Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-02-28

lannual routine. They were mean = To q n
lend, ard today the end and most OF the
4 other means remain the same. Indeed
4 the office is today what 1t was in spirit
q u generation ago and what in spirit Ii
a may be a generation hence, for the s,lc-
cess OF Fammany depends. and always
must depend. upon paternalism strongly
fraternll The Tainmany which trained
/ Young Croker, and which is now train
Il mig ms unknown successor, is human
institution. Therefore 1t rules not by
~ wees but by its virtues and in spite:
i OF its vices. Here is what Tammanv
i taught Croker: To be kind to those in
trouble, to look after the sick in tha
tenements in his precinct. to see that
4 the widows had food and fuel, that the
men had jobs and the orphan children
| ciothes to mourn with those that mourn
4 ana 10 rejoice with them that rejoice.
iammany taught discipline. 1t taught
Croker, by a sort OF merit system. that
erection matorities and not excuees are
desired, and that to get majorities pre-
4 clnct captains may go far If necessary
may. In an emergency, tip-toe right Ip
/ TO the door of the penitentiary. and
trust to the efforts Of the organizatIon
to pull them back by the coat-tails.
i Croker spent six months in Jail In his
youth charged with murder. The crime
twas committed In an election fracasi
and the jury disagreed. Probably the
indictment left no scar upon him, for
sit was part of the businese
Tammany holds an ainorphous char
Ter. he Society of Tammany, CIR the
|e'olumbian Order. is a benevolent or
sanization; and Tammany HALLS po-
!ltlcal organization, and one set OF men
Deiongs TO both societies 80 that Tam
/ i1lF ny business is the disbursement OF
'.etevolehce and the collection of votes.
4 Aha speins OF a pract teal turn, the chiefs
| u iammany have established a system
| sWhlcn converts the smallest amount of
benefits into the largest number az
votes. So District Captain Croker
registering young man in his dav
1 learned that 1t pays to be kind Thar ii
pays to be generous perhaps free
| handed is the better word-that It nays
2 keep a promise that 1T pays to lend
1 hand. All this he learned In Tammany.
which, IN spite of its virtues, is a cor
rupt un-Anlerican survival of feudals
paternaiistic government One wonders
! II II is not destined to live and wax fat
\ IN New York soElong as atavism makes
the European enigrant and his children
staggel bit under the first burdens OF
citizenship and grope instincttveiy for
4 the sustaining arm of king.
/ inc coura ge--largely physical--which
became part of Croker II, the shops and
IN the vcstibule of politics. combined
naturally with the love of kind which
ne learned In his captaincy. 1t made
him an idol among the lowly. Kings
rise from the peasantry with such
4 trainings, but there was nothing in his
| training 70 teach young Croker moral
sense. He saw tributes levied from the
saloon, the gambling rooms and the
| brothcl and distributed among the vie
! Tins Of these plaques His associates
regarded vice as a source OF revenue.
revenue as the ssnew in the arm OF no.
llitical victory, and political victory as
the chief end of man. In this atmos-
llphere. tainted with the malodorous In
ltrigues OF ward politics, Crokers char
lacter was formed. He breathed this air
Into his spiritual nostrlls and 1t became
part of him; but the pollution which
iarotted other men merely withered
| Groksr's soul and left his he-strength--
lhobbed only by the criminal statutes
| so when he lifts his big, innocent look
ing, unilinching green eyes and looks
.squarsly at the public and advises
citizens dissatisfied with the election re-
suits 70 knock down the election Judges
and drag them into the street. GENTLE
men Of sedentary habits, who delight In
Emerson. gasp and give Croker horns
and forked tail in their high inlagin-
ings, which is absurd.
When he ran for alderman in opposi-
lstion TO Boss Tweed's wishes, Croker
vas elected on the anti-boss ticket and
helped to pull down Tweed. Tweed fell,
not because he was a thief, but because
he did not tell the truth to his fellow
thieves They found they could not
trust him. And Croker learned In
Tweed's downfall the one trick which
has given Croker rower--he learned to
tell those who trusted him the exact
truth and TO make a lie the cardinal sin
In his code. The men who shudder at
Croker's power shudder because they
fancy it is generated In iniquty but the
truth is that the power to control men
Is always the sign of some strong quail
ity No man is all good or all bad, but
men follow a leader so long as, in their
eyes, his virtues outweigh his vices.
And the Croker that learned industry in
the shops and courage in the gang
which Is the clan in the feudal system
OF Tammany--le learned a sort OF anthro-
poid honesty in the Office OF alderman.
II is not here contended that Croker de-
veloped New England conscience; he
was honest according to his light. and
the Croker illumination of that day was
a sputtering gaslight in the streets. In
a simple way he knew that ii was
wrong to steal funds, either public or
private, for stealing requires dup!icity,
and that Is not a part Of Cookers ma
ture. but probably he did not UNDER
stand, and does not now, why success
full stealing is iniquitous. further than
that it does not pay in the long run.
In those days Alderman Cookers So
cial duties were about the same as
those that confront New York alder
man today, and similar to those that
have confronted the gentry for thou
sand Years. He was the patron Of the
shire. To him the yeomen looked for
succor in distress. He stood between
the young blades OF the tenements and
their natural enemies, the police. He
furnished amusement and recreation for
his vassals. 1t was his part to sit in
silence on the top deck of chartered
boat, taking the peasantry to his an
nual clam-bake and to receive his sub
jects there in stately dignity as his
henchmen brought them up Also he
was expected to lend the distinction of