nature?gratitude,
avarice and religious
sentiment.
Those who have accepted its
those who have learned its
charity and kindly favors feel grateful;
are hopeful of material
methods
reward, if they serve it; and the
are
creeds it sustains
tolerant of its misdeeds.
It keeps city gov
ernment down to the level and the understanding
of the majority,
hiding the weakness and subterfuge of such methods under ban
ners of alleged protection of the rights of the masses.
This system that so easily blends and binds into one har
whole all the antagonistic
elements of races, religions,
social conditions and political
theories is not vicious and corrupt
for the mere
love of sinning.
It will protect vice or promote
and
if the cash consideration
with
success,
equal energy
morality
is the same. Tammany
has no higher aim, in fact no cause for
monious
existence, except to make money for those who compose and con
trol the organization.
The control of the city government
is
a
means
an
Power
to
end.
There
merely
provides opportunity.
It
fore Tammany
purchases power with the favors of politics.
can
abets
crime
because
be
and
made
criminals
to pay for
aids
in cash and can then be frightened
assistance
into silence.
It
the favors
fawns upon the rich and powerful when proffering
that will buy their aid or indifference, and crushes the weak and
they cease to yield revenue.
grows strong and wins with the aid of the greed
Tammany
com
and selfishness of rich and intelligent
citizens,
skillfully
poor when
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THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS
OF TAMMANY HALL.
483
bined with
the ignorance and avarice'of the poor.
Its moral and
are kept down to the level of the slums,
intellectual
standards
because the voting strength of the tenement
are
and the mansion
as ten to one. When
secure in control of the city and county
this system has never elected or appointed to an im
government,
Its
portant office a man of great ability or high moral character.
in Congress and the State Legislature
rank with
representatives
the lowest in capacity and fitness.
Its agents in the highest city
offices and on the bench have been, as a rule, men who could be
trusted to work for the interests of the organization.
No man of
no
man
of
and
honorable
independent
spirit,
superior intelligence
record need seek political preferment
at the hands of Tammany
when it is secure in power.
This favoritism of mediocrity
is a
an
of
its
feature
of
the
part
strength,
political policy
important
of the organization.
The system draws an arbitrary
line through the registered
voters of the city.
On one side of that line it places the crim
the poor, the partially
edu
inals, the vicious, the unscrupulous,
cated and the ignorant.
On the other side are placed the mem of
and those willing
to barter
property, education and refinement,
money or influence for special favors of politics and government.
The divisions may be classified as the taxpayers and the non
The latter outnumber
the substantial
citizens ten to
taxpayers.
one, and from the larger division come the votes that keep Tam
of the men on one side of the line
Seven-tenth?
many in power.
are constantly
seeking office, city employment,
prefer
political
for vice and crime, or some material
favor from
ence, protection
the ruling power that will give them advantage over competition
in business or professional work.
strives to favor the
Tammany
moral
the
and
tone of local
intellectual
multitudes;
therefore,
is
masses.
down
to
the
of
the
level
government
kept
Good breeding and education do not always constitute absolute
for holding office under Tammany,
but there is
disqualification
one requirement
that is essential?the
applicant must be worth
in money, votes or influence.
He
something to the organization
must pay a fixed sum in cash for the nomination
or appointment,
must be able to deliver on election day a certain number of votes
of relatives or friends, or through his social, church or society
connection
fluence
he must
be able to exercise
that will be useful
a certain
This
in time of need.
amount
system
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of in
of elec
484
THE NORTH AMERICAN
REVIEW.
is followed to the letter.
and advancement
appointment
a
a
matter
of
k
Governing
business, according to the Tam
city
many creed. The voters deliver the offices and all the power of
tion,
into the hands of the organization.
admini?tration
Those office?
and the power to protect and to punish are for the time being the
to be sold to the highest bidder.
goods and chattels of Tammany
It is the commerce of politics, and those who follow the trade must
thrive. There are men in Tammany whose personal honesty out
If their moral sense
side of politics has never been questioned.
is blunted, it is because of the false teaching of a criminal system.
They can grant favors. What is the wrong, they ask, of accept
ing favors in return ? The bill goes to the taxpayers in the end.
to civil service ox any other system of requiring
Antagonism
intellectual and educational fitness for public service is a part of
the Tammany
policy that goes with the plan of picking out men
who may control rotes.
the orators of the
During
campaigns
and civil service to good
rail against "Keformers"
organization
In the tenement districts they tell the young men that
purpose.
if "Reformers"
got
control
of the
city
make
only
this
college graduates
and
lie plausible
obtain public office. They
the friendship of Tammany
for the poor and ignorant by
men
and un
who are uneducated
to
offices
important
appointing
could
prove
narrow-minded
young generation
just
there is no lesson of debased government
as the one they see
opinion so convincing
fit. To the half-taught,
out of the public schools
and indifferent
public
them day after day. When they see at the head of great
of the city government men who a few years ago
departments
were "Mike, the butcher," and "Jim of the liquor store on the
around
them to strive for the
the example does not stimulate
or
of
of
books
the
refinements
Such ex
higher life.
learning
where
?
few
but
not
isolated
cases,
many,
great
amples exist;
of public policy for the
grave questions
public improvements,
recruits
present and the future are in the hands of Tammany's
corner,"
from the butcher shop, the brewery wagon and the saloon. These
men promise the ideal government of the people by Tammany
for
Tammany.
They keep the tone of the public service down to the
big crowd across the dividing line, and the young voter, weak and
a royalty
ignorant rather than vicious, the criminal ready to pay
from the profits of crime, and the loafer who shuns honest labor,
that has always existed and
all know that such is the government
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*
THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS
OF TAMMANY HALL.
485
and that it
always will exist under the system that is Tammany,
no other reason,
cannot exist under any other system.
ask
They
no greater inducement to vote the Tammany
ticket.
is the strength of brute force and
The strength of Tammany
animal
cunning combined, but it is strength that the good citizen
can neither
It
seeks better government
ignore nor despise.
must be met and overcome, and the real fight must be fought out
in the arena, down in the slums where the Tiger was trained.
who
change of leaders could not change the system. Men of
to pay for special privileges
and exemptions
property are willing
for the benefit of their private business.
When in control of the
city government Tammany has such favors to sell and sells them.
to share
It is the commerce of politics.
Crime is always willing
a
can
That
make
with
that
safe.
crime
power
power is
profits
or
are
rabble
For
the
offices
created,
employ
Tammany.
voting
ment provided.
Places with good pay and no work are powerful
A
a political
and sustaining
organization.
are
One or
honeycombed with sinecures.
city departments
two more places can always be provided, if the political pressure
Ten thou
is strong enough or the cash consideration
adequate.
factors
in building
up
The
sand employees of the city of New York at the present time could
be dropped from the pay-roll in a day and the public service would
be benefited rather than crippled.
The ten thousand surplus men
are Tammany workers and voters.
They know that they would
soon be out of employment under honest and businesslike
govern
are
of
This
black
for
therefore
ment;
system
Tammany.
they
barefaced
and
favoritism,
robbery of
mail,
ignorance, brutality
the taxpayers holds fast to itself the ignorant, the vicious and
the
There
criminal.
lies
the
chief
voting
strength
of Tam
many.
of Tammany,
like its strength, lies in the un
Its chief bond of
human
of
characteristics
nature.
changeable
cohesion is human selfishness or greed, and no other tie is so easily
the
never grateful.
When
It is never disinterested;
broken.
no
are
to
It
is
out.
cast
units of its strength weaken they
loyal
of
no
intense
self
the
to
man, beyond
stage,
leader, faithful
its devotion to principles
Its party loyalty is a pretense;
interest.
The weakness
a
sham.
are the bal
Three-fourths
of the votes that sustain Tammany
men
who have
the votes ?f
lots of real or imaginary self-interest,
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THE NORTH
486
AMERICAN
REVIEW.
or expect material
reward in one form or another.
The
are
are contributed
men
who
at
sentimentally
by
tached to the party creed and name under which Tammany mas
to the stage that
A growth of intelligent
querade?.
citizenship
will enable the masses to realize that their material
interests will
received
other
fourth
be best served by better city government will defeat Tammany
and destroy it. The system has nothing to offer beyond the tran
sient rewards of debased politics.
It is a fungus growth on im
and
social
perfect
political conditions that will decay and die in
the light of universal
intelligence.
Waltbb
L. Hawley.
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