The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-07
'TAMMANY HASACzAR
Mnrphy's Accession to Power Said
to Mean Croker's Permanent
Retirement.
New Leader Is Answerable to No
One and Controls Finances Of
the Organization.
Chicago. May 7.--William E. Curtis in
New York special to the Record Herald

Chicago, May William E. Curtis in
a New York special to the Record Herald
says:
Last Friday night after the general
committee of the Tammany Society had
adopted new set Of rules which places
absolute authority over the! organization
such as no one ever exercised before
in the hands Of Charles F, Murphy,
whispering Larry Delmour, the captain
Of. Croker's .'old guard remarked in an
undertone: "The chief he amt never
comm back no more
What tell yer giving us?' inquired a
bystander.
"They wouldn't a done it; they wouldn't
never have dared to do it, if there was
any chance Of the Old Man comm back
and he can't come now" continued
| whispering Larry sadly.
It is true. Croker's day is done. His
reign is over. He is a, back number. His
friends in the Tammany society have
been .'t'run down. hard. Almost with
| out exception the men who were forced
out Of the organization by him have been
called back and elevated to positions Of
! honor and power. The new committees
which were announced Friday night by
| Charles F. Murphy, the new leader, con-
tain few Of the names Of Cookers faith
! full adherents, and many of those who
have not acted with Tammany since
1 Croker came into power. 1t is almost en-
| tirely a new list. It is composed largely
1 Of strangers to the "boys" who hang
around Tammany Hall, and Croker
wouldn't shake hands with or even recog
nize half Of them.
And Furthermore the new rules adopted
at: the same meeting make it impossible
for Cookers friends to recover control of
the organization, because If objection is
| offered to the choice Of any district for
the executive committee the other mem
/ bers Of that committee may turn it down
and select more agreeable person as a
substitute. Thus the executive commit
tee is given power to perpetuate itself;
the principle of home rule which Is the
foundation Of democracy has been abol-
ished; the political districts into which
New York is divided have no longer the
right to select their own representatives
In the controlling committee Of Tammany
and the authority Of the autocrat. has
been made absolute. An actual autocracS
existed under Croker; it has existed prac
tfcally for many years ever since the time
of John Kelly, but never before has Il
been formally declared and written int
the regulations Of the society, nor was /
done this time without objection. Thu
. new rules were adopted by the genera
committee by only five majority.
Nor is this all. The chairman Of tn
;.
absolutely controls the funds. Under tn
new rules he appoints the treasurer-an,
has just selected his next door neighbo
and most intimate personal friend-wh
reports to him alone, and makes assess
J ments and disburses money upon his sol
! authority. No member Of the executiv
committee, no member of the Tamman
! society, has the right to question the act
or the authority of the chairman Of tn
Z executive committee and the latter ca
= exclude from that committee any membe
who is offensive to him. He is respon
sble to nobody. Never in any America
i political organization has power been cen
tralized to such a degree.
9 The action of the central committee Is
r Of course,a great personal triumph for MI
I Murphy. It is an expression of confidenc
;. in his integrity and ability such as ha
: been bestowed seldom by any organiza
4 ton upon it's leader His self-confidenc
t and courage are demonstrated by tn
. easy manner with which he accepted thi
4 power and responsibility. His skill an
) influence were displayed by the easy man
ner in which he acquired it and from thi
time on Charles r. Murphy becomes
very important factor, not only in tn
politics Of Tammany, but in the nation
Yet he is practically unknown outside
! Tammany, of which he has been actiy
member from the time he was able ,
carry torch in a political procession.