Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by ex-Senator George Washington Plunkitt, the Tammany philosopher, from his rostrum—the New York County court house bootblack stand; Recorded by William L. Riordon — John Shaqi
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by ex-Senator George Washington Plunkitt, the Tammany philosopher, from his rostrum—the New York County court house bootblack stand; Recorded by William L. RiordonPlunkitt, George Washington
General
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by ex-Senator George Washington Plunkitt, the Tammany philosopher, from his rostrum—the New York County court house bootblack stand; Recorded by William L. Riordon
Plunkitt, George Washington
Plunkitt, George Washington, 1842-1924; Tammany Hall
Sometimes the rivals came into conflict at the death-bed. One night a
poor Italian peddler died in Roosevelt Street. The news reached Divver
and Foley about the same time, and as they knew the family of the
man was destitute, each went to an undertaker and brought him to the
Roosevelt Street tenement.
The rivals and the undertakers met at the house and an altercation
ensued. After much discussion the Divver undertaker was selected. Foley
had more carriages at the funeral, however, and he further impressed the
Italian voters by paying the widow's rent for a month, and sending her
half a ton of coal and a barrel of flour.
The rivals were put on their mettle toward the end of the campaign by
the wedding of a daughter of one of the original Cohens of the Baxter
Street region. The Hebrew vote in the district is nearly as large as
the Italian vote, and Divver and Foley set out to capture the Cohens and
their friends.
They stayed up nights thinking what they would give the bride. Neither
knew how much the other was prepared to spend on a wedding present, or
what form it would take; so spies were employed by both sides to keep
watch on the jewelry stores, and the jewelers of the district were
bribed by each side to impart the desired information.
At last Foley heard that Divver had purchased a set of silver knives,
forks and spoons. He at once bought a duplicate set and added a silver
tea service. When the presents were displayed at the home of the bride,
Divver was not in a pleasant mood and he charged his jeweler with
treachery. It may be added that Foley won at the primaries.
One of the fixed duties of a Tammany district leader is to give two
outings every summer, one for the men of his district and the other for
the women and children, and a beefsteak dinner and a ball every winter.
The scene of the outings is, usually, one of the groves along the Sound.
The ambition of the district leader on these occasions is to demonstrate
that his men have broken all records in the matter of eating and
drinking. He gives out the exact number of pounds of beef, poultry,
butter, etc., that they have consumed and professes to know how many
potatoes and ears of corn have been served.
According to his figures, the average eating record of each man at the
outing is about ten pounds of beef, two or three chickens, a pound
of butter, a half peck of potatoes, and two dozen ears of corn. The
drinking records, as given out, are still more phenomenal. For
some reason, not yet explained, the district leader thinks that his
popularity will be greatly increased if he can show that his followers
can eat and drink more than the followers of any other district leader.
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