St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-05

ton. although from themselves they
know how false it is. They constantly
talk and write as thoughTammany Hall
were the machine of one man who con-
trolled it by the right of his own posi-
ton. 1t Is represented that he, as a
despot, surrounds himself with thirty
satraps in the persons of the district
leaders, whose sole function it is to re-
ceiye his orders and convey them to
subordinate officers, and it is declared
that these captains enforce them upon
the rank and file.
If this theory were even approx
mately correct, Tammany Hall would
not exist for month. lit is the exact
converse of the truth. Absolutely, the
only power that any officer of the organ
iZation has, or can have, is that which is
freely delegated to him by those who he
leads. Mr.. Croker. for instance, is
called the Boss" The name is ap-
piled to him half jocularlM aud alto
gether spectfully inside the organiza-
ton. 1t is used as ali epithet outside.
He would not hold his position as
leader for a single day if ma
jOrity of his followers should become
dissatisfied will him. The same thing
is true in regard TO every other officer
in the organization. The great power
of these leaders is the power of the
votes behind them: and is derived from
no other source. In other words, they
are strong only in the sense that every
politician in America, from George
Washington down, has been strong.
Such men can always afford to smile at
the impotent calumny of a few and the
opposition of forty fellow citizens,
when they can rely on the support and
confidence of sixty Others
This support and confidence Tammany
Hall possesses, and is likely to possess
only so long as it remains true to the
Immortal political principles to estab-
liSh which it was founded, and of
which it has been the home ever since
its foundation. 1t is a fact, not suf-
ficiently known to the public, that
nearly every platform on which the
Democratic party has fought in the gen.
eral elections was formulated in Tam
many Hall. 1t has differed from other
sections of the national Democracy only
when those other sections have departed
from JeffersOnian doctrines. It-has 0p-
posed candidates who were not, as its
voters believed, true Democrats, but
when these candidates have been
selected against its protest it has sup
ported them Loyalty because it was
Democratic to do so. The magnificent
majority it gave to a candidate last
year is proof of this. 1t Was not for
Mr.. Cleveland that that battle was
fought. 1t was for the triumph of
Democracy.
And in maintaining these principles
Tammany Hall has done more for New
York city in the last flve years than was
ever done for single municipality in
the same time since history began. The
municipal debt, when it came back to
power, was very heavy. 1t was not OPP
pressively so. for New York was very
rich, but was heavy. Today the debt is
not dollar greater than it was then, but
the city is the richer by very many mill
ions by reason of the great improve
ments that have been made. Enormous
sums have been applied honestly to the
furtherance of systematic plan of bet
terment, and the result is the almost in
calculable enrichment of the city.
Nor has this enrichment been ac-
complished by the laying of extra bur
denS upon the people. On the con-
trary, the burdens have been lightened
very considerably. The tax rate when
the anti-Tammany sources were in con-
troll was S2.35. Today it is S1.S5, and
there is good reason to believe that there
will be still further reduction this
year. This reduction of expense to the
taxpayer and concurrent enrichment of
the city have been the result of two
things, and two only. One is the intel
ligent system on which the improve
merits have been protected, and the
other IS The economy and honesty with
which they nave been carried out 1t is
a singular thing that, with all the de-
nunciatiOn ofTammany'S corruption, :"
i'll which its,enemies indulge so freely
and reckleSSly, they have not been able
to point out single instance of it. No
money has been stolen or misappro-
priated. No city official is shown to
have been dishonest. General state
ments are plentiful. because they are
cheap. Specific charges are not made,
because there are none to make.
A conspicuous instance of this loose
and ill-conSidered form of attack is the
cutlery that is frequently made about
"Iammany's appointments" 1t must
be remembered in this connection that
these appointments" are, under Tam
many administration, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in
accordance with the desire of a majority
of the voters. And it speaks we'll fol
the voters of New York city, that out OF
the hundreds of appointments tina,
have been made not more than three OIL
four have been criticised, either on the
ground of capacity or personal charac
ter.
1t would be impossible within these
limits to speak in detail of the improve
ments that have commanded the admir-
alton of the city and of the world, re-
CARELESS of political preference. One
thing, however, may be mentioned as
| an example. In the recent expenditure
of So, 600, 900 on the repaving of a large
proportion of the street surface of the
city more was accomplished than had
ever before been done with twice the
| money.
Not only was the very best pavement
known to science secured as a result,
but it was laid at a price per foot that
was considerably less than is paid by
London, Paris and other capitals fol
similar work. And in addition the con-
tractors were compelled to give bonds
to keep it in repair for terms varying
from five to fifteen years, without cost
to the city. Such thing was unheard
of, unthOught of before Tammany took
control.
AS to the care or cleaning of these
streets, there is no room for serious
controversy. There are critics who
will go around the New Jerusalem
looking for the Feelings and cores of
trees. If they remain long enough they
will organize city reform clubs. 1t is
enough to say that all the prominent
officers of the foreign ships recently in
our port spoke with admiration of such
cleanliness as they had found in no
other large city in the world.
As with the streets, so with the almost
countless other improvements, the
bridges, the docks, the aqueduct i'm
provements-in short, all that have
adorned and enriched the city within
five years. All have been done eco
nomically, and no specific charge of
fraud has ever been made. So long as
this shall be the character of Tammany
HalPseWork, and so long as it shall re-
main the leading exemplar of genuine
Democratic principles, just so long
will the overwhelming majority of
the city continue to- support
it and intrust it with the manag elnent
of municipal affairs. What the minority
may say or think is of no consequence
politically. Doubtless the intelligent