SLOW RECOVERY FROM DISASTER
1809-1815
The Tammany men fared badly for a time. During 1809 the Council of
Appointment removed numbers of them from office. In November the
Federalists elected a majority of their Aldermanic ticket, and in
April, 1810, they elected their Assembly ticket by the close majority
of 36. Even when the Federalists were beaten the following year, it
brought no good to Tammany, for a Clintonite Council of Appointment
dispensed the offices. Clinton, though ousted from the Mayoralty in
1810 to make room for the Federalist Jacob Radcliff, was again made
Mayor in the Spring of 1811.
But before long affairs took another turn. Tammany was the only real
Republican organization in the city. It stood for the national party.
As men were inclined to vote more for party success than for particular
local nominees, Tammany’s candidates were certain to be swept in at
some time on the strength of party adherence. While the rank and file
of the organization were concerned in seeing its candidates successful
only inasmuch as that meant the success of democratic principles, the
leaders intrigued constantly for spoils at the expense of principles.
But whatever their conduct might be, they were sure of success when the
next wave of Republican feeling carried the party to victory.
De Witt Clinton’s following was largely personal. Drawing, it was
estimated, from $10,000 to $20,000 a year in salary and fees as Mayor,
he lived in high style and distributed bounty liberally among his
supporters. His income aroused the wonder of his contemporaries. The
President of the United States received $25,000 annually; the Mayor of
Philadelphia, $2,000. “Posterity,” said one observer, “will read with
astonishment that a Mayor of New York should make the enormous sum of
$15,000 out of his office.” This was no inconsequential salary at a
time when a man worth $50,000 was thought rich; when a good house could
be rented for $350 a year, and $750 or $800 would meet the expenses of
the average family. Many of those whom Clinton helped picked a quarrel
with him later, in order to have a pretext for the repudiation of their
debts, and joined Tammany.
Tammany had the party machine, but Clinton had a powerful hold on the
lower classes, especially the Irish. As United States Senator he had
been foremost in having the naturalization period reduced from fourteen
to five years, and he made himself popular with them in other ways. He,
himself, was of Irish descent.
The Irish were bitter opponents of Tammany Hall. The prejudice against
allowing “adopted citizens” to mingle in politics was deep; and Tammany
claimed to be a thoroughly native body. As early as May 12, 1791, at
Campbell’s Tavern, Greenwich, the Tammany Society had announced that
being a national body, it consisted of Americans born, who would fill
all offices; though adopted Americans were eligible to honorary posts,
such as warriors and hunters. An “adopted citizen” was looked upon
as an “exotic.” Religious feeling, too, was conspicuous. It was only
after repeated hostile demonstrations that Tammany would consent, in
1809, for the first time to place a Catholic--Patrick McKay--upon its
Assembly ticket.
The accession of the Livingston family had helped the society, adding
the support of a considerable faction and “respectability.” The
Livingstons, intent on superseding the Clintons, seized on Tammany as
a good lever. Above all, it was necessary to have a full application
of “respectability,” and to further that end the society put up a
pretentious building--the recent _Sun_ newspaper building. In 1802
the Tammany Society had tried by subscription to build a fine Wigwam,
but was unsuccessful. The unwisdom of staying in such a place as
Martling’s, which subjected them to gibes, and which was described as
“the Den where the Wolves and Bears and Panthers assemble and drink
down large potations of beer,” was impressed upon the Sachems who, led
by Jacob Barker, the largest shipbuilder in the country at the time,
raised the sum of $28,000. The new Wigwam was opened in 1811, with the
peculiar Indian ceremonies. Sachem Abraham M. Valentine--the same man
who, for malfeasance, was afterward (May 26, 1830) removed from the
office of Police Magistrate[1]--was the grand marshal of the day.
From 1811 the Tammany, or Martling, men came under the general term
of the Tammany Hall party or Tammany Hall; the general committee was
called technically the Democratic-Republican General Committee. The
Tammany Society, with its eleven hundred members, now more than ever
_appeared_ distinct from the Tammany Hall political body. Though the
general committee was supplied with the use of rooms and the hall in
the building, it met on different nights from the society, and to all
appearances acted independently of it. But the society, in fact, was
and continued to be, the secret ruler of the political organization.
Its Sachems were chosen yearly from the most influential of the local
Tammany political leaders.
De Witt Clinton aimed to be President of the United States and schemed
for his nomination by the Republican Legislative caucus. Early
in 1811 he sought and received from the caucus the nomination for
Lieutenant-Governor. He purposed to hold both the offices of Mayor
and Lieutenant-Governor, while spending as much time as he could at
Albany so as to bring his direct influence to bear in person. As a
State officer he could do this without loss of dignity. He would
have preferred the post of State Senator, but he feared if he stood
for election in New York City Tammany would defeat him. The chiefs,
regarding his nomination as treachery toward Madison, immediately held
a meeting and issued a notice that they ceased to consider him a member
of the Republican party; that he was not only opposing Madison but was
bent on establishing a pernicious family aristocracy.
When the Clinton men tried to hold a counter meeting at the Union
Hotel a few days later, the Tammany men rushed in and put them to
flight.[2] Tammany was so anxious to defeat Clinton that it supported
the Federalist candidate for Lieutenant-Governor, defeating the
aggressive Mayor. But Clinton obtained the caucus nomination for
President. His partizans voted the Federalist Assembly ticket (1812)
rather than aid the Republican ticket of Tammany Hall. Assisted by the
Federalists, Clinton received the electoral vote of New York State, but
was overwhelmed by Madison. His course seemed precisely that with which
Tammany had charged him--treason to the party to which he professed to
belong. In a short time, the Wigwam succeeded in influencing nearly all
the Republicans in New York City against him.
One other event helped to bring back strength and prestige to
Tammany Hall. This was the War of 1812, which Tammany called for and
supported. On February 26, four months before war was declared, the
Tammany Society passed resolutions recommending immediate war with
Great Britain unless she should repeal her “Orders in Council.” The
members pledged themselves to support the Government “in that just
and necessary war” with their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor.” The
conservative element execrated Tammany, but the supporters of the war
came to look upon it more favorably, and about a thousand persons, some
of whom had been members before but had ceased attendance, applied
for membership. Throughout the conflict Tammany Hall was the resort
of the war-party. At the news of each victory the flag was hoisted to
the breeze and a celebration followed. The successful military and
naval men were banqueted there, while hundreds of candles illumined
every window in the building. On August 31, 1814, 1150 members of the
society marched to build defenses in Brooklyn; but this was not done
until public pressure forced it, for by August 15 at least twenty other
societies, civil and trades, had volunteered, and Tammany had to make
good its pretensions.
The leaders prospered by Madison’s favor. From one contract alone
Matthew L. Davis reaped $80,000, and Nathan Sanford was credited with
making his office of United States District Attorney at New York yield
as high as $30,000 a year. The lesser political workers were rewarded
proportionately. Having a direct and considerable interest in the
success of Madison’s administration, they were indefatigable partizans.
Some of the Tammany leaders proved their devotion to their country’s
cause by doing service in the Quartermaster’s Department. Among these
were the two Swartwouts (John and Robert), who became Generals, and
Romaine, who became a Colonel.
This war had the effect of causing the society to abandon its custom
of marching in Indian garb.[3] In 1813 the Indians in the Northwest,
incited by British agents, went on the war-path, torturing and
scalping, devastating settlements and killing defenseless men, women
and children. Their very name became repulsive to the whites. The
society seemed to be callous to this feeling, and began preparations
for its annual parades, in the usual Indian costumes, with painted
faces, wearing bearskins and carrying papooses. The Federalists
declared that these exhibitions, at all times ridiculous and absurd,
would be little short of criminal after the cruelties which were being
committed by the Tammany men of the wilderness. These attacks affected
the Tammany Society so much that a majority of the members, consisting
mainly of the politicians and young men, held a secret meeting and
abolished all imitations of the Indians, in dress and manners as well
as in name, and resolved that the officers should thereafter bear plain
English titles.
Mooney opposed the change.[4] He would not listen to having those
picturesque and native ceremonies, which he himself had ordained, wiped
out. He resigned as Grand Sachem, and many of the Sachems went with
him. On May 1, 1813, Benjamin Romaine was elected Grand Sachem, and
other “reformers” were chosen as Sachems. On July 4 the Tammany Society
marched with reduced numbers in ordinary civilian garb. From that time
the society contented itself with civilian costume until 1825, when its
parades ceased.
The attitude of the political parties to the war had the effect
of making Tammany Hall the predominant force in the State, and of
disorganizing the Federalist party beyond hope of recovery. Tammany
began in 1813 to organize for the control of the State and to put
down for all time De Witt Clinton, whom it denounced as having tried
to paralyze the energies of Madison’s administration. Meanwhile
the Federalist leaders in the city, with a singular lack of tact,
were constantly offending the popular feeling with their political
doctrines and their haughty airs of superior citizenship. To such an
extent was this carried that at times they were mobbed, as on June 29,
1814, for celebrating the return of the Bourbons to the French throne.
The organization of Tammany Hall, begun, as has been seen, by the
formation of the general, nominating and correspondence committees,
in 1806 and 1808, was now further elaborated. A finance committee,
whose duty it was to gather for the leaders a suitable campaign fund,
was created, and this was followed by the creation of the Republican
Young Men’s General Committee,[5] which was a sort of auxiliary to the
general committee, having limited powers, and serving as a province
for the ambitions of the young men. The Democratic-Republican General
Committee was supposed to comprise only the trusted ward leaders, ripe
with years and experience. About the beginning of the War of 1812, it
added to its duties the issuing of long public addresses on political
topics. These general committees were made self-perpetuating. At the
close of every year they would issue a notice to the voters when and
where to meet for the election of their successors. No sooner did
the committee of one year step out than the newly elected committee
instantly took its place. There were also ward or vigilance committees,
which were expected to bring every Tammany-Republican voter to the
polls, to see that no Federalist intimidation was attempted and
to campaign for the party. The Tammany Hall organization was in a
superb state by the year 1814, and in active operation ceaselessly.
The Federalists, on the contrary, were scarcely organized, and the
Clintonites had declined to a mere faction.
The Tammany leaders, moreover, were shrewd and conciliating. About
forty Federalists--disgusted, they said, with their party’s opposition
to the war--joined the Tammany Society. They were led by Gulian C.
Verplanck, who severely assailed Clinton, much to the Wigwam’s delight.
Tammany Hall not only received them with warmth, but advanced nearly
all of them, such as Jacob Radcliff, Richard Hadfelt, Richard Riker
and Hugh Maxwell, to the first public positions. This was about the
beginning of that policy, never since abandoned, by which Tammany Hall
has frequently broken up opposing parties or factions. The winning over
of leaders from the other side and conferring upon them rewards in the
form of profitable public office or contracts has been one of the most
notable methods of Tammany’s diplomacy.
FOOTNOTES
[1] _MS. Minutes of the Common Council_, Vol. 72, p. 137. Judge Irving
and an Aldermanic committee, after a searching investigation, found
Valentine guilty of receiving from prisoners money for which he did not
account to the city.
[2] Hammond, Vol. I, p. 294.
[3] R. S. Guernsey, _New York City During the War of 1812_.
[4] Mooney had now become opulent, being the owner of three or four
houses and lots.
[5] The moving spirit in this committee for some years was Samuel L.
Berrian, who had been indicted in August, 1811, for instigating a riot
in Trinity Church, convicted and fined $100.