Washington sentinel., 1900-10-06
Taotes
TAM MANY HALLIN a PHIL
ANTHROPIC LIGHT.


made by all the active opponents of the
Tammany system is their belief that the
organization is corrupt from beginning
to end and without a single redeemlnE
feature, No system wholly evil and
ubiquitous could endure for 100 years.
AS matter OF fact Tammany Hall does
more for the daily personal comfort,
happiness and we'll being oil the average
dweller than all the charitable and
philanthropic institutions in New York.
This is sweeping statement, which
may be vigorously combated. 1t is not
true that Tammany is uplifting the
people Of the metropolis. 1t is not true
that il is making them better men and
women, But it is true tha in relieving
distress, in providing for daily wants, in
iurthering ambitions, in helping them
out OF their troubles and in assisting
them to get on IN the world Tammany
does a wonderful work, OF course the
taxpayers foot the bills in the end-and
not always in the form Of taxes, either.
No man knows so much about the life
OF the tenements as the Tammany cap.
tain OF an election district. He is the
smallest boss OF them all, and yet
powerful one in his way. He must know
everI man, woman and child in his
district. He must be popular He must
have courage and capacity for work, |
Some captains-more OF them than /
might be supposed-serve for pure love
OF the position; but about half OF the
1913 have places in the city government
which pay on an average about 81 200
year.
The captain is the adviser, the
confdant, the helper, of the people in
his district, When anything Of impor-
tance comes up, as it does half dozen
times a day, he consults the district
leader, who In turn may have to go to
headquarters for Instructions 1t will be
seen that in Tammany Hal, as in all
really great organizations, every man in
the whole army Of workers is under the
eye Of the commander in chief.
II small boy is arrested for playing
ball or committing some other juvenile
oHense, his father or mother seeks the
captain. If the father or any member Of
the family falls into the hands of the
u 4
upon. The captain gets bail, hunts up
witnesses, seeks out the complainant
and tries to smooth things over. Both
the captain and the district leader are
on call day and night. In the days when
TammauY Hall,absolutely controlled the
police courts good Tammany man was
punished lightly for minor offenses,
I
for lawyer to protect "his people,"
either in a criminal or civil action, there /
are plenty Of legal lights in the organi-
cation ready to serve without pay The !
captain arranges to have the sick cared .
for in hospitals, and in case a member
OF family is so unfortunate as to be ~
sent to Blackwell's Island the captain
gets visitors passes, ANY one can get Z
them, but the captain is willing to save p
trouble. Ifthere is daughter R
who graduates from the Normal School e
it is the leaders business to make her a v
teacher. ;,
The amount Of money that TammanY in
Hall spends In charity every year is o
enormous. AS an organization 1t usually nla,
appropriates a large sum in times OF M
great distress; but zhe district leaders
are paying out money all the time. Not el
a dollar is thrown away blindly. ia SH2''
amily whose male members have always sr
been known as good TammanY voters tr
S ossessed-perhaps by reason Of VI
is heads enforced absence on "the W W
district leader, acting upon re
he report Of the captain, is almost
,ertain to appear and pay the rent out B.
u has own pocket, 1t is said, and It is s.
10 doubt true, that Senator lmothy d. Pa
sullivan gives away S7s, 600 a year in an
harity in his district. His patronage ~
to seven or eight times as much. SD
It there is a widow with large family ca
'hose struggles to provide for her -.
hildrsn command the respect Of the RI
'.ber dwellers in the neigh oorhood, the Oc
aptain is almost sure to seek her out. WI
place will be found for her as a scrub. -,
'oman or caretaker in a public building
he result is that every woman on the
lock IS ready to swear by the captain, VI
be district leader and Tammany Hall ac,
lot only do actions like those gain WI
Immediate votes, but the widows sons Ao'
'ill be voters some day, and Tammany -
as an eye to the future,
The district leader seldom writes
otes or gives directions. He goes IN v
ersOn and sees that his wishes are car
ed out. have seen Senator Sullivan IL
art from the Bowery at o'clock in IA
lie morning with gang of men he was
king to some public works in the
pper part of the CITY, 10 miles away, to
AXE sure that the me got the employ
ent that he promised them.
Public works provide employment for
lousands, but the leaders are not Bl
mite d to these. Uctil the Metropolitan
raction Company secured control of
the surface railways in New York,
,arly all street car men we're hired at
e suggestion OF Tammany leaders. L. y
, 1t will be seen that the resources of
e machine are almost endless.
Not only must the local leader provide
r the material wants Of those in his
strict, but he must look after their IRc
easures as we'll. He must attend every W.
edding and funeral-for in a tenement EBl
strict funeral comes under the head KE
pleasures. He must give big balls, WI
MINER night festivals, choWders, PHt
cursions and other social functions so STF
go kt..-N IN