TAMMANY HALL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12536, 25 June 1901, Page 5

TAMMANY HALL.

Mr Gustavos Myers Las -written “The History of, Tammany Hall,’’ and this work is anything but flattering to that organisa--tion. He makes all sorts of charges against the Tammany leaders from ,1799 down till the present-day.-- -Tammany-Hall he deicribes as the most perfect piece of political mechanism in the world :■ — . It is ruled; ostensibly by the members through various committees; in reality, it needless to say, by a “ boss.” It has an Executive Committee of, thirty-six members, who, generally, though not invariably, *re the district leaders. Prom the enrolled aembers of , the organisation the general committee, composed of over 6000 persons, 3 selected yearly.,' This General Committee meets once a month, and is supposed to ve the seat of all organic power, though z simply carries out the orders of the supreme leader, or "boss,”• If it did ndt, he could, by controlling the of the Tammany Society, order it ■■jot of the Wigwam. THE COMMITTEES.

As the General Committee of Tammany must obey.the “boss,” no also must the / mdividuai members obey the General Comnittee:— • I - The General Committee has standing sommittees on finance, correspondence, . aaturaJisation, printing, and a committee ■ rf organisation of about 1000 members in ill from each assembly district. The Gener- . il Committee is made self-supporting by a tystem of dues, and the committee of organisation, in each I district secures additional funds by contributions from saloons, business men. and otiJer agencies. The General Committee sits as a county convention in October each year, and goes through the form of nominating the candidates pre- . scribed. ‘ ( • It is the Executive Committee! however, that 1 really directs the organisation’s internal affairs, 1 and through which the “boss” issues his decrees. HOW-THE CITY IS WORKED.

The district leaders are expected to bring out the full vote in their respective districts •under penalty of forfeiting their* seats and / influence: { Below the district leaders are the leaders, . captains, of 892 election -districts, into which the assembly districts axe divided. The district leaders appoint the captains, and expect them to hold the districts, or, if they should be Republican, to win them for Tammany. By means of this elaborate organisation every, voter in the city can be reached within twenty-four hours, and a jouse-to-houte canvass made which might decide a close election, ■ Tammany, it goes withooc saying, has ' great? funds, at command. Whether 1 ; Hi® •’ central fund amounts to IOO.OOOdoI or 1,000,000d01, no one out of a limited circle knows, for the boss or chairman,of the Finance Committee keeps no books and ; giltf no accounting to anybody.