The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-24
THE REAL TAMMANY MAN
HE Is 4 "GOOD FELLOW" WHOSE
STRONG POINT Is FRIENDSHIP.
Friendship and Gratitude for Benefits
Received the Elements That Bind
the Society Together.
Harper's Weekly.
CHH WILSON DrsTIIL-uso CO.
Baltiuore. Nd

Harper's Weekly.
The Tammany man is a good fellow who
joins the organization for business reasons;
and If he succeeds in the organization it
is because he is probably a good fellow.
Virtue is more directly a condition of sue
cess in Tammany Hall than elsewhere,
though it is true that the man virtuous in
the Tammany sense--that is, a good fell
low-may be the prince Of corruptionists.
The average Tammany man is full of
charm. and is willing TO commit any pee
cadillo to please his friends. who return
In kind. What good fellow will be over
nice when it doing good turn
1t is often inhuman to observe moral
principle when a kind deed may be DONE
and the Tammany is nothing If not
human No one is more sympathetic with
the average of human virtue and the aver
age of human weakness than he. No one,
except thief has a keener sense of graf
itude. A notorious "heeler' said to me
the other day:
do you know, young fellow. what the
worst crime on earth is? If a man puts his
hand In my pocket and steals my money
/ can forgive him. for ii may do him good.
| He may invest the money, and become an
! honored member Of the community. But
the crime l cannot, will not, and never
shall, forgive is ingratitude. That is the
most inhuman, the most unsympathetic, Of
crimes
The real thing in Tammany's eyes is
/ friendship. That Is the great virtue, and
that is why ingratitude is the blacklist
sin. The common people believe this i'm
/ plicitly. and it is consequently true that
| Tammany is strong in the hearts of the
| people. 1t is often said that 1.-The real
/ thing in New York is Tammany Hall;
/ and If We take this as meaning that the
| central principle of Tammany Hall is based
on what is fundamentally human, it is
certainly correct, though not IL all be based
| on corruption.
THE BINDING ELEMENT.
Lord Bacon said There is little friend
ship in the world, and least Of all between
equals; that which is, is between superior
and inferior, whose fortunes may compre-
bend the one the other" Few of the great
philosophers sayings were falser than this
| There is so much friendship in New York
that Tammany Hall is held together by it,
1t is held together by systematic organ
ization Of the principle of friendship. The
principle is worked out so completely that
man can make good business use OF his
| generosity, for every favor he confers re-
! turns to him with interest. The unsym-
pathetic people call this basic principle OF
Tammany Hall the cohesive power of
! public plumber" But this is a Superficial
| view, for the corruption comes in i'm the
| process of organization not in the principle
| on which the organization is based. That
prosper. No wonder, then, that. Lord Ba-
| con Notwithstanding, there is a great deal
/ OF friendship in the world.
| Indeed, great system cannot be built
| upon a merely hollow virtue. When we
meet the Tammany man face TO face we
find man who has an uncommonly large
kind. He is manly, straightforward and
| kind. with racy wit and a power of speech
rare among the reforming" classes Po-
| litically he is corrupt: personally he is
good-richly, humanity good. His sins are
| perhaps due somewhat to his environment;
ms virtues are certainly due to himself.
ness fdeals-tell him to get there" by any
means in his power and TO do so he makes
use of his chief virtue-organizes his talent
for friendship. The line between honesty
and dishonesty is uncertain, corruption is a
| subtle thing, and the only safe way TO in
| sure the honesty of the individual is 10
make the ideals of the community SO un-
| wavering that very little initiative is left
to the individual. But the most unwaver-
ing ideal We find in American life is the
ideal of getting there" and a good man.
| born and bred in such environment,
unless he has strong character, will tend
| to make business use of his virtues. The
Tammany man is a full-blooded and full
| hearted man OF no great moral strength,
! whose morals are shaped by the practical
| ideals of the community.
HIS MORALS ARE WEAK.
A young "heeler," who claims to be very
near" Tim Sullivan, is one or the most
| charming fellows of my acquaintance. He
is witty, hospitable and delightfully."- spon-
taneous, and would not do a mean thing
for the world. But he will boast by the
hour of his graft" He will exaggerate
the number of votes he can swing for the
"big fellow" and tell exultingly how much
| money he makes ION the side" how much
| money he makes by obtaining protection
| for a friend to sell liquor without a license
| or to run a disorderly house. Once he was
able through his pull TO get an indct-
| ment for homicide dismissed, and for this
| kind favor the accused man, who, he said,
| was really guilty, made him a generous
| present of money. He is proud of his abil-
| ity TO get on in the world, whistles cheer
| fully, as sunny as the day. and treats all
his friends as he goes down the line. "
| By these friends is greatly respected
| particularly by his old father, who is not
''in It," and who has an exaggerated adj
miration for the boy who is ''in it, so thor
| oughly. Charley is a very smart boy
he will say-"a very smart boy, and very
good to the old man. Every now and Their
he comes into my store and says, Dad
Here's a for you. Charley has pretty
young wife, who, like his father and his
| friends, is devoted to him. He does his
friends many a good turn, helping them
as / have suggested, to break the law, or
occasions, very good naturally. or al
these things-of his wife, OF his friends, OF
his skill as at pool, Of his growing law
practice-Charley is naively proud, but he
is proudest of all of his graft, and 1t Is
his ability in this direction for which he is
most admired by his family and friends
This being the case, he would need 10 be a
very virtuous person. indeed, to be
ashamed OF it.
In the eyes of this virtuous young man
am at present a sinner, guilty OF foul in
gratitude: for after he had introduced me
TO his friends and had been very bospita'
BILE. did / not basely fail TO Dull certain
wire he thought j cOntrolledT He thought
it was up to me" TO maneuver an article
into the papers which should cleverly ad
Vertise the business OF a rich man who
would appreciate the favor Charley was
doing him. When L told him that would be
bad business for me. he thought was very
selfish 1t will take a lot OF treating
and the exploitation Of much tempera'
mental good-nature before l can square
myself with him. | am also In bad odOi
with another dear friend OF mine. an Ital-
ian editor also a good fellow, and in.
teresting as my friend the heller. He
naivelv told me during the last municipa
campaign that there was a splendid oppor-
tunitv for an Italian newspaper 10 make
/ money this season IN politics and said that
in / could induce Tim Sullivan and hts
friends 20 put up a thousand dollars hs
would run the paper as a Tammany organ
| and give me half the spoils. When / told
him that I had no Influence with Mr.. Sulli.
van. he thought / was indeed a sorry KIND
VI ~pxrE