Evening star., 1948-07-25

Even after the tin box" investi-
cation which brought Jimmy
Walkers resignation under pressure
from Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Tammany rode back to power. In a
special election it put John P.
OBrien in City Hall with record
breaking 100000 votes. O'Brien
served the remaining year of Walk
er's term and then was licked by La
Guardia.
The causes of Tammany's decline
since then are various. Some be-
lieve it never really recovered from
the "tin box" probe. Others at
tribute the slump to population
shifts which made Brooklyn and the
Bronx more important politically
than the Borough of Manhattan.
For purposes of definition, Tam
many Hall now is more a state
of mind than hall. In fact, it no
longer has hall. Two organiza-
tions bear the name. There is
Tammany Hall, the political organ
ization, which occupies a suite of
Offices in Manhattan. Down q
few blocks on the same street Is
the Society of Tammany, a fra
ternal and benevolent organization.
In its early days after the Ameri-
can Revolution, Tammany made its
home in various taverns. AS 1t
prospered, it began TO go in for big
buildings. These used to be leased
to the New York Democratic Com
mittee, traditionally another name
for Tammany. The last such grand
structure, a $950.000 job built during
the Walker regime, was sold in 1943
and now is occupied by labor un-
| ion.
Tammany, the society, came first.
In the days just before the Revolu-
ton, Americans loyal to King George
set up societies called ST. George,
st. Andrew and ST. David. In ridi-
cule of the imported saints, revolu-
tionistS "canonizsd" an Indian chief
named Tammany, noted for his wis
dom and benevolence, thus came the
sons Of st. Tammany.
Lots of Indian Ceremony
CT RI cd i,o
New York, and went into eclipse
when the colonists won their in
dependence. 1t emerged again in
New York, as the Society of Tam
many or Columbian Order. Tam
many's original constitution pro-
vided that on Columbus Day
brother should deliver a long talk"
in honor of Columbus.
The New York Tammany dates
from 1786. Now, as in its early
days the society still abounds in
Indian ceremony and titles. Meet
ings are called council fires. The
calumet, or peace pipe, is given q
place in the councils. The whole
works is run by 13 sachems, who
choose the big fellow, the grand
sachem.
The sachems and the braves
jumped whole hog into politics dur
ing the fight of the Republicans
Qater called Democrats) against the
Federalists' bid for more and more
centralization of power. The society
helped elect Republican Democ-
ratic) Tom Jefferson President in
1905.
This was the first example OF
Tammany strategy at the polls In
those days people had to have
property to qualify as voters. There
were more people than property.
So Tammany arranged to have a
number of different men share own
ership of the same property and thus
they all voted.
Public criticism over the entrance
Of a private society into politics
brought a change. In 1905, the So
ciety Incorporated as a benevolent
and fraternal order. Tammany Hall
apparently was created as a separate
political organization but actually
the leaders of the two groups were
either the same men or very chum-
my.
Technique Paid Off
The hall reached its greatest pow
er in the middle of the 18th
century. when the flood tide of i'm
migrants, especially Irish, poured
into New York. Unlike other polit-
ical groups, Tammany welcomed the
immigrants.
The poor were fed, the unfortu-
nate commiserated, the jobless given
work, the sick cared for and the
pauper dead given a decent burial.
The technique was thorough; it paid
off in votes.
1t paid off in jobs, too. Tammany,
the society, lists among its past
members: One President (Andrew
Jackson, 3 Vice Presidents, cab
met members, is New York Gov
ernors, 8 United States Sena-
tors, 13 Speakers of the New York
Assembly, an unspecified number OF
justices of the Supreme Court of the
United States and of New York
State, about 30 Mayors of New York,
ambassadors to foreign countries and
members Of Congress.
distributed by the Associated Press)
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