The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-09
my OWN EXPERIENCES IN
NEW YORK CITY POLITICS

Tammany has taught US practical
politics. and We recognize that to mean
the work OF reducing to i minimum
the relative differences between men.
We see our own limitations and with
a due sense of proportion We rccoS-
nize that we are to go so far and no
further. We take politics in its d"t-
milton as the science OF g~oNern"pen;.
and We make it practical by ptlyinG
that Cience to the everyday an irs
of ones life. We take the o,i"r msI
for judgment and the younger mch
for action and We believe IN maintain
ing our organization under a GOVERN
ment by suggestion ana not 10y COM
mand.
The critics OF TammduY Cuntine
their CeRsureS to "a few Isolated cases
of corruption. almost all of which be
long to a period IA great many years
gone by. forgetting in their resent
ment that Tammany neither has a
monopoly of virtue o vice and that
the vicious traits they point out are
human frailties chargoable equally
against men of all political parties.
The strength of Tammany is best il
lrstrated by its unwaverine hold on
the affections of the people of the
city; it is the oldest political gan
ization in the world and employs the
very same methods which Ferrero de-
scribed IN the volume on julius Cesar
in his very interesting work The
Greatness and Decline of Rome.
Political critics d. not realize that
a democracy needs organization and
just the kind of organization that
Tammany gives IL. Robert M!che.s,
in a recent work entitled Political
Parties" says. democracy il inCon-
Ce!vable without organization: org1n-
ization based az il is on the principle
OF least effort. that Is to say on the
greatest possible economy Of energy,
is the weapon of the weak IN their
struggle with the strong
In every Assembly district there are
certain units of representation called
election districts. each containing APP
proX!mately 500 votes. The man who
becomes a political worker II his cleo
ton district quickly ascertains the
voters who are invariably disposed
to vote with his party: he then gives
his attention to voters who are not
party men and who are open to con
victiOn: by c%ultivating the %acquaint-
ance of the latter class the worker
and the captain use all their per
suasive powers To induce the so-callei
independent voter to vote the regular
party ticket, playing on all the shades
and cOlOrs Of his human nature TO
bring him into camp.
The assistant tn the captain who
does his work well and gets results
becomes an asset to the party manage
ment, and when the captain of that
election district resigns or Is removed
the assistant IL promptly promoted To
the captains place and thus becomes
a cog In the wheel of the machine.
We charge each captain with the duty
of advising the leader NJ his district
az to the voters In his election district.
and in this way the leader Keeps in
daily touch with h sentiments Of
all the voters and forms his judgment
accordingly.
30 that, after all. the leader Of the
organization grows up In the ranks
by q process Of natural selection. lie
must have great application and GER
tain natural a%ptitudes and he "A good
Judge OF human nature; he must have
decision, he loyal TO his friends and
have . keen sonse of humor; he knows
that "kind words never die" and
thaS ytaion y . 1ecessary part Of his