The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-09
TAMMANY GETTING
ITS CLAWS SHARP
FOR 1916CAMPA|GN
One of Murphy's Friends
Says Organizationff Was
Never Stronger Than
1t Is Today

Washington, January ESPECIAL. De-
fisnce of President Wilson and his admin
istration was expressed today to the corr
respondent of The Age-Herald by lead
ing Tammany Hall mmeber of the House
of Representatives who not only is po-
litfcal advisor of Boss" Charles f. Muir
ply, but also an intimate personal friend
Far from losing flesh through patronage
starvation. said this statesman. the vor-
acious "Tiger" is improving In health
through abstinence and is whetting its
claws for the campaign In 1916. in the
metropolis. the Empire State and the ma
ton as a whole. na
"Tammany Hall does not subsist on
patronage and is not dependent on politi-
cal jobs" the Tammany man explained.
"Tammany gets its strength through Its
ability to get jobs in contracting and
manufacturing and business corporations
and concerns. rather than Jobs of POI
litical nature. And we are getting more
private places for our men than ever be-
fore, taking into consideration the prev
alence of hard times. p sss=
People think these are lean days FOR
the Tiger, because we have no Friends at
court IN tho city, state or national gov
ernments. We can't get Jobs for our
members in any Of these governments.
and we do not expect any. So the na-
tional administration thinks tho Tiger
will be starved to death and the demo-
cratic organization will fall into the hands
of its representatives in New York.
Which shows just how much. or how lit
tic the administration and its friends
know of Tammany.
Never was Tammany stronger than
II is today. and never was Murphy more
firmly In control. All the Tammany men
and their friends know what the situation
is, and, believe me! they'll show the adj
ministration a thing or two in 1885,
Can you get me a job In Washing
TONI two or three men asked me when
l was in New York;"
81 can't. l answered nor even .
long distance glimpse of a job.
What are you there for? they de-
manded.
ITO represent my constituency said.
but can't land job if beg 1t on my
knees
We know the situation, they an
swered significantly, and what we'll do
to this administration will be plenty
For the present 1t is said, Tammany
viii lie low and not even growl aloud.
But, 1t is doing a tremendous amount of
missionary work under the surface. Not
only is it obtaining all the work possible
in the prevailing hard times, but IL s
working it's charity bureaus overtime: it
is supplying coal and provisions TO the
poor paying rent for many and even,
where necessary, paying funeral expenses
in the poor quarters of New York. In
brief, it is casting bread on the waters
and expects 1t to return in 1916 in the
form of anti-Wilson votes.
In the present Congress, the Tammany
men have sat discreetly silent, and have
not opposed the administration In any
way. knowing that the White House had
the votes to overwhcm them and also
being unwilling to be placed In an atti-
tude of open hostility to the administra-
ton at the very outset. Furthermore.
more than once they have been requested
by administration representatives to keep
their mouths shut on subjects under de-
bate.
IF you men speak in favor of the fed
eral reserve board BILL they were in
formed. many members will get suspi-
cious and think there's a snake in the
measure; If you speak against 1t, trouble
will develop"
So, the Tammany men sat silent. even
under singing criticism from many news
papers In New York. which called atten
ton to the fact that the voices of the
Empire State and the metropolis never
were heard In debate
But, whether the Tiger can rend the
administration when 1t does make its hes
tile spring remains to he seen.