THE "BOSS" OF NEW YORK.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11832, 18 January 1913, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE "BOSS" OF NEW YORK.

AND-SOMETHING ABOTJT TAMMANY.

(By Mary Mortimer Maxwell.)

He was. dining at a well-known res- -■ jMnmt and I vaa intensely interest to watch h, s manner'of eating and to find at-well, quite Iruman, not to ßav passably polite. Not once did IS£ serve h„n to put his knife in his mouth He did not have his table-napkin tucked under his chin nor did ho hold Ws cob of corn" with-his .two hands, as i regret to say is customary m New lork amongst a set in society who would not dream of inviting "the Boss'' to their homes tor dinner. He is 50 years old, they say, but in appearance I found him much younger He was clean-shaven, ,with a. glow of health on Ins cheeks, and his clear blue eyes looked really kindly, though shvlv at me, for "the Boss" is shy in the presence of women. Apart from this verv apparent shyness, h e was dignified in appearance and I thought him becomingly, though quietlv, dressed. I had been hoping that "the Boss" would talk with me, but Lfound him reserved in the extreme. He is reserved with men, but still more so with women. Ho does not appeal" to womon except as a mysterious force that puzzles them. Ho is distrustful of tho influence of women in politics. If ho believes in Votes for Women he does not say so; but, on the other hand ho did not say to me that he did not believe in them. Some women will tell you that it is a matter of indifference to them whether "tho Boss" is for them or against thorn in the matter of votes or anything else. Well; so far as I am concerned, I can only say that were I a New York woman and wanting something in a political way, wanting it very much indeed, I would rather have "the Boss" on my side; and the knowledge that he was there would lend me confidence and a certain degree of quietness. I must say that unless one know ' most thoroughly "tho Boss," both tho confidence and tho quietness would bo difficult to maintain at times. Let us say, for instance, that ho had declared himself to me as in favor of Votes for Women or anything else, and that two days later I found him working, apparently, with all his might and main against the cause which ho had espoused. Should I still ho confident, still quiet? Yes, if I wero wise I I should know that'he had his reasons for appearing to be against tho very thing he wished to bring about. For this is the way Charles F. Murphy, the loader of Tammany Hall, otherwise known as "tho Boss/'Works and brings great things to pass ; in politics —politics of-the City and the State of New York and of tho nation as well; for, mark you, his power is as farreaching as Washington, tho capitol of the American nation itself. -In order to get the big thing he wants he- appears not to want it. In order to retain the thing he has, he feigns,not to hold it.

Disapprove of him as you will, believe all the evil that is spoken of him as you may, you must still admit that ho is a brilliant tactician, a clever politican, and a man cut out for leadersnip. He was once a saloon keeper, or a publican as'we should say in England. Certainly he never had what in America would be termed "proper schooling" in any educational institution. That he knows something of social etiquette now is said to be due to '.,tho fact that for years he has been "coached" by ono of New York'society's smart set, Mr J. Sergeant Cram, a member of a very old family of great wealth. Mr Cram and Mr Murohy were Dock Commissioners together' in former years, and they.bepame intimate friends. A good many times a week now they dine together at Delmonic'o's. Mr Murphy, is'lrish,' of course, and a devout Roman Catholic but he has never allowed the .clergy of his Church to dictate to him' or -even to irifluenco him politically. Which reminds me to say that; although formerly as a local city organisation Tammany Hall was largely, IrishCatholic, it is not so to-day. haK of the Roman Catholics of the city_ot New York are now members of the Republican party. i ' I have said that Mr Murphy has a wav of getting what he wants by appealing not to want it. This .is the way he brought about the nomination or Congressman Sulzer for Governor of New York in the present campaign. Mi Murphv was really m complete control New York State Convention but he dissembled and refused to- advise /except with his most intimate assobjS and he let the Convention nominate Mr Sulzcr, who is at present chairman of the Committee on Foregn% latious, who is -ostensibly a Reform InSeWt candidate, tat amember of Tammany who is by Woodrow Wilson Mr Biyan arm most of the Independent Press. Tins manoeuvre of Mr Murphy s probably manyT the other occupants' of impel Sm offices, and the I*^* 1 be subservient to the will of the Tarn. m i n t y , B a o s S iiifluence of • Wsf££ which Tammany, under the deft man agement of "the Boss,' «**">»»*& brinsing about the nomination - of Ur. WoSw Wilson for the !*«£«*£ close alliance with the P 0 !™ 03 chines in other sections of the nation, Tammany with their f aid■££*&£, tate the nomination for the -fresiaeiiuj Its delegates in the Baltimore Convention were bitterly opposed to Dr Olson's nomination, and Mr Brja£ optT p th n e^di-, b £ dSVto join with Em 11^-g candidates, lacking.eitherJm > m 0T K _ courage or his political fused to commit themselves - e " Set Bryan issued his ulircnatußg unalterable opposition C Wilson and Bryan became the on y possible candidates. fte nomination himself Wilson and compelled- to urge »» . i 3 nation. Now the that Tammany *s a mattor_ o P sagacity and, having a targe i . fc of candidates for fatate v, for desired to elect, wtW «to™» ]ec _ Wilson's selection, for with J™ fcion tion of Wilson has come the eg of Tammany's own bta *f ,?. a " thcv be Not many pe»on», of English or American, a » theSistory of Tammany the rea s for its foundation as a society n 'after an Indian chief. It *as «&„_ ally formed as a benevolent ana pru thropic society in the erly g 8 <» American Republic, Aaron Barr _ n one of its founders TJ O^ 1 * ]rt ical part deteriorated "to » P ° deals machine, having for one ofrts the en oyment of the s P° lls t}l ° u g a its its good deeds are man> fc misdeeds are those whieh «o among its members «« «££* and character, high, m business standing, «* ?? m ° nflenieii most cultured New rl L o sd'desire that any Englishwomanl *ouU q to meet are members of T*mmanv Great reformers like Cleveland, a Hewitt have been members of the {« ■ . f many benevolent society and t names have been solemnly carneci on the roll of life the when they were engaged ™ »K?H n 6 , JoEMcal partfvrf the organisation.