Tammany Text

Nowhere in their civics textbook (Our City--New York) can New York City's public school children find anything about Tammany Hall or their city's extra-legal government. To complete their education the City Affairs Committee, a non-partisan reform organization, last week offered a heedless Board of Education a new textbook that was all about Tammany. It was called New York & The Sea bury Investigation. It was edited by Columbia's Professor John Dewey, famed philosopher and unselfish friend, of every reform. In satirically simple language it described the city's "boss system" in terms of the spiciest testimony from last year's scandal hunt, let ex-Mayor "Jimmy" Walker damn himself out of his own mouth and left young heads to puzzle over the fortunes party workers collected in tin boxes.

Prize picture in the pamphlet was that of Brooklyn's benign, blue-eyed Boss John H. ("For Success") McCooey milking a cow. Its caption: "A jolly family man from Brooklyn who loves milking." It was taken ten years ago when Boss McCooey participated in a milking contest for the benefit of the Brooklyn Tuberculosis Association. When ''Farmer John" McCooey was shown the pamphlet, he let out a disarming chuckle: ''Why shouldn't the school children have this book? It would prove an inspiration to them to see how the Democratic leaders Lave succeeded . . . (thumbing the leaves). . . . Ho-ho! Here's us highbinders, big as life . . . (spotting his own picture). . . . Ho-ho! Just look at that now. I remember that picture very well. I sort of look like William Howard Taft there but he was a larger man."

The pamphlet was a first gun to turn out Tammany in the November election. Papers like the World-Telegram had started their "Tammany Must Go" chorus. But with no serious fusion opposition in sight Tammany never felt less like going in its life. Therefore last week big-bodied bumbling Mayor O'Brien marched into Tammany Hall, got his orders, marched out again confidently to announce: "I am a candidate for re-election." A few days later, when the city's finances were audited, a deficit of $162.000.000 was revealed.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.