The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-08-21
Amazing Forecast Of New York's Campaign for Mayor
Tammany, Crime and Vice Unite to Carry Big City

NEW YORK, Aug. 2e.-Tam-
many hall, the most corrupt and
American political insti-
tuition, now has on it's hands the
little job of electing a successor to
its present mayor, Geo. B. McClel-
Ian. It's August, it's hot, election
is about rs days off, but Tam
many is cool and active in thu
work Of lining up its criminal al
lies-thieves, thugs, white-slav,
traders, divekeepers, saloonkeep
ers, Migrants and riff-raff, wht
are depended upon to unite force.
on "the big day" for the big
causes of graft and lawlessness.
That Tammany will this year, as
usual, depend upon professional
criminals to carry the election is
shown by recent sinister events.
But there will be a slight change
in methods. To elect a Tammany
mayor will mean to the big graft
ers continued control of $780,
100000 annual city expenditure,
besides untold millions from other
graft sources for the little fellows
the criminal element.
The other day there was a big
police shake-up. Gen. Theo. A.
Bingham, whom Mcclellan made
police commissioner when Tam
many had to give law-abiding
citizens some assurance that the
Powery wasn't going to abscond
with Fifth av. entire, was uncere-
moniously fired by Mcclellan at
the behest of politicians high up.
Bingham was a gruff old army
nan who had tried to keep the
,ity in order, but, of course, was
very often betrayed by his subor-
1inates and was reasonably harm
less to Tammany's criminal allies
because of the general viciousness
and incompetency of the Tam
many-bossed rank and file of New
York cops. But decent people
trusted Bingham.
When Mcclellan promoted w.
F. Baker, first deputy police com
missioner and a professional cop,
to the big job, every crook NUT
tered a hooray for Tammany.
Professional cops are supposed to
know enough not to interfere with
"a M mn N x,aafhn6C oh n
had let 1t be known that he didn't
give rap about Tammany: Sup
pose Bingham should set out to
arrest ballot box suffers on cleo
ton day-what then?
So the underworld supposes
that the way is fixed, so far as
the police are concerned, and Tam
many is to use the repeater to get
The desired majority vote. The
is we'll known to be Tam
many's real and almost unfailing
fountain of power. 1t is estimat-
ed that, with the criminals of the
crowded tenement districts prop
erly lined up, $4,000 illegal votes
can be polled, and this is usually
enough to carry an election.
These Observation-Disclosures,
men, walters in dives
and saloons, white slave herders,
Migrants and down-and-out gam
olers, for gambling is dead, will
chis year have to conform to new
rules. Heretofore the thousands
IF repeaters, organized into bands,
: ed by notorious desperadoes, vot-
I'd as often as they we're told to.
travelling in small parties. they
Ioted under fictitious names in
he forenoons of election days,
and in the afternoons voted hit
and miss upon the names of citi-
zens dead, i'll, detained, drunk or
for any other reason not appear
ing. There is now a new law
which provides that voter must
write his name in the registry
book and write a comparison sig
nature when he votes. Tammany
has such complete control of
election officers in the tenement
districts that she fears little, be-
cause, as the tip went out in the