FALL OF TAMMANY

Evening Star, Issue 23175, 26 January 1939, Page 19

FALL OF TAMMANY

SEEN IK HINES TRIAL EVIL HEIGH IN NEW YORK CORRUPT AND INEPT The evil fortunes of Tammany Hall reached their lowest point a few weeks ago when Mr James Hines was put on trial in New York City, writes the New York correspondent of the ‘ Manchester Guardian.’ Mr Hines has for years been one of the great mysterious overlords of Tammany, perhaps the greatest of a!ll. It was taken, for granted that no municipal administration however hostile, would dare to reach so high. Yet he was indicted and brought into the court-room to face charges of conspiring with a notorious gangster, the late “ Dutch ’ Schultz, of being implicated in a sinister illegal gambling racket, the “ policy ” or “ numbers ” game that costs New Yorkers perhaps as much as £100,000,000 annually. The trial of “ Jimmy ” Hines came when Tammany was • already at the lowest point in its whole history. During the golden twenties it seemed irresistible as it captured one election after another. It had no opposition except the nominal hostility of the Republicans, who themselves operated a merciless political machine which had a clear understanding with Tammany for their common, benefit. But over-confidence brought disaster, as usual. The sins of Tammany became so gross and numerous that even New York at last rebelled. REVEALING FACTS. A searching investigation of the city government was conducted _ by _ Mr Samuel Seabury, a distinguished leader of the Bar. Case after case was brought showing that vast sums had been paid in bribes to municipal officers. A steamship company might pay for the privilege of using some of the city-owned docks; the builder of a skyscraper would find that he could not get his plans approved or ms building erected until he had paid £IOOO or £SOOO to “a friend ” of the inspector. Those who sold supplies to the city took it for granted that their bills should be increased by 10 or 15 per cent, the difference being returned in cash to the officials who acted as purchasing agents. As a result of these revelations, Fiorello LaGuardia, an Italian-American war aviator, nominally a Republican, but actually’ a prcmounced Liberal with no strong party allegiance, was triumphantly elected Mayor in 1933 and re-elected with equal triumph in 1937. POWER STILL REMAINS. It would bo a mistake to suppose that Tammany is entirely without power, even after such grave reverses. Many branches have been cut off, but tho roots still flourish in the dank metropolitan soil. New York not long

ago reorganised its Government and entrusted its affairs to a new city council, selected by Proportional Representation., The result of the election gave Tammany a majority of one in the new council. (It was widely charged at the time that Tammany men had juggled the voting-papers to bring this result, as they are said to have done in earlier elections). There are morever, many positions in the municipal government to which appointments are made for long terms or for life, and Tammany men fill most of ■these. Among them are such important positions as Judges in municipal Courts. THE PRICE OF TAMMANY. No one knows exactly how much Tammany Hall cost New _ York when it was in control. (Nominally, Tam-, many is confined to Manhattan Island, but the other boroughs in the city have similar Democratic Party machines, and they work so closely together that they ' are virtually one body). A rough idea may be gained from the fact that when Tammany was in power it cost about twice as much per capita to govern New York as was spent in_ London, a city nearly indentical in size. This comparison should be adjusted because of differences in the cost of living in the two countries, and there may have been some slight difference in the service rendered in the two municipalities. There are few careful observers, however, who do not believe that Tammany Hall and its allied machines in other parts of New York City stole or wasted from £40,000,000 to £60,000,000 annually. It is true that since Tammany lost control there has been no important diminution in the cost of operating tire city government, but it is also true that the new administration has faced a terrifying burden of relief for the unemployed which either did not exist or was evaded during Tam many |s regime. An important factor in the waning power of Tammany Hall is the curtailment of immigration. Twenty years ago the United States received 1,000,000 immigrants annually; since the new law of 1924 the maximum permitted is only about 150,000 annually, and since many countries do not take advantage of their quotas the actual number is far smaller, and is more than offset in many years by those who return to a European fatherland. USED FOR ITS OWN BENEFIT. When masses of ignorant, bewildered immigrants used to settle in New York, where they were subjected to merciless exploitation by members of their own race, Tammany used them for Its own benefit. They were made citizens as fast as possible, and were then ordered to vote for the Tammany candidates in every election. Tn return the district leader, whose business it was to know every man, woman, and. child in his area, distributed to the needy a little free ice in summer, free coal in winter. The mothers and babies once a year were taken on a free excursion by steamer up the Hudson, River or Long Island Sound. When a member of a family was out of work employment was found for him if possible. If someone got into trouble with the'jaw the dis-

trict leader spoke to the Judge and the case was dropped. To the new arrival in a strange and often inhospitable land the district leader, speaking his own language, was guide, counsellor, and friend. It was a heavy blow to Tammany when the great depression began and the poor discovered that Tammany could no longer help them and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration or the Works Progress Adminstration could and would do ten times as much for them as Tammany had ever done. TAMMANY AND POLITICS. The Tammany leaders belong, nominally, to the same party as President Roosevelt. During most of his fivo and a half years in office, however, there has been a marked estrangement. A great factor in Tammany has been former Governor Alfred E. Smith, whose quarrel with the President has been one of the historic feuds of American politics. Former Mayor James Walker was also hostile to Mr Roosevelt, who has a long memory' for enemies. During most of the time Mr Roosevelt has been in Washington positions in the Federal service in New;, York have been alloted through a Democratic leader in another borough, and Tammany was left outside with its nose against ' the. window-pane. In the municipal election of 1937 Mr Roosevelt’s Liberal New York followers hoped that he would break the party bonds and support the independent, Mr LaGuardia, who had been one of his strongest allies. Mr Roosevelt instead took the advice of Post-master-General James Farley, a man to whom party loyalty means everything and Liberalism means nothing. FULL PARTY SUPPORT. Tammany and the other Democratic machines in New York City were given the full support of the National Democratic Party, and even so, went down to humiliating defeat. Few political observers would commit themselves to a statement that Tammany Hall had undergone permanent eclipse. New York has a largo population of Catholics, particularly those of Irish or Italian facial stock, and the church and Tammany have always been closely parallel in purpose. The Catholic Church iu the United States is to-day more politically conscious than it has ever been; the United States has never had a Catholic Party, but may be on the eve of such a development. As long as Tammany exists at all there is always the possibility that it may return to power. Few believe, however, that it would ever go back to the old days of wholesale bribery and extortion, when the city’s streets were filthy; because no one bothered to keep them clean, when the death-rate was high because to keep it down was too much trouble. A new generation is rising, even in Tammany districts, which is certain to demand a higher level of efficiency and honesty than existed in the past.