TAMMANY ACTIVE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 241, 4 July 1908, Page 5

TAMMANY ACTIVE.

THE PRESIDENCY. DEMOCRAT CONVENTION. HIRELINGS AND STIMULANTS TO THE FORE. . (bt telegraph—tkess ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) (Rec. July 3,'5.15 p.m.) Now York, July 3. Ton thousand claquers (hirelings, or paid "barraokcrs") ore;, assembling at Denver, in preparation for, tho Denwcratio Convention, which will meet, to selcct the Democratic candidate for tlio Presidency. . Taiamany Hall has sent 'five trainloads of politicians, with' £25,000 in loose change. •./• Tammany also sends tens of thousands of bottles of vino and beor, and 13 million cigars, intended to arouso. enthusiasm. TAMMANY AND ITS CREATURES. ■' Tammany Hall 'is the headquarters of _ the Democratio organisation in New lorlc _L]ry. As a party, organisation it; grew out .of the Tammany Society,' an organisationi founueu in IJWS, ostensibly as a charitable institution, and for the promotion of an oxtended franchise. In 1871 the connexion of its leadors with, the 'notorious Brie Ring led; to a crusade against the party, hnaitafl' 1 by the New ork ••Times, ' and ; an inquiry disclosed wholesale. jobbery and corruption in tho administration. As a conseqnenca Tammany was totally defeated at tho polls* in 1872, but returned to olfioo at the FoUowing election. . ,'■■ , .The 'word claqiieur "is of French , origin (claquer, applaud)- In theatres, tho claque-is a set of men distributed through the audience, and heard to. the, piece or the iotors; it is a system of paid applause. Ilus method of aiding the successi of public porforraancee is .very micient, but it first (beeacie a permanent- system, openly .organised tad controlled by' the ; claqueurs themsolves, m 1 Paris at (die beginning of: the nineteenth century.' 'In America it ; has found a .fertile soil, Auidor the kindly caro of such gardeners as Tammany; and now tho olaqneurs may be said- tobo any band of admirers 'applauding tad • praising from interested motives, In the theatre each claqueur, has a. special role allotted to him. Thus tho riour laughs at the/, comic •; sallies; the pleur«ur weeps at pathetic passagos; the bieseur calls "encore!and so on; and all together clap thoir hands and aiiplaud. upon occasion. The performances ef the claque are directed by a leader', . "We jo to tie opdra. ; We go in with tho claqueurs." —Victor ifngb, "Los Miserables." _ - > The - most prominent' Democratic; candidates wh» are paying court to the. Convention (and tlie claqueurs) are Mr. , ,W. J. Bryan and Governor;' Johnson., , , : '