The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-08-20
NOTES From LONG BRANCH-PoLITICAL
AND SOCIAL.

NUIED bBVm LUN6 u1ANVn-I VAAAAOAA
AND SOCIAL.
LONG BRANCH, August Is, 1858
You're Q bully boy, blathering Michael Connolly.
and il you haven't got glass eye you have got an
eye that looks sharply after the politicians and can
see mighty quick wherever q good point Is to be
made Else you would never have been so ready to
appreciate and 80 prompt to follow the ADVICE ten
dered you in the HERALD's "Notes'' few days
since to show your burly form on the Jersey beach
and stalk things over" with the big Indians of Tam.
many while their brains were cooled by the sea air
their hearts warmed by Jersey lightning and their
nerves steaded by the bracing surf Of the Atlantic
waves.
Great was the excitement at the Seashore Rail.
road depot the arrival of last Saturdays afternoon
train, when the stalwart form of the big Judge
stepped from the cars on to the platform, and
shaking itself much after the fashion Of large New
foundand dog on emerging nom the water strobe
heavily away in the direction OF the Mansion House,
supported by shilleah worthy OF Donny brook in
its palmiest days. The Judge evidently had "bloOd
in his eye' he came prepared to dispose at once Of
the claims Of Joe Shannon and every other inside
Tammany aspirant for the rich office Of Register and
to bring Peter Bismarck Sweeny TO terms. He came
none too soon; for on saturday morning new can
didate for the lucrative position that IL to put the
great Irish champion on his legs and enable
him to devote his future life to the liberation
Of the land for which his famous prototype Daniel
OConnel, accomplished 80 much, made his appear.
ance in the field In the person Of Tom Conan, the
President of the Board OF Aldermen. Now Tom is
far more dangerous customer than zoe Shannon; for
despite Joe's popularity he has the drawback Of
being well provided for in the position in which his
influence and patronage arc comparatively small.
while Conan. at the head of the Aldermanic Beard
and acting Mayor in tie absence Of HOffman, IS
power In the city, 1t will need all Of Big Mhkes
bodness pertipgcity and assurance to carry him
through as an outsider against such rival, espe.
cally as Conan got the start Of him few hours in
his visit to the Branch and his secret conference with
the Tammany braves who disport themselves IN the
SURF In pure Indian fashion, at halfpast five O'Clock
every morning.
without waiting for sniff Of the sea air or single
glass Of whiskey on the road, Judge Connolly, imme-
dately on landing at the Long Branch Seashore Rail-
road depot made his way directly lots to the
| Mansion; but at the Office he was met by the an
nouncement that every available space was occu.
pied, or rather engaged, for sleeping purposes over
| eight hundred persons being already accommodated
| there and that there was was no hope of getting
| foothold at headquarters. With a rueful counte
nance and not without latent suspicious Of foul play
the ovial Mike proceeded to the United States Hotel
| where he was fortunate enough to obtain lodgings
for the night At an early hour on Sunday morning
| there was yet greater excitement at the Branch
| when the big Judge and his big shilleah were
discovered marching up from the seashore witt
Peter Bismarck Sweeny in tow, whom they hat
evidently captured when emerging, like the first o
the blue jackets, old Triton from the sea- To some
1t looked as though one OF the fabulous giants hat
To
| and there were those who were apprehensive thai
| the Hibernian monster would suddenly tuck his
| seven league boots over the shrewsbury river, the
| Highlands and the Bay, deposit him safely in the
Justice Court at Harlem, and keep him
! loaded down with chains In q dark cell
under lock and key until he had forced from
him sacred pledge OF the nomination for Register
| This fancy was aided by the flushed countenance
and fierce gestculations Of the big Judge; but the
| fears OF Sweeny's friends were speedily aayed by
nag had BEEN t excited by the q
resting in small cot which left his head touching
the floor at one end and his feet at the other, and
owl and cabbage were not on the breakfast bill Of
fare Of the United States Hotel As shortly after
seats side by side in an open barouche and drive
oget6er and We satisfied s,ne sn mTSS Ga as
broad face OF the Judge the Branch settled down to
lis customary peace OF mind, The only indication Of
an unusual excitement beng the surprised excama
lions OF those who discovered that Big Nike was oul
nding during the reading OF mass.
81.
molly get the once OF Register and did he succeed In
winning from the Iamuany leader u pledge OF the
nom nation9 AS this involves nice question OF
policy II Is well TO glance at the history OF the out
side organizations in New York. and to trace them
In hurried review up to the present time. The
| division In the democratic party ON ls4s up 10
1856 was one OF principle anu did involve mere
struggle over the spoils. In the latter year there
existed two democratic organizations in New York
| city-the Tammany Hall, or Soft Shells, aud the
| Stuyvesant Institute. or Hard Shells. After
the n,,,, Cincinnati ra., Convention, where the old
the nomination Tor President Of the 0e then
United States, and after the two wings
OF the New York Stale democracy had united at Sy.
racuse, an arrangement was made for a settlement
OF the dinerences In the city. In accordance with
previous understanding the soft shell committee,
In body to Stuyvesant Institute, where they were
received by the hard shell committee with Horace
+. Clark at its head. The organizations then for.
| mauy united and marched in body to Tammany
Hall. which was accorded the prestige OF regularity
anu there new committees was elected by their Joint
votes, and Lorenzo b. Sheppard was CHOSEN chair
| man. Fernando Wood was at that time restless
spirit In Tammany and tine following year.
the "Bulldng Committee" he got control OF the
General Tammany Committee. and organized IL In
THIS result occasioned considerable excitement and
raised up q fierce opposition on the part OF those
who were unIriendly to Wood and mstrusted his
seven Sachems, as was caed-a plan to reorganize
the General Committee under the lead OF Ike Fowler,
William ID. Kennedy, Elijah Y. Purdy James Conner,
Dan Deavan, Tom Dunlap and another whose name
we do not now recall. Under the power reserved TO
the Sachems to control the use OF Tammany Hall.
they undertook TO rule that the Wilson small
committee was not regular and to organize
another committee. The ngnt continued until 1858,
when In the new election Of that year both sides
used their utmost efforts TO secure the control OF the
General Committee, the Wood men running ex-Judge
Leonard for chairman and the Sachens putting forth
Peter b. Swecny as their candidate. sweeny, who
had just began to develop the capacity which has
since placed him at the head Of the organ i1ation
was successful In the Struggle. whereupon Fernando
Wood seeded from TaInmany and placed himself
at the head OF an outside organization previously
started by Captain Wtter. % sore headed 'lammany
politician, and laid the foundation OF the Mozart
democracy, which afterwards for many wears con.
many. --ni i.- ~ 20 et
since that time the tight between the rival organ.
cations has not been one OF principle, but simply
contest for the spois. Sometimes there has been an
open struggle between 1afnmany and Mozart; some.
times the leaders have got together nom motives Of
unt ha ,sic and a,ar