Middletown transcript., 1894-03-24

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;aptain is held toa strict account. If
he Tammany vote in his election dis
aict fall off without due cause he is
forthwith removed and another ap- !
pointed in his place. Usually the cap
tain is an actual resident in his district;
but occasionally, being selected from
distant part Of tile city. he acquires
fictitious residence in The district. Very
the captain is liquor deal
er, who has clientele of customers,
and hangers-on whom he
swings or controls. He is paid, of
course, for his services; he has some
money to distribute and little patron
age, such aSplaces in the street clean
ing department or perhaps minor
clerkship. The captain of district |
has personal acquaintance with all its
voters; and on the eve of an election he
is able to tell how every man in'his dis
trict is going to vote. He makes his
report; and from the eleven hundred
reports Of the election district captains
the Tammany leaders can predict with
accuracy what will be the vote of the
city,"
NO REsPECTER OF NATIoNALITIEs.
Tammany is not, as is generally sup
posed, almost exclusively Hlbernian in
membership. ''Some of its election
district captains are Jews, aud although
most of the assembly district leaders
are Irishmen, there are almost as many
Germans as Irish in the rank and file.
Tammany, again, is always onthe alert
to placate and promote en- who have
influence OF ability. If there be, for
example, an Italian in the district who
shows some independence of character
and has a following, however small,
among his countrymen, Tammany will
grapple that man to itself with hooks
Of steel. He will get money or place;
be will get something, or at least the
promise of something.
"Tammany is very hospitable to ris-
ing talent, and it bears no grudges. 1t
receives a convert with open arms and
rewards him in proportion to the harm
which he did to the organization in his
unregenerate days. Young men find
that Tammany is ready to advance
them as fast as their capabilities will
permit"
THE RESULTS OF SUCH A SYSTEM.
While Mr.. Merwin has a great deal
to say, naturally, about the petty des-
potism that Tammany exercises over
the least and the greatest of New
Workers, he is rather surprised at the
net result of effective and economical
government that, in his opinion, comes
to the city from such an absurdly illog-
ical system. sit is commonly conceded
that in most respects the city is well
governed. 1t is orderly; the criminal
class is well kept under; the fire depart
ment is exceedingly good; the police
are extr. .mely efficient, though often
brutal and oppressive in their treat.
ment of persons without money or
influence; the streets are well paved,
and not very dirty. School teachers
are appointed regardless of politics. |
Finally, the cost of the city govern
ment is not excessive. The tax rate is
81. SO per hundred, and the valuation is
low, being calculated at forty, or possi-
bly, fifty per cent. Further
more, so far as is known, no frauds are
committed upon the taxpayers outright,
such as were perpetrated in the days of
Tweed. Tammany raises immense
sums, but they are raised by contribu-
tion and by blackmail, not by theft. In
short, the results are astonishingly
good, considering the character Of the
persons who are now at the head of
Tammany Hall; and the inference is
that the rank and file of Tammany Hall,
including most of the office holders, are
sound. honest men. AS was remarked |
to me recently by prominent lawyer,
familiar with city politics, If q reform
movement should be made successfully
here in New York, and an anti Tam
many machine be organized, the rank
and file would remain substantially the
same, the leaders only would be
changed"
THE DARK SIDE.
On the other hand, some Of the ap-
pointments, especially those important
ones to the judicial bench, are afro
cious. The anti-Tammany daily papers
have made us acquainted with many
representative case of this. Then the
blackmall schemes by which he ring
raises so large proportion of its reve-
nues are pointed to by Mr.. Merwin as
another blot on the government of the
metropolis. This is not confined to the
smaller bribery from and inlimidati IN
of city property holders.
THE PART 1T PLAYS AT ALBANY.
There is another ways also, in
which Tammany, or rather the State
ring, Of which Tammany forms the
chief part, is interested in Albany leg
islation. For many years the striking