Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-04

OF the city viii be safe In his hands.
Tammany IL defeated.
That organization was formed 100
years ago. and has been a more or less
dominant fore In New York politics
ever since. and Il has generally been
the enemy Of an who have sought 60
better the economic and moral condi-
tions OF the city. Like the american
party leaders here. the society has been
held together By the cohesive power
Of public plumber"
The founder. william Moouor. be- said
10 have been dcserter from the Com
tinental army in is7s Aaron Burr was
the first real leader. but he did not ap-
pear before the public. lie never held
Office IN the organization and seldom
went near the "Wigwam" Through ms
creatures the society Was moulded into
a close political corporation. with the
control in the hands o. Burr's friends
As early as 1901 me elections were
carried by questionable means. In that
year colonizing was resorted to. Win
money said 10 have been furnished by
subscriptions among the weather.
members. thirty-nine young Tammany
men Jointly bought a house In the
Fifth ward. and seventy Joined ina a ike
project in the Fourth ward. The cleo
ton results showed that the number
OF ready-niade householders had been
calculated 50 accurately as 10 give Tam
many majority in both wards and
the consequent control Of the board OF
aldermen.
The subsequent story Of the Tam
many organization il one OF dishonesty.
graft. loot and scandals. Tweed sue
ceeded i'm electing his mayor three
times. while he fattened on the city
treasury. Conservative estimates, says
an account IN the New York Evening
Post from which these data are
CLEANED. place the plumber az one hum
bred million dollars. The Increase in
the city debt from SS6.O00.OO0 In 1858 to
slSs, O00, 600 in 1870 il an Illustration OF
Tamamny rule. Reaction came in 1871,
with the creation OF a Committee Of
Seventy to break Tweeds power. Tweed
and his co-workers were indicted and
driven from power and in 1879 former
Mayor VIM r. Havemeyer was elected
mayor on an snti-Tammany fusion
ticket. despite the fact that Tammany
had again reformed" and nominated
respectable candidates.
But Tammany rose again two years
later and resorted 10 its old tactics. In
1890 there was legislative invostiga-
tion-The Fassett committee. start
ling testimony IN regard to the system
OF paying for nominations and divid-
ing up salaries with the organization
was brought out. Bat the mayoralty
election was held then in the fall. and
the Democratic sweep i'm the nation car
ried the Tammany ticket 20 victory. des-
pite a strong fusion movement The
same thing happened when Gllroy was
carried into the mayors Office IN 1892
In 1894. however the proof Of police
corruption brought out in the Lexow
investigation resulted directly In the
election Of Mayor Strong on fusion
ticket. In like manner the cumulative
result OF the Mazet inquiry, with It's
disclosure OF Croker working for his
pocket all the time" and the red light"
scandal led directly to the election OF
Seth Low in 1901. From 1883 TO 1903 '
the account concludes. 1T is the sam,
story, one long tale Of the perpetual pill
ing up Of rottenness and corruption. unti
even cslloused or Indifferent Tammanl
men can stand # no longer There #
some reason TO believe that this Il
another house-cleaninK year"
New York Is 20 be congratulated OF
account OF it's victory. We hope Il vii
| be permanent.