The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-01
WOMAN RULES AS
A TAMMANY BOSS
Mrs. Porges Identified with New
York Politics for Twenty
/ Five Years.

New York, Jan. 1.-Women in poll
tics are not new, but how many persons
know that one of Tammany's election
district captains in fact, altho not in
name, is woman? She is Mrs. Max
Porges, wife of a deputy sheriff and for
mer alderman.
Her son, A. J. Porges, is the nominal
captain Of the fifteenth election dis
trict, of the famous eighth assembly dis
trict, on the East Side, but everyone
who knows the facts knows that she is
the real leader of that district, and has
been for something like twenty-five
years.
Women election speakers, women can
vassers, women political club organic
trict captain, who never goes to bed the
night before election; who sits in an Of
fee close to the polls on election day
and keeps tab on how things are CO.
ing by means Of her own runners; who
spends all her energy in getting out the
Tammany vote; who keeps the list Of
voters Of the district and makes it
point to know personally every one of
them; who spends thousands of dollars
of the family money in charity; who
takes voters herself to the door Of the
polling place and who has often watched
the count herself-such a woman is a
practical politician.
Changes Her Politics.
For nearly, quarter of century
Mrs. ,Porges has been doing this work,
with the exception of one year, when
the. family was changing from repub-
llcans to democrats. When Charlie Ad-
ler used to carry de Ate' Mrs. Por-
ges was one of his most active ieuten-
ants. Five times she put her shoulder
toI the wheel for him, and every time
he won.
After she went over to the other side
the assembly district went with her
and it has remained democratic ever
since, up to the recent election, when
Hearst got it by a few votes. But the
republicans didn' It win. and that Is
some comfort to Mrs. Porges, as is
also the fact that she held her own
election district true to Tammany.
Mrs. Porges is one of the famous Di
vision street milliners. She attends tc
business every day for eleven months
a year. When election time comes
round she forsakes it absolutely.
Then she spends all her time in the
saloon and hotel at the corner of For
syth and Rivington streets, which she
her husband failed in the wholesale
liquor business. From their hotel thirty
one voters registered and cast thei
ballots in November
Every one Of 'em voted the straigh
Tammany tieeket,' says Mrs. Forge
proudly. cit was the first time w
ever mad a solid T:aam1many vote from
win one man over! I'll bet no othe
election district captain of Tamman,
can show such a result. And ME onl,
q woman, too!'
And how did this practical woman
politician get into the game? She will
tell you that she has always been il
1t, and can't remember the time whe1
she wasn't.
How She Got Leadership.
Chow did you get into the leader
Well, it was this way,'' she re
piled. We were mighty green whe
we went into the retail business. Thos
were the days of many excise arrest:
Rourke, the republican boss, was tn
man for us to tie to. We did tie t
him, and soon all was smooth sailing
- We found it desirable to make oul
selves useful to Barney. We did, an
the rest was easy. We Just took charg
of the election district. We produce
the goods, all right. IL IT,
We would probably have been re
publicans today if it hadn't been TO
Charlie Murray, who was the leade
of the eighth. He didn't keep hi
word with me about nominating my hus
band for alderman, and we went owe
to Martin Engel. That 8 how we cam
to be democrats. -
And how does Mrs. Porges do he
work The old Tammany methods 0
proved efficiency are hers.
A ton of coal here and there, a
evicted family put back in rooms,
note Endorsed, bail for those arrested
rents paid, broad charity for those i
distress. funeral bills partly assumed
favors for pushcart men-it all goes
IT is worth while to go with her t
the pushcart district. Her husband, a
alderman, helped to make the peddlers
lot easier. When she appears the
crowd around her, and she resemble
hen with a brood of chickens
A Curious Sight.
But election morning is the grea
sight Around the Porges hotel grea
crowd assemblies as early as 5 'clocl
Then Mrs. Porges appears, and at tn
head of a big procession election worl
ers of high and low degree, she sweep
around to the Bowery and all hand
have free breakfast, republicans q
well as democrats, and the house G
Porges pays for it.
Let a man become known as Wabbl,
Mrs. Porges knows how legitimat