New-York tribune., 1919-02-19
Ban on Bars Here
Seen as Hard Blow
To Tam1nany Purse
District Leader Predicts Loss
of Sl,OOO,OOO for Cam
paign Fund and Scatter
ing of $4,000 Sure Votes

Tammany men in position to know
admit that the closing of 5,OO6 saloon
and hotel bars in Manhattan means a
loss of more than so per cent of the
organizations campaign contributions
and loss Of at least $4,000 sure
votes
The loss of the campaign fund is
roughly estimated at more tran $780,
900 per campaign. The loss of the
of ten votes to a saloon-employes
and hangers-on around the premises
1t used to be said, "No books are
kept in Tammany Hall" While the
election law compels an accounting on
receipts and expenditures, it is ad-
mitted that there is little in Tam
many's bookkeeping that discloses the
intimate relation Of that organization
to the organized liquor traffic.
'1n hard years, when much depend
ed on the result, our contributions
sometimes reached seven figures" said
a district leader yesterday. "In off
years, with little hinging on the re-
suit, less is needed to keep the or
ganization going and get out the vote.
s1,0O0,O0O for Tammany
"In round fgures,' continued The
Tribune's informant, "in q hard year
when we needed the money we could
count on at least 500 apiece from
5000 liquor stores, at least 100000
from the big hotels and breweries and
about 100000 from miscellaneous
sources, including powerful interests
in the financial district. This totals a
million.
THE closing down of the saloons
and the hotel bars and breweries means
that hereafter we will have to get
along with much less money. In the
long run it will be just as we'll, as
there has been too much money used
IN elections. But the trouble is that
we will have greater difficulty in get
ting out our vote. The liquor stores
were always good for at least $4,000
votes. These votes will be adrft
next year, and the Republicans and
Socialists stand just as good a chance
to get them as we do, as we will not
have money to hire workers as in days
gone by.
"Hitherto, with plenty of money for
the primaries and Election Day, it was
easy to corral the votes, as every
election district captain could pin q
workers badge on man, and he could
be trusted to do his work Without
money, and with so many wmen vot
ing, We don't know where we stand.
Seven-Tenths Lost
eve did we'll last fall, but the sa-
looms and hotel men were with us,
fighting with their backs to the wall
That accounts for the fact that the
last week of the campaign at the
Ansonia the hotel men raised $4,000
for Smith. They expected that Presi-
dent Wilson would veto the food bill,
with its prohibition rider, and that
they would go on doing business the
same as ever for another year or two
But with prohibition, if it is enforced
by the Federal and state governments,
the saloons and breweries will be put
out of business. That means a loss
of about seven-tenths of our campaign
fund
"With the liquor business closed
down, we will have to collect campaign
money from the officeholders and the
people who are looking for favors from
Tammany. That will mean hard sled
ding for us. We really will be worse
off than the Republicans. for they have
more wealthy men in their organiza-
ton willing to give money just for
the sake of being noticed With the
Tammany saloon men and the brewers
1t always has been Il matter of bust