The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
JOE BARTENDER NO MORE.
WOULDN'T TAKE 1WO
JORS FROM ONE SALOON.

EGISff iO"'
R.np,d, Insisted on Being Alderman md
. !, Hoe Couldn't Go To tho Assembly
Now H.. Has bought CRliahan's Piace
and wiz 90 to Congress u He Wants To.
MIR. KrSsrpyi We re,ign
Joy. the bartender.
HEsEy, the iunchmAn.
JOSEPH O'Brien. aside from having the honor
OF being the standard bearer OF "A First ward
political club. also had the honor OF being head
bartender In the saloon Of Alderman Michael
Kennedy at the corner OF White and Elm
streets. O'Brien has nery red hair and
is known In Col. Murphy's haIliwick as
Fighting. joe" When Tammany Hall
made the announcement that the Hon.
Dan Finn was TO be put on the bench.
young O'Brien. who recently cr LIBERATED his
twenty second birthday. announced that he
was going TO he the next Assemblyman from
the First district. His friends got UP a petit.
ton addressed to the Tammany leader
begging Col. Murphy to give Fighting joe
the nomination. The petition was signed by
several thousand persons living In the district.
but lust when Fighting Joe" had the nomi-
nation within reach. his boss, Mr.. Kennedy.
came out with a claim to the nomination for
Alderman. Thereupon Kenhedy's friends
served a notice upon Fighting Joe" to the
effect that IT he did not get out OF the political
eight he would lose his Job as head bartender
In Mr.. Kennedy's saloon.
Sure. you're too young to he a politician"
said one OF Kennedy's friends. 1T I'D look
nice. wouldn't 1t. for you. the bartender. TO be
up there making laws at Albany for MIR, Ken.
NEEDY. the boss. whom he'd bs an Alderman In
the City Hall. II he gave ye a call down be.
Mind tha har tn-dav tn-mprrnu Won might 20
back to Albany and pass some law that would
put him out Of his Aldermanic Job. d ye seer
1t nd never do at ALL
That's all right. said Joe: Il don't want no
gufY from you. ! know what I'm doing. II |
get the 'Sembly nomination II simply means
that I'm 'lected. see2 The boss can be an
Alderman and ! can be an Assemblyman. too,
I could stay home 10 the store on the Alderman
meeting days, and hs could stay home and
mind the place while the Assembly was in
session"
The matter finally got to be a real fight. The
boss insisted upon having the nomination for
Aide and the bartender insisted upon GO
ing to the Assembly. The Tammany district
committee did not like to throw Fighting Joe"
down. for the reason that Joe had organized q
line Of social clubs that reached from the Bat
terry wall up to the end OF the district. He had
succeeded In having himself elected an officer
OF almost every one OF these clubs. To throw
him down meant the loss OF many votes. But
Mr.. Kennedy had friends. too. He was the
President OF the Ancient Order OF Hibernlans.
and Tammany could not afford to throw him
down. Several conferences were held In the
district and Fighting Joe" was fnal ly told that
Tammany could not give two legislative plums
to one saloon. This was also told to Mr.. Ken
nedy. Both were told to get together and set
tie upon one man for one nomination. The
bartender could be an Assemblymsn or the
boss could be an Alderman.
The man at the lunch counter In the saloon.
Henry Fuchs. sided with the bartender. He
went so far as to tell the boss that he. the boss.
ought to withdraw and give the bartender q
show. Guinea Jim" the Italian bootblack In
the saloon. sided with the boss.
"Joe-a he too young" said the bootblack.
He maks-a dc biz behind de- bar and de boss
he make.a de laws. This much-a bet"
when I would seen Joe elected on Albany"
said the lunchman. II would yet be glad 80
much l would give nv wife 50 Q week more for
her wages. Joe we're a good fellow. He give
me q glass beer whom ! like. When he fight NIT
der boss on politics. I'm NIT him. When Joe
we're q Congressman on Albany. den he don't
need to tend bar no more und I need not TO be
alunchman. get q Job mebbe. too. Why not
! be q fireman commissioner vhat2"
Every day for two weeks the lunchman and
the bootblack quarrelled as to who should get
the nomination. the boss or the bartender.
The boss finally told the bartender that he
was going To get the nomination for Alderman
and that the bartender had better wait until
next year.
A rtukk ~ saiy a. L. 80 Nu rne nI kanna NAf
being sure Of getting the Assembly nomins-
ton. he decided to withdraw from the fight.
believing that II he did not withdraw he might
lose his Job as bartender.
IN get square some day." said Joe.
"Dot'e right" said the lunchman. ''und when
you get square III DO round"
II was the custom OF the lunchman and the
bartender to go to a neiehhoring saloon each
evening after the closing Of Kennedy's. and
there console each other on the throw-down Of
Fighting joe" tn" saloon they went to was
the Elm caft. at 80 Elm street, owned BY
Michael Callahan. who has had some expert.
cnce as an Assemblyman, Fighting joe was
getting pointers on Assembly politics with an
~. Asse mbly man IA a trainer. He was also
setting pointers on other things. One day
whom he and the lunchman were sitting In
Gala han's. the brewery collector came around
and said things. Joe. the bartender. and Henry.
the lunchman were good listeners. They had
Just dropped in from Kennedy's, which is next
door to Galatians. and when they heard what
the brewers collector said they put there
heads together and did u lot Of whispering.
Wouldn't dot he 1ne?" said the lunchman.
You bet il would" sad the bartender.
Der II We bought this place out We could our
own toss be, and throw up next door our Jobs.
Den We could be what politicianers We liked.
amt it,"
You bet your life" said Joe. and then no
one could keep me out Of the Assembly"
But what would our boss, Mr.. Kennedy. say
on such a ting like dot" asked Henry.
He wouldn't havc anything to say about it,
answered Joe.
Kennedy gnally got the Aldermanic nomi-
continued to work for him. as did Henry. the
lunchman. Both saved money. Almost every
saloon and its proprietor. Mike Callahan.
ITS Rettin' worsar." whispered the lunch
man. Il saw a man. which looked like a
brewery sheriff go In dere yesterday night"
SAP nothIn' and saw beef said IN" bar
At the end Of another week Kennedy's lunch
man crept softly over to Kennedy's bartender
1T looks yet more blue for Callahan md yet
and, more blue for Kennedy" added the
"Mebbe he thinks We are green. remarke ed the
mnchman. "Vc vii show him We are home
made American business mems und politician
err. to-. Den next year yoI can get der nom-