The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-03
.rrssoS IN POLITICS.

.rh. commissioners of Accounts OF Ne"
- IT,, under the new and reform
.,,orrment have been looking INTO
,na affairs OF the Tammany DOCK boa'u'
oomnosed of Messrs. Cram, the prcsiue"''
- pho,on and ANDY" White. on Neu-
.,a.aa,, las, they had ex-senator PluhN''
,o,oro them. from whom, In conhec'loh
,,.,,b other witnesses examined by theih'
,nov found scandaious frauds upon the
.,,y through collision between the boaru
nj Dock Commissioners and the Sa''
Ilunkitt in contracts given MN 10 Gary
off and dump garbage. In the co"ise u
plunkitt's examination the following ques-
lions and answers were recorded
And you got a good many, men ap-
pointed by the city, sugges'eu Oo"'''''
s'o ,%h vess, said Mr.. Piunhtt. 81 got
every man appointed that l po5sIiDniiy
could. | was a leader OF Iainnialy I iIam
I am now a leader of Tammahy iai,
and hope 10 be for the next twenty years
10 come. | went down TO the DOCK De
partment, however, as pam reorec iuN-
kit" ,..o man In tho Dock De-
partment discharged? ,, .,.s
Never have | taken a laboring man
work away from MN, aisWeIeu 81
Plunkitt with powerful thuir rPat y" s ''' "a
serious charge 10 make against man
vi" In reniv 10 Mir. Terry's questions, Mr..
PlanNtt said that he had irequen.y Ire.
coived campaign contributions. Dut that
he had never levied an assessment OF 'hat
sort on a lnan who was In Once.
.-Ihen You mean" said commissioner
Terry. that the men who are IN one , uo
NOT contribute to the party, ana tnat
only the men who are not in ONCE give
"oh' no. drawled Mr.. Plunkitt, that
Amt politics" ,,.,, >,
81 don't know anything about politics.
repiied Commissioners Terry.
Then YOU ought to learn SAID ex-
Senator Pinnkitt quickly. AnyoouS WY o
doesn't think that politics is trade ana
q profession doesn't know what ne -
talking about.
+, VIII be long time before we get
more candid and refreshing admissions
from a master of the art of politics than
these. But the same examination gave
us an example of how the business
OF politics Is worked.
Mr. George L. Greene, Jr. has been chief
engineer OF the Dock Department for
some time. lie was called as d witness,
when the following took place:
81 show YOU a check drawn 10 the order
OF Richard Croker by you" said Com
why you drew it,"
'in the winter of 1891 and 1SG, replied
. Mr.. Greene 81 heard some time after IL
occurred that Croker had sent an order
10 the Dock Department TO put another
man In nv place. Commissioner fhclan
declined to do this. and Mr. Croker was
angry That made Commissioner Phelan
uncomfortable. Time went on, ana telt
grateful 10 Mr.. fhelan ana wanted 10
do something that would be pleasant 10
him. said to him one day; MT. Phelan,
II i should send these fellows 500 or $lso,
or something OF that Kind, would II make
you any more comfortable! lie said IL
would | then drew a check for $40 and
gave II to Mr.. Phelan, and he turned u
over TO Mr.. Cram
O.-Whom did you mean by those fell
lows? A.-Some OF those fellows who
were making MIR. Pheian uncomfoftabie
later drew another check for sl2s and
eent A. to Mr.. Croker In the same way.
Odd Mr.. Croker suggest returning
any OF this money to you at any time?
Q.-You left the check with Mr.. Cram
and II came back with Mr.. Croker's sigma
lure on the back? Ayes.
At no distant day this man Richard
Croker came TO this country poor boy.
lie spent his time after arriving here in
roistering around New York city with
MI the roughs and toughs OF the place.
He went up by the usual methods TO the
head OF Tammany. but has never been
engaged In any business that any one
knows OF IN his life until he recently
bought q stable of fine horses and took
TO racing He bought one horse recently
for $6, 900. he lives in a house In New
York that cost $4,000. he has a fine resi-
dence in London. and whenever he travels
II IL In a special car for himself and
family. When asked about these checks
that Greene sent him. he would con-
descend no reply. but that he docs not
care a damn about the checks" and
thousands OF persons think nothing what
ever Of such a matter. passing II by with
the reflection. "Oh, It's nothing but poll
tics" ,fs Va
II seems that the Dock Board kept
stenographer. ana this ofscid thought
n hls duty to r<o0rd literally everything
0has vs. nia N the sessions Of the