The age-herald., 1901-10-21
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE
Mr. HawIey on Tammany.


 man of politics writes as follows:
 In view of the approaching municipal election in Greater New York more than ordinary interest attaches to a paper in the current North American Review on "rhe Strength and Weakness of Tam many Hall," by Walter L. Hawley, for merly of the Age-Herald's staff and now of the New York Evening Sun. During the ten years he has been resident in New York Mir. Hawley has been the city hall and political man of the Evening Sun, being now as for several years past the president of the Association of City Hall Reporters. Thus he has had ex- traordinary opportunities for acquiring information concerning all the political elements of the Metropolis, and being a close observer and a man of conspicuous intellectual ability, his written observa- tions in the greatest of the reviews are attracting national and International at- tention.
 MT. Hawley is anti-Tammany; but every American is a partisan, and so the political attitude of this successful news paper worker does not lessen the interest of what he has to say. lie declares at the outset that Tammany, which "has so long dominated, demoralized and dis graced municipal government in the city of New York is mistakenly classed as political faction-the regular form of one of the great political par .Ies of the coun- try. But Tammany has adhered to only nominal party regularity" The mass of its membership know little, and care less, about national questions that are designated as party issues" For al- most one hundred years 1ammany has never been exterminated and rarely de- feated in city elections No purely pollt- ical reason will fully explain such a re- cord" "No party creed has endured for a century; so the real strength of this organization must be looked for beneath the surface of it's campaign declarations" "Tammany is essentially a close corpora tion held together by carefully adjusted community of interests" declares MT. Hawley in an initial summing up.
 "Tammany strives to favor the multi tudes," which outnumber "the substan- tial citizens ten to one;" and, therefore, the moral and intellectual tone of local government Is kept down to the level of the masses,' together with "the crimi- nals, ,4ie vicious, lhe interruptions, the poor, the partially educated and the ig- norant." Good breeding and education do not always constitute absolute dis qualification for holding office under Tam many, but there is one requirement that Is essential-the applicant must be worth 1v. votes or infiuence.'
 'The weakness of Tammany, like It's strength, lies in the unchangeable charac- teristics of human nature. Its chief bond Of cohesion is human selfshness or greed, and no other tie Is so easily broken. It Is never disinterested; never grateful. When the units of its strength weaken they are cast out. It is loyal to no leader, faith full to no man, beyond the stage of self interest Its party loyalty is pretense; its devotion to principles sham"
 "A growth of intelligent citizenship to the stage that will enable the masses to be best served by better city government will defeat Tammany and destroy it.
 However radically individuals, in par tisan spirit or otherwise, many differ from Mr.. Hawley's claims and conclus- ions respecting Tammany, none who reads his paper in the North American Review will question that he has written luminously and powerfully. MT. flaw leys Is one of four papers on vital phases of modern city government, with especial reference to New York;" all ap- bearing in the current North American Review. "The Mayor and the Revised New York City Charter" is by Hon. George L. Rivers former Assistant Sec retary of State under President Cleve- land; "Financial Problems of a Great City" by Hon. Bird s. Coler, the non- nominated one; and Police Corruption and the Nation" by Hon. Frank Moss former police commissioner of New York
 The Black Mammy's View. Doctor, what fir sorter wite man disyer President Roosenbelt?" asked an old black nanny of a noted physician of Birmingham yesterday.
 'Why do you ask, Aunt Jane?"
 "'Case bout his axin Mir. Professor Booker Washington, a cullud pusson, to he dinner table long O he wife and chill lun."
 "well7'
 "Tm sprised at dat nigger. Eff Pres'- dent Roost erbell had "a axed me to eat dinner wid i'm. you know wat I'd "a said?'
 "No."
 ''Well. sir me bein' cullud pusson, I'd a up an said, says I:
 " 'Thank'y', Pres dent: but scuse mel ain't hongry today:
 "Dats zactly wat I'd "a said, shorei Ketch me eatin' longsider no w'ite folk ses-not dis chile-no, siree!' The Mayors Bill for Flowers.
 'The present mayor of Birmingham, the Hon. Walter Melville Drennen, of charm