The History of Tammany Hall: Second EditionMyers, Gustavus
History
The History of Tammany Hall: Second Edition
Myers, Gustavus
New York (N.Y.) -- Politics and government; Tammany Hall (Political organization)
This happened in the Fall of 1837. The Tammany General Committee, whose
membership had recently been increased from thirty-six to fifty-one
members, held a meeting on September 7, thirty-six members being
present. Resolutions were offered upholding Van Buren’s scheme of
placing the United States funds in sub-treasuries. This was a bitter
dose to the State Bank men who, wanting to retain Government deposits,
opposed the sub-treasury plan. The “bank conservatives” vainly tried
to put off a vote on the resolutions, but being repeatedly outvoted,
all but one of them left the room before the main question was put.
Nineteen members remained. As seventeen formed a quorum, the question
was put and the resolutions were adopted by a vote of 18 to 1. The bank
men pretended that the resolutions were passed clandestinely, and they
so deviously managed things that in a few days they regained control of
the general committee, which at their behest refused to call a public
meeting to act on the resolutions.
But the Democratic-Republican Young Men’s Committee was saturated with
Equal Rights ideas and rebelled at the policy which allowed the acts
of the bankers to antagonize Democrats of principle and bring defeat
to Tammany Hall. This committee met in the Wigwam on September 11 and
passed a series of resolutions with which the Anti-Monopolists were
as pleased as the bankers were angry. The resolution declared the
public satisfaction in anticipating the separation of bank and state,
and welcomed the approach of an era when legislation should not be
perverted to the enrichment of a few and the depression of the many.
The Young Men resolved that the crisis was sufficient reason for their
committee assuming to recommend a public meeting of those who approved
Van Buren’s recent message, to be held in Tammany Hall, on September 21.
The bank men were angry that the Young Men’s committee should dare to
act independently of the elder, the general committee. The latter,
meeting on September 14, disapproved of the manner in which the Young
Men’s meeting had been called, declined cooperation with it, and by a
vote of 21 to 16 ordered the Young Men’s General Committee to withdraw
the recommendation for that meeting. The Young Men ignored the order
and held their meeting. Van Buren and his prospective sub-treasuries
were indorsed and fiery resolutions adopted denouncing the incorporated
banks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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