Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-05-11
TAMMANY
HAS NEW
BOSS"

the Tammany Society had adopted a
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 cap
tain of Croker's old guard" remark
ed in an undertone The chief he
amt never comm back no more"
What tell yer givin' us?" inquired
| a bystander
They wouldn't done it; they
| wouldn't never have dared to do it. If
there was any chance of the Old Man
| comm back-and he cant come now"
continued Whispering Larry" sadly
1t is true. Crokers day is done
His reign is over He Is back num-
ber His friends in the Tammany So
ciety have been turn down hard.
Almost without exception the men
who were forced out of the organiza-
| tion 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,
contains few of the names of Crokers
faithful adherents, and many of those
who have not acted with Tammany
since Croker came into power. 1t is
almost entirely new list. 1t is com
posed largely of strangers to the boys
who hang around Tammany Hall. and
Croker wouldn't shake hands or even
recognize half of them.
And furthermore the new rules ad-
opted at the same meeting make it
impossible for Croker's friends to re-
cover control of the organization, be
cause if objection is offered to the
choice of any district for the execu-
tive committee. the other members of
the committee may turn it down and
select a more agreeable person as
substitute. Thus the executive com
| mittee is given power to perpetuate
| itself; the principle of home rule,
which is the foundation of Democracy,
has been abolished the political dis
| tricts into which New York is divided
have no longer the right to select their
own representatives in the controlling
committee, of Tammy, and the author
| ity of the autocrat mas been made alb
SoIhlt All tAlolth
| under Croker; it has existed practical
ly for many years, ever since the time
| of John Kelley, but never before has
it been formally declared and written
into the regulations of the society, nor
was 1t done this time without objec-
tion. The new rules were adopted by
the general committee by only five
| majority.
Nor is this all. The chairman of the
ply. absolutely controls the funds.
Under the new rules he appoints the
treasurer-and has just selected his
next door neighbor and most intimate
personal friend-who reports to him
alone, and makes assessments and dis
burses money upon his sole authority.
No member of the executive commit
tee, no member of the Tammany so
ciety, has the right to question the
acts or the authority of the chairman
of the executive committee, and the
latter can exclude from that commit
tee any member who is offensive to
him. He is responsible to nobody.
Never in any political organization
was power centralized IT, such de.
gree before.
The action of the central committee
| is of course, great personal triumph
for Mr.. Murphy. 1t is an expression
| of confidence in his integrity and abil-
| ity such as has been seldom bestowed
by any organization or otherwise upon
| its leader. His self-confidence and
courage are demonstrated by the easy
manner with which he accepted this
power and responsibility. His skill
and influence were displayed by the
| easy manner in which he acquired it,
| and from this time on Charles f. Mur.
| ply becomes very important factor,
not only in the politics of Tammany,
| but in the nation. Yet he is practical
| ly unknown outside of Tammany, OF
which he has been an active member
from the time he was able to carry "A
torch in a political procession.
OF course. Charles F. Murphy is a
| remarkable man. He couldn't be 9th
| erwise and attain the influence and
the power he now holds in city and
a society which in politics is a science
and the strongest man is sure to win.
He is typical New York politician.
and knows every trick of the trade.
The absolute autocrat of the most
powerful political organization in the
world is only A years old and has
spent his entire life in what
is known as the Gashouse district. or
| the eighteenth asseA.Dly district, Of
| the city of New York He now lives
in narrow four-story brown-stone
| house in Seventeenth street, within
ten minutes walk of the place where
he was born, and about the same dis
tance from the only school he ever
| attended. His father was Dennis Muir
ply. a shipwright. who died a few
months ago. at the age of SS. The old
gentleman was a member of the Tam
many society for fifty years. and was
| always a power in his district, al
though he never held office. Mrs. Muir
ply, the mother Of the new boss"
was born in Ireland, and was a pious.
intelligent, active woman, who bore