The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-03
A DISTRICT LEADERS, WORK.
SAMPLE DAY WHICH SHOWS HOW
HE GETS HIS POWER.
Varied Favors He Does for People I'm His
District Things They Do for Him
I'm Return -Onice Hunting and Calls
on Him Made by His Constituents.

In Return-Onice Hunting and Calls
on Him Made by His Constituents
A district leader In a political party must
work hard TO get his place and to keep It,
The following account Of the day OF one
district leader, a Tammany Hall man
will illustrate the varied demands on the
holder of the office.
This leader Ia a lawyer and a member
OF the legislative body. His home Is In
the heart Of his district. and one OF those
on the East Side. His district club, TO
which all his followers belong. Is around
the corner His office Ii downtown. II
you study him for a moment the first thing
that will strike you Is that he is industrious.
He rises every morning at 0 o'clock, I'M
less he is pulled out Of bed before. While
he was dressing the doorbell rang-a ma n
TO zee the leader. The 10 ader delayed his
breakfast and saw the man. 1t was a
simple case. The Bureau OF Membranes
had seized a showcase belonging TO q small
shopkeeper which was Illegally IN the
sidewalk and a policeman had arrested
the shopkeeper. The appeal was that
the showcase might be recovered from
the city yard. to which II had been taken
and that the shopkeeper be saved from
a fine. The leader made no definite PROM
Use; he would do his best, and the shop
keeper was content.
During breakfast another caller appeared.
His brother had been arrested for d~isorderly
conduct. Would the leader get him out2
He would try.
Work was waiting for him at his office,
but instead Of going there he went to the
police court. There his constituents un-
fortunate brother and the shopkeeper
were awaiting him. In the line Of prison.
ers were two or three other members Of
the district organization or friends OF
MEMBER and each of them had to be at
tended TO, The Magistrate knew the leader
and the leader knew the Magistrate and
after a little conversation the leader paid
a fine or no, the Magistrate delivered a
reprimand or SO, and the shopkeeper and
the unfortunate brother were discharged.
While this had been going on the leader
had been appealed TO a dozen times for aid
OF one sort or another. Some Of the appeals
he answered with a contribution from his
pocket, some Of them with a word of advice,
some of them he ~disregarded. This had
taken an hour.
The leader had to get to his office He
boarded a car and was saluted respectfully
by the driver and the conductor. Both OF
them wed their jobs TO him. Once at his
Office his first care was TO telephone TO the
Bureau Of membranes and ask that the
shopkeeper's show case be returned TO
him. His next business was TO receive
three or four callers all Of them In search
OF work. They had no doubt that he could
get jobs for them and he took their names
and added them to a portentous list that
he carried In his pocket. .
Then he opened his mail. II consisted
OF appeals, some for employment, some
from men for whom he had obtained en-
ployment for transfers, requests that he
buy tickets to church fairs and dances
and schuetzenfests and benefits OF all
sorts and descriptions. At luncheon he
met a man who told him of the efforts which
a rival in the district was making to sup
plant him. That required attention and
thought and immediate consultation with
a number of his lieutenants, who had charge
Of the election districts under him.
In the afternoon the regular daily visit
to the city departments came. The heads
Of all these departments were fellow lead
ers. and they had the parcelling out OF tn
good things. For every job To be given
out there were at least twenty applice ats,
and Of the twenty applicant al least a
dozen were leaders men He got two
sweepers in the Street Cleaning Depart
ment and a messenger in the Finance De-
partment, and n clerk in the Tax Depart
ment and that was a good days work,
When he got back to his Office more mail
had accumulated. Its treatment was the
same that the other had received, and
then the leader started for supper He
wasn't coins home. He had TO attend a
fair and spend some money. and show
himself: aud when he had done his duty
by the fair il was time TO 60 TO the dis
trict club and SEQ what more there was
for him To do.
There were fifty men who wanted i'm
mediate financial assistance, from 10 cents
to a dollar. twenty-five men wanted
work three or four wanted to get on the
- 49, 3d. .E ON into 10 ~
I'M the Fire Department. There were
policemen who wanted TO be transferred
me advanced In grade, and clerks who
wantcd to get vacations and Increases OF
salary, and all sorts Of routine matters
Of that kind to take up time.
Then there was a woman whose nus
hand heat her. and who had come TO the
leader for protection, and IA husband who
had given W tryu' TO live with tina Wo-
man and expected the sympathy and
support Of the leader Then there were
men who had bs.,n arrested and must be
bailed out, and a whole mas Of minor de-
tails. 10 all Of which the leader listened
attont!Vely and attended rcrupulously
II wa midnight when hr gp' 10 his home
lie had lone a hard dav's worl lie was
tired lie went 10 lid. lut before he Was
fairly asleep the doDrbell rang, and he
va pulled out 81 bed 20 furnish bail Tor
another constituent Then be- went 10 led
again and was allowed 30 sl""p fpr a while.
Ihi- h. "a amp" day from IA" W." 81 a
dist riot leader Philanthropy did not
prnmut him a. Do ia" kindly acts which
h. did Had be- not duuo thrm he would
have luft the friendship = the men Who
made nj lrad,r-hip pssslnl's and A. coon
a. be- loot thrir friendship III l"adrrrhlp
wAs zone hy assuming thn poet -
lnadef be- lad assumed The responsibility
~ doing al q the many thinEs which lad
isrn afk,i = him
Ie wac the man a. whom every un"iu-
plu,-d. ,,efy az fortunate aud every uuIu.
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