The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-15
Tammnny Hall, and the Soft Shells and the
Hard Shells.

According to established usage, Thursday evening
the time for the assembling of the delegates at Tamnany
Hall to organise the committee for the ensuing year
As the General Committee dies the old committee
which remains in power till the is organized,
called the meeting in due form for Thursday evening at
half past O'Clock. The Sachems among the barn
burners and the soft shells having the predonance also
called the meeting for the same time and pace-the diff
ference between the two calls being that the section act
ing under the call of the old General Committee insisted
that should at the organization the
tested seats but those whose seats uncontested
while the section acting under the call of the Tammany
Society contended that those should who had
out Of the three inspectors attached to their
dentals. The assigned the coal hole, and
the time for organizing half past seven D. The Grand
Sachem ordered the door be locked till half past
o'clock. In the meantime the two sections OF delegates
and about one hundred Of the hoys mingled pel
nell in the bar room. When the door Of the committee
room opened there tremendous rush for the
tables and chairs upon which they sprung After the
confusion somewhat subsidized
Alderman Barr should take the chair, which motion
carried. Some person then moved that D. H. Delevan
take the chair and pronounced his motion carried Both
these gentlemen took their stand at the head Of the table
Effort after effort made TO clear the ROOM when 1t
proposed by the barnburners that the in the
list that day published in the Tribune should be read and
that only those the list should remain This for the
purpose Of clearing the Of ntruders agreed to-
The being finally cleared long debate ensued
to be this-f the delegates having the certificate of all
the inspectors, should vote the preliminary organza
ton, it would be hard shell bunker If those having the
certificate Of only two inspectors including the contest
ants allowed participate the organization would
BE- free soil alias soft shell barnburner.
1t was commended by E. Hart John Wheeler and f. c.
West behalf Of the hard shells that 1t was and always
had BEEN the to organise the committee by allow
ing those only to vote in the preliminary organization
WHO had the certificate OF three inspectors precedent
called for show the contrary but not adduced
II was insisted that the Tammany Society had unwar
m
history OF that society Of any interference to the
of organizing the General Committees that the only
power II had TO decide between two contending
parties for the OF the hall for political meetings and
that even that power doubtful and only matter OF
arrangement between the society and the hotel keepers
Brown 4 Howard Nothing could be done in the condi
ton of things which then existed No motion could be
put; there was no chairman.
II proposed by Messrs. West Hart and Wheeler
LIST that Messrs Barr and Deleysn should select chair
man 3D. to appoint committee to take the whole mat
ter into consideration. Sd. That all parties having
certificates should allowed TO ath That those
whose not cont ested should select chairman
5h That the whole matter should be referred TO five de-
mocras not members Of the committee. These PROPOSE
tons all declined by the baInbuer leaders, Coch
RAM Shepard and Fernando Wood FOR this very sufficient
reason that the hunkers and hard shells had the iory
Of the uncontested seats
These gentlemen adhered to the one idea with which
they started in the beginning and pressed the resolution
allowing tbose having partial certificates to take part in
the proceedings, which the hunkers and hard shells
tended total disregard Of the claims of the contest
ants and departure from the inyariablc usage of Tam
many Hall, its committees and conventions.
The previous question called for and Mr.. Dcleyan
pressed to put the question Alderman Barr refused
and protested Mr. Deleysn put the question, and
pronounced It carried Immediately the hunkers
organized at the other end of the table. Barr in tho
chair and Cohen and Gaer Secretaries called for the
credentials IL those ha-inq full certificates uDconosed
which were presented from nine wards
IL was yey funny to see one chairman ana ono get OF
secretarc nj one end and the other chairman with the
other set Of secretaries al the other end Of the
table Both parties adjourned without deciding on the
contested seats Till Tuesday next chat In point ~ fact
nothing was done The question Is, shall there bc
committee in Tammany Hall for the year 1853 shall
thCtc he two committees like the Wood Committee and
the Western Committee in in 1852