The Irish standard., 1900-11-10
TAMMANY AND ITS POWER.

In recent issue of Golfers Week
ly, Richard Croker the New York pol
itician, tells how Tammany wins cam
paigns In the course of an interest
ing article he says:
Tammany hall is a big machine. I
do not use the word in any bad sense,
but mean by it political organization.
1t is organized for political victory. 1t
is the most perfect piece of political
mechanism in the world. There is no
other party organization in this coun-
try that approaches it in it's complete.
ness or in the effectiveness with which
it operates. am confident there is no
political machinery in Europe or else.
where that may be compared with it.
l have studied very closely the work
ings of party organization in England
and there is no machinery there that
has anything like the perfect mechan-
ism of Tammany Hall.
And yet Tammany Hall is only part
of the Democratic party. 1t is not Of
ficially the Democratic organization.
1t is an organization that has come to
be used for political purposes. The two
organizations-that is the official Dem
ocratic organization and the political
organization of Tammany Hall-are
the same.
Tammany Hall, looking ut it rs a
political machine and acting, as it
were, for the Democratic party fully
represents the voters. It's executive
committee of thirty-six members are
also the leaders in thirty-six assembly
districts. 1t sometimes, though rarely,
happens that member Of the Tam
many Hall executive committee is not
the district leader in his district. They
are generally the same. 1t is as district
leaders that they usually hold their
places in the executive committee of
Tammany Hall.
These leaders report to the general
committee on conditions in their dis
tricts. 1t is pretty safe to pass pre-
diction of the result of an election on
their reports, so thorough is their work
and their knowledge OF their field.
Below the district leaders are the
leaders. or captains. of the 1000 or
more election districts into which the
assembly districts are divided These
captains are appointed by the district
leaders.
The organization expects election dis
trict captains to hold the small divi-
sions aud the district leaders to hold
the assembly districts for the Demo-
cratic party or to win them for the
Democracy il they are now Repub-
lican.
such is. in brief. the machine with
which we run Il campaign. 1t is so
complete a1id so finely arranged that
organized political work can he carried
on in every block and in every house.
Every voter in the city could be
reached and talked With and argued
With inside of twenty-four hours. a
house-to-llouse canvass, the most cifec-
tive sort of political work, may be
made at any time. This is often very
necessary in getting out the full
strength of Il district or OF the whole
city for II primary or Il general cleo
ton. The house-to-house canvass may
decide Il close election. Ii may be the
last straw that turns the balance. We
never fail to resort 10 it in 4 hard con-
test.
\ party may have votes enough 10
spare aud vet fail to carry the cleo
ton Often there is Il feeling of iu-
difference that Keeps thousands of vo,-
ers at home. J ou must get the votes
into the boxes and have ticm counted
fairly and accurately before YOU have
Won, and it frequently becomes prob
lem how to bring out party's voting
strength. l always recommend a