New-York tribune., 1900-10-24
HOW TO WIN"-CROKER.
A FEW SIDE SPLITTING GEMS FROM THE
TAMMANY CHIEF IN AN ARTICLE ON
RUNNING A CAMPAIGN"


Cumming "A Campaign-To win."-BY RICH
ARD CROKER
This is the title to a page article in Golfers
Weekly" of October 81. Whether or not Mr.
Croker wrote it matters little. He Stands for''
H. and that will be sufficient to satisfy every
district leader in Tammany Hall. The casual
reader OF Mr.. Croker's article will be struck
py the omission of his declaration before the
Nlazet Committees am working for my own
pocket all the time" Mr. Croker has also re-
trained from saying anything about his intense
oeslre TO bring young men to the front but per-
maps he will let Controller Coler exploit that
1eature Of the boss's political doctrine when the
controller writes his second article on Com
mercialism in Politics"
The object of running campaign is to win
Ihat Is what 1 go into campaigns for" starts
OH the chief of Tammany Hall. Further along
ne says: 1T is supposed that we know what we
are fighting for before we begin" This doubt
less has reference to State Chairman McGuire's
recent declaration to the newspaper men that
silver was not an issue in the present campaign
supplemented the same night by Mr. Croker's
assertion that silver is an issue this fall. In
this way Mr.. Croker proves concIusive1v ~
course that he and his friends do know what
they are fighting for before they begin
II is supposed, also.' writes Mr. Croker that
we are willing to spend our time and money and
take all sorts of risks to get the things we
want"
Assemblyman Honeck, of the XXth Assembly
District arrested Monday, charged with
coIonlzing voters. is one of Mr.. Croker's living
pictures" and shows that his lieutenants are
in fact, taking all sorts of risks in order to get
the things Tammany wants. Continuing, Mr.
Croker says:
How do 1 VIM"
Right here there ought to be what farmers
call "thank-ye-maam," in the road. so that
the reader can get breath David Bennett
Hill and Controller Coler don't need to be told
now Mr.. Croker won at the State convention.
and doubtless the morning after election David
Bennett Hill will be able to tell Mr. Croker how
he didn't win.
How DO 1 VIM" says Mr. Croker and then
he answers the query by saying: by organiza-
ton. And when I say organization I don't
mean merely organization for a single cam
palgn mean something more permanent I
mean an organization that has been thought out
ana planned out in every detail. probably years
ago. and whose machinery is kept thoroughly
well oiled and in running order all the time
II must be ready for any demand made upon it.
and ready to do any amount of work and do it
We'll
THE boss is often talked about and written
about. He is more often talked about than seen.
The Democracy has no boss It is its own
'ooss its own master. No one an owns the
Democratic party, whether we speak of 1t in the
Nation, the State the city"
This last is regarded as one Of the humorous
passages of the paper. 1t is possible that the
wr1terr penned It after attending a vaudeville
snow, The same pay streak" Of humor con-
tinues when he says:
This is not true of the Republican party
The National Republican party has its owner
or boss, and the State and city Republican or
ganfzations are controlled by a single leader
It's organizations ls do not ask what the people
want, or what the party wants but what the
boss wants That is not Democratic and the
| Democratic party would not stand it,"
John c. Sheehan will undoubtedly frame this
and hang 1t at the foot of his bed. where his
eye will catch 1t when he wakes.
"Tammany Hall is big machine" continues
Mr. Croker. 'I do not use the word in any bad
sense. but mean by it a political organization
1t is the most perfect piece of political mechan-
ism in the world There is no other party or
ganization that approaches it in its complete
ness or in the effectiveness with which 1t oper-
ates. I am confident there is no political ma
chinery in Europe or elsewhere that may be
compared with it. 1 have studied very closely
the workings of party organization in England,
and there is no machinery there that has any
thing like the perfect mechanism of Tammany
Hall.
"AH campaigns cost Some people seem to
think you can conduct a campaign patriot
ISM But politics is a business and a costly
business. We haven't the sources of wealth pos
sessed by the Republicans. They car assess Of
fee holders and corporations and trusts. We
have no such sources of supply. The money
used by Tammany Hall comes voluntarily from
the people. No assessments are allowed"
The two jokes-"Tammany has no boss" and
mo assessments are allowed"-wiI be placed in
Mr.. Croker's stable. They are a little bit too
strong for the kindergarten children at the
Democratic Club to play with at present.
Mr. Croker closes his article with the remark
that the Democrats ought to win in this cleo
ton, because, for other reasons Tammany Hall
and the Democratic organization of New-York
have tried to give to the party at large some OF
Of nd train