Evening star., 1936-10-11
Tammany Hall and
the Election
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

President Roosevelt. Not few people
feel that the election Is going to be close.
Some prognosticators have predicted that
1t would turn on New York State. New
York State in turn may depend upon how
Tammany Hall votes.
Tammany is New York City organi-
zation. Upstate New York is tradition
ally Republican. A Democratic candi-
date for Governor or for President can
be badly behind in the voting in the
northern counties. but pile up so huge a
vote in Greater New York that he will
be elected. This is the politico-geo-
graphic situation which Is causing so
much speculation about Tammany and
the President.
1t is no secret at Washington that the
President and Tammany leaders have
been somewhat cool toward each other
during this administration. The Tam.
many delegation in Congress has not
worked exactly hand in hand with the
President. There has been no little Ill
feeling over the distribution Of patron.
age. The question which has arisen Is:
will Tammany act vindictively in the
matter and fail to support the President
save in the most perfunctory manner?
Should this occur. it might we'll mean a
difference in the carrying of the Empire
State with its coveted As electoral votes.
That local organization might have
so profound an effect upon a presidential
election is due to the strategic place it
occupies in influencing the New York
vote and to its long history. Two weeks
after George Washington was inaugu-
rated, William Mooney, New York up
holsterer, organized the Tammany So
ciety. From the first, it was a society
of poor men and political liberals. Dur
ing the Revolution and soon afterward.
the Liberty Boys formed a semi-mili-
tary and patriotic and political organiza-
tion and the Tammany Society was an
inheritor of their tradition. Also, when
the officers Of the Army formed the ex-
elusive Order of the Cincinnati, it was
felt that some such body as the Tam
many Society should uphold the less
aristocratic side. The order was pledged
to the removal of certain suffrage quail
flcations, such as property ownership.
This had barred from the polls many a
poor soldier who had fought in the Revo-
luton. but who lacked property. while
former Tories who had property we're
voting and holding office.
Originally it was planned to make the
Tammany Society national affair with
branches in every State. Branches were
established in Philadelphia. Providence
and Lexington, KY but they did not
endure. BY 1920, only the New York
City Tammany remained in existence.
At first it was the plan to admit men
Of any party to membership provided
they we're liberals, but soon the order
became strongly, almost bitterly partisan
and now, of course, is identified solely
with the Democratic party.
From the first. Tammany has taken
a hand in national affairs. Even though
for more than century the society has
been a New York City rather than a
organization, it has consistently
taken positions on matters affecting the
whole Nation. and that is doubtless why
Tammany always is regarded an i'm
portant element in any election. For
the Tammany Society agitated
in favor Of the War of 1912. Although
so far away, geographically and POLITICAL
ly, Tammany is credited with having
been influential in the matter Of the an
nexation Of Texas. The society then
favored war with Mexico.
Before the Civil War, the society
leaned toward slavery. but when the war
came. Tammany raised regiment, led
into the field by its grand sachem. How.
ever. Tammany remained an unrelenting
critic of Lincolns conduct of the war
and Of what it called the imbecility Of
the administration. Right on down to
present times. Tammany has maintained
the position that it is not merely local
but national in influence. In national
conventions, Tammany is all
ways an important unit.
The charitable work of the Tammany
Society has had much to do with its
hold on its own people. The first work
along this line was in assisting poor men
to acquire land so they could be eligible
10 vote. 1t naturally followed that when
these men were qualified, they voted as
Tammany leaders wanted them to. In
1897, came the first instance of the distri-
button of fuel, food and clothing to the
poor of the Tammany wards. In the Bit
Ter Winter of 1901, Boss Tweed gave
Il 900 to each alderman for the purchase
Of provisions for the poor. During the
severe depression of 1873 Tammany took
over unemployment relief. This aspect
of Tammany's work became increasingly
important. 1t followed naturally that the
Door who benefited by Tammany largeSse
we're going to follow the ward leaders
n their suggestions as to how to vote.
Families of the poor, helped repeatedly
,y Tammany leaders, can not be con-
'inced the society's motives are any,
hing but pure. Judge Olvany, Tam
many leader. once explained the So
,ietys success by saying that it was hu-
nan all the year around, whereas so
human only at election time. 1t Is an
fact that Tammany leaders
,wn lots in cemeteries of various religious
where they give free
,urial to constituents who. otherwise.
would have to go to the potters field.
of such poor people and even
hose who are not set rich store by such
reatment, so the political influence of
rammany has gone largely undimmed
or generations.
Tammany has seen considerable evolu.
ion. At first it was anti-Catholic and
1t was not until 1909 that 1t
,ermitted Roman Catholic to have q
lace on the assembly ticket. Similarly,
here was strong anti-Irish feeling, so
luch So indeed, that there were clashes
4 the streets. Gradually, this feeling
ltered and Tammany developed an en-.
husiasm for assisting immigrants to be.
ONE naturalized. 1t opened bureau
or this purpose. The regular fee was
5, but Tammany judges performed the
ervice for 81 and even that was some
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