Year: 1875

Hall.


What is the Tamrnany Society?


1t is a secret political club.


Who are its members?


Persons mostly without eminence in the
community, without public desert, without
claim to public influence or position, except
BY their membership in this secret society.


What is their object?


TO rule the city Of New York by controlling
its heavy democratic majority and to con-
troll the State by commanding the vote Of the
city.


With what purpose do they wish to rule I?


In order to advance and increase their
personal and political fortunes and those Of
their friends and adherents.


In what spirit does Tammany Hall rule?


1t proscribes those who refuse to serve its
aims and purposes, no matter how eminent
they are or how meritorious has been their
public service. 1t promotes and rewards out
Of the public funds those who obediently
serve it, no matter how low and despicable
their character or their capacity. 1t aims to
crush its opponents and to advance its allies,
regardless Of character or ability Long and
honorable public service and acknowledged
capacity have no claims upon it. Its leaders
strike down the possessors Of these and they
favor ineficiency and corruption wherever
such a course promises to serve their per-
sonal aims.


A secret political organization is always
mischievous force in State, and particularly
in free State. 1t is certain to become the
tool Of its worst members, and the more pow
erful it is the more sure it is to be controlled
for bad purposes by bad men. This was
true Of the Know Nothing Society, and it has
been conspicuously true Of the Tammany
Society. Why, for instance, are the prop
erty owners Of New York to-day burdened
with a crushing debt? Why are the poor
obliged to pay high rents for uncomfortable
tenements? Because Of the misrule of the
Tammany Society and the use which was
made Of this organization to elect and keepin
power corrupt men, the heads and chiefs Of
Tammany Hall. When we speak Of Tam
many do we think Of patriotism, Of devotion
to the public good, Of economy, Of love Of





Tweed and his corrupt Ring Of public
plunder; Of general Generalization Of the
most shameless and long-continued schemes
for robbing the people to enrich the least
deserving part Of the community. When we
recall the eras of reform and Of efforts toward
good government in the city We find them
coincident with the temporary overthrow Of
Tammany's power and with some instance
Of successful resistance to its predominance
in our politics. such as marked the efforts Of
Miles O'Reilly, Of General Patrick Jones' and
the overthrow Of Tweed's power. O


Again and again honest men have at
tempted to reform Tammany Hall and to
use its power for patriotic and good ends !;
and again and again they have failed. Not
few honorable regulations have been soiled
in these efforts for purifying what in its
nature is corrupt and corrupting. Tammany
is evil, not by the accident Of its politics,
but by its nature and constitution as a secret
political society 1t is Of no use to try to
make it honest, for it will not remain SO. IT
is time to abolish it, or if the few honest
members Of whom it boasts, and who are
powerless in the hands Of its evil controllers,
cannot do this, then il is time to fix upon it
the mark and stigma Of a political Cain-a
murderer Of the public good An organiza-
ton like the Tammany Society has no
proper place in our politics II is a mere
hole for political intrigue shelter for
plunderers, where they may, in safe con-
cealment plan their robberies; a means for
controlling the people, for ialsifying their
will, for robbing them Of their property, and
for preventing All needed improvements.
ii We look around New York which one Of
its acknowledged gories Or beauties do we
owe to Tammany Hall? Not one. The
Central Park was created without Tam
many's help, and was nearly ruined by
Tammany interference. The streets and
docks were its prey for years, and were
nearly ruined by its corrupt chiefs, who used
them as a means to plunder the public.
Rapid transit we should have had years ago
had it not been for the iueynrable determina-