How could Tammany regain its power, and that usually within two
years, after such disclosures as we have seen? The main reason is
the scientific efficiency of the organization. The victory of
Burr in New York in 1800 was the first triumph of the first ward
machine in America, and Tammany has forgotten neither this
victory nor the methods by which it was achieved. The
organization which was then set in motion has simply been
enlarged to keep easy pace with the city's growth. There are, in
fact, two organizations, Tammany Hall, the political machine, and
Tammany Society, the "Columbian Order" organized by Mooney, which
is ruled by sachems elected by the members. Both organizations,
however, are one in spirit. We need concern ourselves only with
the organization of Tammany Hall.
The framework of Tammany Hall's machinery has always been the
general committee, still known, in the phraseology of Burr's day,
as "the Democratic-Republican General Committee." It is a very
democratic body composed of representatives from every assembly
district, apportioned according to the number of voters in the
district. The present apportionment is one committeeman for every
fifteen votes. This makes a committee of over 9000, an unwieldy
number. It is justified, however, on two very practical grounds:
first, that it is large enough to keep close to the voters; and
second, that its assessment of ten dollars a member brings in
$90,000 a year to the war chest.
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