THIS city is ruled entirely by the hayseed legislators at Albany. I've
never known an upstate Republican who didn't want to run things
here, and I've met many thousands of them in my long service in the
Legislature. The hayseeds think we are like the Indians to the National
Government--that is, sort of wards of the State, who don't know how to
look after ourselves and have to be taken care of by the Republicans of
St. Lawrence, Ontario, and other backwoods counties. Why should anybody
be surprised because ex-Governor Odell comes down here to direct the
Republican machine? Newburg ain't big enough for him. He, like all the
other upstate Republicans, wants to get hold of New York City. New York
is their pie.
Say, you hear a lot about the downtrodden people of Ireland and the
Russian peasants and the sufferin' Boers. Now, let me tell you that they
have more real freedom and home rule than the people of this grand and
imperial city. In England, for example, they make a pretense of givin'
the Irish some self-government In this State the Republican government
makes no pretense at all. It says right out in the open: "New York City
is a nice big fat Goose. Come along with your carvin' knives and have a
slice." They don't pretend to ask the Goose's consent.
We don't own our streets or our docks or our waterfront or anything
else. The Republican Legislature and Governor run the whole shootin'
match. We've got to eat and drink what they tell us to eat and drink,
and have got to choose our time for eatin' and drinkin' to suit them. If
they don't feel like takin' a glass of beer on Sunday, we must abstain.
If they have not got any amusements up in their backwoods, we mustn't
have none. We've got to regulate our whole lives to suit them. And then
we have to pay their taxes to boot.
Did you ever go up to Albany from this city with a delegation that
wanted anything from the Legislature? No? Well, don't. The hayseeds
who run all the committees will look at you as if you were a child that
didn't know what it wanted, and will tell you in so many words to go
home and be good and the Legislature will give you whatever it thinks is
good for you. They put on a sort of patronizing air, as much as to say,
"These children are an awful lot of trouble. They're wantin' candy all
the time, and they know that it will make them sick. They ought to thank
goodness that they have us to take care of them." And if you try to
argue with them, they'll smile in a pityin' sort of way as if they were
humorin' a spoiled child.
But just let a Republican farmer from Chemung or Wayne or Tioga turn up
at the Capital. The Republican Legislature will make a rush for him and
ask him what he wants and tell him if he doesn't see what he wants to
ask for it. If he says his taxes are too high, they reply to him: "All
right, old man, don't let that worry you. How much do you want us to
take off?"
"I guess about fifty per cent will about do for the present," says the
man. "Can you fix me up?"
"Sure," the Legislature agrees. "Give us somethin', 'New York City Is Pie
for the Hayseeds,' try harder, don't be bashful. We'll take off sixty
per. cent. if you wish. That's what we're here for."
Then the Legislature goes and passes a law increasin' the liquor tax or
some other tax in New York City, takes a half of the proceeds for the
State Treasury and cuts down the farmers' taxes to suit. It's as easy
as rollin' off a log--when you've got a good workin' majority and no
conscience to speak of.
Let me give you another example. It makes me hot under the collar to
tell about this. Last year some hay-seeds along the Hudson River, mostly
in Odell's neighborhood, got dissatisfied with the docks where they
landed their vegetables, brickbats, and other things they produce in the
river counties. They got together and said: "Let's take a trip down
to New York and pick out the finest dock we can find. Odell and the
Legislature will do the rest." They did come down here, and what do
you think they hit on? The finest dock in my district Invaded George W.
Plunkitt's district without sayin' as much as "by your leave." Then they
called on Odell to put through a bill givin' them this dock, and he did.
When the bill came before Mayor Low I made the greatest speech of my
life. I pointed out how the Legislature could give the whole waterfront
to the hayseeds over the head of the Dock Commissioner in the same way,
and warned the Mayor that nations had rebelled against their governments
for less. But it was no go. Odell and Low were pards and--well, my dock
was stolen.
You heard a lot in the State campaign about Odell's great work in
reducin' the State tax to almost nothin', and you'll hear a lot more
about it in the campaign next year. How did he do it? By cuttin' down
the expenses of the State Government? Oh, no! The expenses went up. He
simply performed the old Republican act of milkin' New York City. The
only difference was that he nearly milked the city dry. He not only ran
up the liquor tax, but put all sorts of taxes on corporations, banks,
insurance companies, and everything in sight that could be made to give
up. Of course, nearly the whole tax fell on the city. Then Odell went
through the country districts and said: "See what I have done for you.
You ain't got any more taxes to pay the State. Ain't I a fine feller?"
Once a farmer in Orange County asked him: "How did you do it, Ben?"
"Dead easy," he answered. "Whenever I want any money for the State
Treasury, I know where to get it," and he pointed toward New York City.
And then all the Republican tinkerin' with New York City's charter.
Nobody can keep up with it. When a Republican mayor is in, they give him
all sorts of power. If a Tammany mayor is elected next fall I wouldn't
be surprised if they changed the whole business and arranged it so that
every city department should have four heads, two of them Republicans.
If we make a kick, they would say: "You don't know what's good for you.
Leave it to us. It's our business."