Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-07-13
The WiGwaM' S SECRET.
The Real Sources Of the New York Power
Of Tammany.

I Whenever tie good people OF New
York city btstir themselves on behalf
OF better government for their
municipality. the question arises:
I WHAT is the source of Tammanys
power?". The pessimists reply thar it
lies in the fact that the majority OF
the people like the kind Of government
which Tammany provides. This satis-
ties some and pleases the cynical. but
IL is not to be expected that thoughtful
persons will accept such reply as
final. Nevertheless the facts are puZ-
Ziing. Somebody has ietently written
a history of Tammany, showing that
its whole career has been tarred with
villanies and crimes. The sale Of pro-
lection for vice. instead Of being new.
or even comparatively new, is shown
, to be as old as the laws against vice.
. In the eyes of Tammany leaders pub
lie contracts have always seemed fit
subjects for p!under and greed, md
the present systems, II they differ at
all from the long customs Of the or-
ganiZat:On. differ only in refinement
Of form. by which the public prosecu-
tor. If by chance there is one not in
| Tammanys power, as now for in
stance. is the more easily avoided.
Except a few instances of pande:inS
q little to the moral sense Of the COM
munity, and a few periods where in
ternal warfare led to a brief respite for
the citizens and the taxpayers. there is
no record that Tammany ever served
any other interests than those of the
men who for the time happened To be
in control of the organization.
So il is an interesting study to find
out why the people have again and
again returned Tammany 10 power and
opportunity. Those VINO benefit by
the moral laXity of Tammany are after
all but Il small minority. The tenn
ing East Side. with its crowded tene-
mentS. its poverty. its nth. its Stitied
air and smothered light, does not rep
resent the ideal and the hope Of thoS.
who dwell there. They hong. suhcon-
$, iously perhaps. bur truly. for better
things. They would be glad 10 see he
streets kept clean. il they knew that
clean streets were possible ana b"ne-
fetal. They would like 10 have the
laws of tenement sanitation enforced
If they knew that there We're laws Of
tenement sanitation and that by the
enforcement of them they could bring
health To their dying and safety TO
their young But they do not know
these things. They have been taught
that the conditions which surround
them are inevitable conditions. They
do not know that Tammany is selling
rights which the law has given for
their protection. They think that il is
just the other way. and that Tammany
! saves them from the enforcement of
unjust and cruel laws. Tammany. as
everybody knows. holds It's control Of
the city by its hold on these East Side
districts. If that hold were broken.
the organization. with its present nur-
pnses. could not exist. \ knowledge
of this fact simpliiies the study.
| Most that is written about Tammany
is written about a half dozen OF its
leaders. Croker. Carroll. sullivan. Del
mour. Murphy and 2 very few others.
These are not the men who meet the
masses and win their support. they
play their part. but it Is not the fundl
! mental part. To get at the real source
| of Tammany's power ii is necessary TO
get away from the Wigwam and imi-
tate Tammany in the process, most
familiar. of getting close to the peo-
pie" Here you meet the district
leader. When you have studied him
thoroughly you will know ali that
there is to know about the real source
of Tammany's power.
The Tammany district leader. Of
whom that which follows is the
biography. was no haphazard selec-
ton: he was selected by nature. and
found his way TO the place for wnich
destiny intended him as simply and
inevitably as running water seeks and
finds its outlet lie began his leader
ship when first he was big enough to
crawl or tumble down the dark stair
way of the tenement. to reach the mar
row doorway and scramble for an
apple core with Mrs. JohnsOns kid"
He got the apple-Core first. and then
made friends with the kid. They di
vided the core after that. the kid
perhaps getting more than his share,
but he got il by permission. and for
this permission he was grateful. When
the kid got big enough to go farther
afield lie found things that he wanted
and. having laid hands upon them.
brought them to the Connor boy and
asked il he might keep them. Usually
he was permitted to do So When the
future leader preferred to take and
keep the prize 1t seemed concession.
When he was thirteen or fourteen
years old this somewhat indefinite
leadership was merged into another.
more particular and categorical.
though hardly more complete. He
became that is. the acknowledged head
of the gang" in his neighborhood.
He was not by any means the oldest
though he was nearly the largest
His leadership was not exactly based
upon physical proves. for he would
have held his place. even if someone
had been able to whip him, but, as 4
matter Of fact. no one did whip nim
He had few narrow escapes. but he
was equal to emergencies. This
period of his career and the one im
mediately following are not especially
plea sing to follow in detail. He never
got farther than the police court. how
ever. and the judge "let him off"
He never quite lost the memory of that
scene. and later. when he began to ad-
niire men who wore frOck coats and
silk hats and smoked huge cigars in
silence. he remembered ii more and
more. The thing that impressed him