The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-03
STRENGTH OF TAMMANY.
Its Hold Upon the People md Its
Solid Vote Each Year.

New York, Nov. Upon one import
ant point both friends and foes of Tam
many are agreed. In most questions
but all of them acknowledge, the
friends exultingly, the foes regretfully,
that Tammany Hall is the most re-
markable political organization in ex-
istence. 1t is remarkable first for its
hold upon the people who make up its
voting strength and for the solid vote
that it casts each year, no matter what
the issues. Why thousands and tens of
thousands of citizens who can not, in
the nature of things, receive a public
job or draw a salary from the city
should remain loyal to Tammany is a
puzzle to the average person not in the
organization. How can Tammany help
these? Where does the common man
come in? Why does the vast mass OF
New York's population support its can
didates? are the natural questions of
those unfamiliar with the inner work
igs of the organization. Strange as 1T
may seem to some who have pictured a
system of oppression and corruption,
Tammany appeals to it's constituency in
a language that no man can fail to un-
derstand. 1t is an appeal for LOYALTY
because of the assistance and help and
sympathy and aid of every description
and of every kind which it gives to its
members.
The Tammany organization consists
of the general Committee of the Coun-
ty. the District General Committees and
| the Executive Committee. The real
| backbone of the Executive Committee
is the members from the district organ
izations; these men are always the
leaders of their respective districts. To
the casual observer these men appear
as dictators with unlimited power. The
leaders themselves, however, know that
there is very real limit to their pow
ers, and it is by never overstepping this
that they retain their places in the Or
ganization. They are leaders because
thew know how to lead, how far to go
and when to stop, and it may be sald
safely that the management of Tam
many Hall has always been, and on &C
count of it's organization must always
be, exactly what a majority OF its
members want. The secret OF the pow
err of the leaders may be summed up
this-he stands by his people and his
people stand by him.
If the popular idea is that any leader
and power without a struggle, the or
ganization is entirely misunderstood.
The leaders must attach to themselves
the members of the party. They may
do it by being good fellows, or they
may do 1t by bullying or they may do
II by bribery of one kind and another;
but take away the following and the
leader falls, and nothing can restore
him. To show how Tammany leaders
obtain and hold their powers the re-
cord of the days work by one of them
is sufficient.
This particular one is lawyer and
a. member of a legislative body. His
lcme is in the heart of his district, one
of those on the East Side. His district
club, to which all of his followers be-
long, is around the corner. His office
is downtown. If you study him for
moment the first thing that will strike
you is that he is Industrious. He rises
every morning at o'clock. unless he
is pulled out of bed before. On the day
that we are going to follow him he was
permitted to sleep until o'clock. While
he was dressing the doorbell rang-a
man to see the leader. The leader de-
layed his breakfast and saw the man.
1t was a simple case. The Bureau of
Incunn brances had seized a showcase
belonging to a small shopkeeper which
was Illegally on the sidewalk, and
policeman had arrested the shopkeep-
er. The appeal was that the showcase
might be recovered from the city yard,
to which it had been taken, and that
the shopkeeper be saved from a fine.
The leader made no definite promises
he would do his best, and the shop
keeper was content. During breakfast