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THE HISTORY OF TAMMANY HALL
THE HISTORY OF
TAMMANY HALL
BY
GUSTAVUS MYERS
Author of “A History of Public Franchises
in New York City,” etc., etc.
SECOND EDITION
REVISED AND ENLARGED
NEW YORK
BONI & LIVERIGHT, Inc.
1917
Copyright, 1917.
By Boni & Liveright, Inc.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION (1901)
In most men’s minds a certain spell of wonder attachesto the career and character of the Tammany Society andTammany Hall. The long continuance of this dualpower; its control of the city, infrequently interrupted,throughout the century; the nature of its principles, themethod of its practices and the character of its personnel—allthese combine to furnish a spectacle which exertsover the general mind a peculiar and strong fascination.
It was under the sway of this mood that I began theinvestigation which has resulted in this volume. I had nothought, on beginning, to carry the work so far: I soughtmerely to satisfy my curiosity regarding the more importantparticulars of Tammany’s history. But I soonlearned that what I sought was not easily to be obtained.The few narratives already published were generallyfound to be either extravagant panegyrics, printed underthe patronage of the Tammany Society, or else partisanattacks, violent in style and untruthful in statement.Usually both were characterized by their paucity of realinformation no less than by the number of their palpableerrors of fact.
Turning from these, I determined to find the facts formyself. My search led me first through the files of allthe available newspapers from 1789 to the present time,and thence—for origins and contributory causes—throughpublications as far back as 1788; thence throughState and city histories, and a great number of biographies,sketches, essays, political pamphlets and broadsides.The fragmentary matter gleaned from thesesources was found to be extremely valuable in helping toform the continuous thread of a narrative, and in determining[vi]contemporary spirit; but the statements andconclusio