Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-09-20
NEW YORK POLITICS.
Tammany at Last Defied.

NEW YORK POLITICS.
Tanmany at Last Defied.
Recent events in New York have
cleared up some of the mysteries.
that have made the politics of that
State an incOmprehensible mystery
for many years. The nondescript
Experimentation which has for so
| long been known as the Taminany
Club has again attempted to dictate
| its own sweet will as the ruling
principle of the Democracy of the
State, has been defed and thwarted
by the united Democracy and has
now declared against the party
nominee, with the avoWed purpose
of electing the Republican candidate
for Governor in that State.
What does it all mean? What is
Tammany? These are questions
everybody is asking, and we will
try to answer them, the last ques-
ton first.
Tammany is professedly an Or
ganization for the purpose of for
warding the interests of the Demo-
cratic party, which it undertakes to
do chiefly through its influence with
the Irish population of New York
City. Actually it is nothing of the
kind. 1t is a conspiracy for getting
all the patronage of the State and
city government into the hands of a
few men, who, for their own profit,
create new offices and increase the
city expenditure to the utmost ex-
tent for the purpose of making that
patronage more valuable. 1t secures
the services of its adherents by Civ
ing them offices and contracts if
they are rich, by giving them work
if they are poor, and to make plenty
OF employment it is forever urging
on all sorts of public works, the
labor of which is paid for at extrav-
agant rates, as little as possible be-
ing done for the money, so that the
number of employees may be the
greater. Tammany, though it has
for the most part acted with the
Democratic party, has not really
any political principles at all, and
has more than once formed ALLAN
ces with the Radical leaders on the
terms of sharing the public plumber
when the better part of the Demo-
cratic party lifted its hand in earn
est against the gigantic system of
fraud which was based on Tam
many methods. This is the case at
this time. Mr.. John Kelly, the |
present ruler of Tammany, is a can
didate against Gov. Robinson, the
nominee of the Democratic party. |
He avOws his knowledge that he
cannot get elected himself, and |
states that his candidacy is adopted |
for the express purpose of beating
Gov. Robinson, which means the
election of Cornell, the Republican |
candidate.
The same thing took place during |
the Tweed frauds, which were rem
dered possible by a coalition between
certain Democratic and Republican /
politicians for the purpose of public |
plumber. 1t was defeated by the |
resolute action of the Democratic
party under Mr.. Tilden, aided by a
few of the more respectable of the |
Republicans. Political principles
are only a pretext with the Tam
many people; its real purpose is
public plumber.
The immediate causes of the pres
ent emergency are nearly as follows:
Gov. Robinson was elected by the
united Democracy of the State, but |
was not a favorite with Tammany, |
though voted for by that club when
nominated. He had some reform |
ing tendencies peculiarly obnoxious |
to the club. He wanted to cut /
down largely the number of offices,
which is enormous, to diminish sal
aries, some of which are excessive,
and to reduce generally the eXpend- |
iture in the city and elsewhere. /
which is extravagant beyond con-
ception; but all this tended to |
deplete the sources of Tammany's |
subsistence, for which and by which |
Tammany lives and moves and has
its being. No wonder Tammany |
does not love Lucius Robinson. But |
the Governor gave special Offencet to /
the club by removing some office /
holders who had been appointed
through the influence of Tammany
in the person of its director and
proprietor, John Kelly, The Tam
many influence appoints to many
offices, and those who are so APP
pointed are considered responsible
for their official conduct, not to the
ostensible officers of the State, but
to John Kelly. Moreover, official
conduct means working for Tam
many. Gov. Robinson refused TO
recognizethese principlesand turned
out the incompetent men. Here
upon Tammany, which is John
Kelly, and John Kelly, who is
Tammany, swore a great oath that
Lucius Robinson should never more
hold Office in the State or city of
New York; but the great body of
the Democracy were hugely pleased
with their Governor for this very
act. The very thing they wanted
him for was to rescue the taxpayers