Telegram-herald., 1888-07-15
FORD'S GOOD LUCK
sAsnss IN TAMsANYs SUNSHINE
Ne Learns Something As0at Jshs Kelly
4sd nas fslLsssrs-kslIy Ssstls-
11&n <aa . s<Ast@F-f fazasaasys
>sarcs 81 Power.


ssares 81 Power.
DETzosT, July lA-Tks Ness ass the fol-
l0~ias special iron Washington. Any
one Tho bappsos 70 bash in the favor Of
Tanmsny hal sunshine 10 ia considerable
luek. for this influential BODY OF New YORK
braves is not only . poser IN politics that
can do much ~ shape public mans career,
oat il has the key 20 most that Is socially
enjoyable 10 public man IN New YORK.
Ot ATE Congressman Fora has enjoyed
much favor with the famm anyltes. Ii Sas
3 frIsndSnip begun here with such happy
spirits ss sunset Cox. Amos Cummings aud
Ilm Cam np0sll, aud continued during sever
al excursions to Gotham. On the Fourth
" July Ia particular, Ford vas one of the
most honored guest Al the Tammany pow
WOW, and bis speech made the nit OF the oc-
easi0D. lie has the Toagn-and-tumble style
and easy nonchklance which might app4li
q party Of doaeons. bat which is exactly
after the heart of . true Tammsny brave.
From thus mixing with the Tammany-
ties, Mr.. Ford has had an opportunity 10
see mnch OF the workings Of this famous
organization. De Is always an observer OF
men aod events. aud IN this case he has
kept his eyes and ears open TO take IN the
peculisrities of John Keliy's followers.
Il had always labored under the delusion
that Iammany Was tough organization,
said the Grand Rapids Congressman, and
think that isa popular mistake, particularly
in the Vest. My idea OF John Kelly was as
q bruiser. and of his foiIawers IS a body
taking in the scum OF New York politics.
But it's the greatest mistake. and any one
who has that idea should dismiss il. As .
matter Of tact, the aim and influence OF
Tammany is toward purifying politics, and
il has exerted itself in that direction since
IL was organized in 1759-one year short Of
one hundred years ago. OF course, corrupt
men have got into il, like Tweed, but Tam
many took its part in bringing retributive
justice To Tweed.
Take John Kelly, for instance. and you
will find from his most intimate personal
associates in Tammany that he was q man
exactly the opposite of the popular idea OF
him. lie was lover OF literature, and
during the last twenty years of his life he
devoted much of his time TO literature,
study and travel. In the ten years prior TO
his death he mastered i've languages.
French, Spanish, Italian, German and Rus
sian, and could converse huently in each.
No ordinary man could do that particularly
at the advanced age OF Kelly. In short, he
was q self-made man. with natural gifts oil
leadership and that intense desire TO edu-
cate himself which takes hold of some men
who appreciate their early disadvantages
and try TO offset them. Such q student of
languages is hardly the picture of Kelly l
had expected 10 find, but ii is the true one.
The organization OF Tammany 10 such
as would naturally make il tremendous
power in politics. Instead of being one
central body, il is collection of SUBJ bodies.
Every one of the tventy-four Assembly
Districts in New York City has its Tam
many organization, over which a sachem is
the presiding officer. The Assembly Dis
tricts are much like the wards in the West
ern cities, so that Tammsny bas q nucleus
of power in every corner of the metropolis,
each sub-organization exerting its infu-
ence on the matters of its District. Then
the twenty-four District bodies form the
grand central organization known as Tam
many Hal, over which grand sachem
presides. This central organization con-
centrstes and directs ali the strength of the
twenty-four District bodies, and the
machinery of management is so well ad-
justed that there Is no friction, but the
whole organization moves, acts and votes
as one man. 1t is no wonder Tammany
has been q power for the last hundred
years.
''Tomahawks aud scalps' Oh, no, / did
not see any; but they keep up the Indian
formation by tribes. presided over by
sachems, sagamores, warriors, etc. Tam
many himself was one of the chiefs of the
Delaware tribes, renowned for his charity
aud many virtues. When the organization
was formed. in 1888, it was for charitable
purposes, something like the many modern
mutual benefit societies. There were
branches throughout the East. in the larger
cities. none of them having anv political
purpose. But IL was seen that the New
York body had the making of political
lever. and il gradually drifted into q Demo-
cratic organization. Now there are but two
requisites for admission-Dsmocracv and
an initiation fee Of $25. After thai there
are no dues and little Of the drudgery OF
red tape which wearies the existence out OF
most clubs.
Irving Hall was at one time rival OF
Taminany. but that has gone out of exist
ence, so that the only two political bodies
surviving are Tammany and the County
Democracy. Each of the latter selects dele.
gates to conventions, and then a conference
Of the two bodies apDortions the number OF
delegates which each body will have recoy-
nized. SO that the Tammany meetings are
Almost equivalent to the Democratic eau
cuses in other cities.
Aside from politics however, Tammsnv
is royal sntertsiner snd it has the most
brilliant men OF New York as its hosts, such
"a Sunset Cox. Richard Crocker, State Sena-
tor Ives. and the like. The great sachs m
now occupying John kelly's former seat Is
James flack, stocky, thick-set, black
bearded man Of business But the moving
power. after sll, 10 Crocker. He is the di-
recting figure. being ssehera of one of the
chief districts, aud under bis clever guild
sncs you will continue To hear of Tsmmany
as very large factor in the politics of New
York"
Rather funny incident occurred when
Ford vas speaking at Tsmmany Hall on
the night of the Fourth. he had Just got
well under way. when there vas sudden
sound IN the gallery. like the puff Of pow
der. and sudden blaze Of hight that stsrtled
every one. People jumped up and looked
about. and there was considerable confu-
sion. But Forf Happened to be facing the
bisze. and ceuld see what il meant pho
togrepber vas taking az instantaneous
picture by the explosion process. A burst
Of light is suddenly thrown on the sudi-
s1cs. and a. the same moment the picture
is tsksn- Il caught the Congressm an in q
very tragic attitude, bat be held his own