Irish Corruption In Tammany Hall

Frank Smith

Irish Corruption In Tammany Hall

New York City was a city of immigrants within which there were over one hundred accents. Even though Irish immigration had decreased since the 1850s the Irish were still coming off the boats in the thousands everyday. The Irish were unwelcome guests in New York City but were able to find an ally in the city’s government. This new ally was Tammany Hall, a Democratic party machine that played a major role in controlling New York politics in both the city and the state at large. Irish-American politics in New York through the middle of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th involved numerous scandals and much corruption. Tammany Hall used the Irish to gain a political advantage and in return the Irish used Tammany Hall to gain for themselves status and employment benefits. While the relationship between the Irish immigrants and Tammany Hall was one of corruption, it also caused the Irish American culture and identity to coalesce .

James Joseph Smith and the rest of my Irish family came over from Ireland at the end of the American Civil War. The family was poor and didn't have much when they landed in New York. The family Lacked much and lived in one of the worst neighborhoods in all of New York City. The Five Points Neighborhood was located in lower Manhattan, where there were many gangs, and much poverty and corruption was ever-present. Families lived in one room houses and usually shared that one room with fifteen other people. In the 1860s around 300,000 people lived in one square mile.

Gangs controlled the Five Points and violence was never far away from the Irish residents. Many Irish joined gangs to be protected from nativist gangs such as The Bowery Boys. The Bowery Boys terrorized the Five Points and aligned with nativist groups which were anti-catholic and believed America belonged to the descendants of the white people that originally colonized it. James Joseph Smith’s father was killed by a nativist gang, which led James to join a gang called The Whyos. The Whyos were a gang that emerged in the mid 1860s after the New York Police tried to rid the Five Points of it’s worse Gangs. James Joseph Smith played his part as a member of the gang, taking part in the many crimes the gang committed. James climbed the gang’s ranks and by the end of the decade he had attained a high position in the gang. James attained his rank in the gang by committing minor crimes such as stealing and vandalism.

When the Whyos, who were mainly a street gang, started to become involved with the politics of Tammany Hall James Joseph Smith was one of the members of the gang that was engaged with politics. He believed that the more involved he was with Tammany Hall, the better chances he had to escape the poverty and violence he lived in. James Joseph Smith and many others in The Whyos gang were used by Tammany Hall to the advantage of the Democratic party machine. James Joseph Smith and The Whyos were used to enforce and rig elections. Tammany Hall used Irish gangs, as its muscle in order to “persuade” people to vote in favor of Tammany Hall. Although gang persuasion was used many Irish supported William M. Tweed, the local Democrat party boss, and voted for him consistently in elections.

James Joseph believed that Tammany Hall was on the side of the Irish and the catholic faith. Ever since James’ family arrived in New York they had been treated badly for being Irish and Catholic. Tammany Hall made James Joseph Smith believe that there was a political party that was on his side, he believed this because he saw that Tammany Hall was helping out both the poor Irish that had been in the city for awhile and the new immigrants just off the boats. As James continued to do work for Tammany Hall he was rewarded with small sums of cash. Thanks to James’ work for Tammany Hall he was able to start and maintain a family with the small sums of money he continued to receive from the Hall.

In addition to the small sums of cash James Joseph Smith continued to make from “persuading” people to vote in favor of Tammany, the Hall also provided James with a job in the New York City Fire Department. At the time James employment in the Fire Department was no longer being utilized by Tammany Hall as an instrument of street violence, so the job with the fire department was able to help James Joseph Smith move away from criminal life. James was able to slowly leave his life as a gang member because he had a consistent stream of income not derived from criminal activities. James continued to vote in favor of Tammany Hall because he believed that the Hall was helping out the Irish community. Once James had left his gang entirely he was able to start a life free from violence and poverty with his family. Thanks to his work in the New York City Fire Department and his other earlier jobs working for Tammany Hall James Joseph Smith was able to move with his family to Arizona, leaving behind the last vestiges of his old life. Involvement with the activities of Tammany Hall helped many Irish Americans escape poverty in the same way as James Joseph Smith did.

The Irish were not given much when they arrived in New York City, many were poor and ended up living in horrible conditions. All they really had was their ethnicity and culture as their identity to cling to in a foreign world. The majority of the Irish found new hardships after making New York City their home. They had left their rural homes in Ireland to journey to the urban metropolis of New York City many of the Irish were pushed to the Five Points, which was located in the lower east side of Manhattan. Families usually lived in one room houses and often shared that one room with fifteen other people, in the 1860s around 300,000 people lived in one square mile.

Irish immigrantion contributed tens-of thousands of people to the population of the United States, and the majority of those Irish immigrants joined the Democratic Party. Because they were discriminated against in the workplace many Irish turned to politics as their profession, in New York City the outlet for this Irish interest in politics was Tammany Hall. As more and more Irish got involved politically, it gave them a sense of ethnic pride in being Irish. Politics gave the Irish an opportunity to advance their own opinions and ideas about the world and how they should be treated. The Irish utilized the Tammany Hall party machine to help the Irish community prosper. Irish politicians gave out jobs and money to fellow Irishmen if they voted in favor of them. Irish politicians often traded in bribes, favors, and votes on a daily basis. Many were quite willing to stuff ballot boxes, intimidate political opponents, and use “enforcement gangs” often barely disguised as volunteer fire companies to impose their will. In politics, Irish Americans often flaunted specific democratic procedures and made up their own rules. While Irish political practices were very often corrupt they still had to be carried out under the auspices of the Democratic Party. The Irish became corrupted by the people they were working for in exchange for wealth. Many Irish only voted the way they did simply because they were given an incentive to vote that way.

New York City politics were very corrupt during the 1800s, Tammany Hall played a large part in the corruption, and Irish immigrants and Irish gangs played a significant part in the corruption of Tammany Hall politics. Tammany Hall had begun its existence as a fraternal society with social and charitable principles, and originally it was not involved with either politics or corruption. Ironically Tammany Hall was initially anti-immigration and did not see Irish immigrants as being able to fit into American society.

William “Boss” Tweed was in charge of Tammany Hall from 1858-1871 and turned the Hall into a political machine with the help of the Irish. For over a decade Tweed ran Tammany Hall and used the Irish to his advantage. Tweed was known for using gangs to enforce his politics and rig elections. Unlike many who disliked the Irish, Tweed embraced them and both used and aided the Irish. He utilized Irish gangs as his muscle to “persuade” people to vote in favor of Tweed and his policies. Tweed’s power ultimately came from the support of Irish Catholic immigrants, often using their ignorance and poverty to get votes. As a result of many Irish voting in favor of Tweed and Tammany Hall in 1869 Tammany Hall setup over seven-hundred jobs for Irish immigrants.Because of the many jobs Tweed had bestowed to Irish immigrants and faith the Irish had in Tammany Hall one of Tweed’s candidates won a critical city election in 1869 which put the Hall in control of New York City.

William Tweed was viewed as being solidly on the side of Irish Catholics and receptive to their pleas. When New York's Irish Protestants were going to have their annual “Orange Parade,” a celebration of King William’s 1690 victory and Irish Catholics protested the event, Tweed tried to petition the city to deny the Irish Protestants the right to march but was himself denied. While over sixty people were killed in the march the Irish Catholics remembered that Tweed and Tammany Hall had stood by them.

Tweed’s corrupt political methods were eventually exposed by the New York Times and the political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Thomas Nast had depicted the Irish as dumb and ape-like and would listen to anyone when it came to voting. Nast described them as the ignorant vote and argued Tweed was using the Irish to gain more political power. Ultimately Tweed was caught and arrested for his crimes but the corruption in Tammany Hall continued for many years after his reign.

Tweed’s disgrace led to a new era for Tammany Hall which was directed under Irish American leadership. The new Tammany Hall developed a reputation for gross corruption, cynical manipulation, and outright exploitation. George Washington Plunkitt took over the Tammany Hall party machine and he believed there was nothing wrong with a politician taking advantage of their status. Plunkitt was born in poverty and only received three years of formal education, but he rose through the ranks of Tammany Hall by building a following among the working-class Irish.

Over the course of his rule George Washington Plunkitt became a rich Irish American who defended both his own political style, and the workings of Tammany Hall. Plunkitt believed that people became involved with politics because they expected benefits, not because it was their right. Tammany Hall social welfare function wasn't new but George Washington Plunkitt extended it to meet the needs of all people. Plunkitt gave people places to sleep, clothes, food and in return would receive votes that would go the Hall’s way, and he believed that this was a better system than having charities take care of the poor. Plunkett didn't care if the person was a republican or a democrat he believed that “the poor are the most grateful people in the world” and it's just good politics to help the poor out. Irish immigrants who voted for Tammany Hall received many benefits from Plunkitt including jobs, coal, food and sense of security that they did not have when they first arrived to this new country.

When many Irish arrived in New York City there were few who wanted to help them adapt to their new country. Even though they were white, the Irish were not seen as such by many Americans of Anglo-Saxon roots. The Irish were viewed as violent, lazy and drunks who could do little to contribute to the growing American economy. Plunkett understood that Irish immigrants made up much of New York City and could play a huge part in the city’s politics. Many of the Irish wanted to be a part of the development of America, but no one was there to help them become a valuable part of America. The removal of reforms and government and welfare for those who needed it gave Tammany Hall the opportunity to step in and seize control. Tammany Hall fulfilled a need that the New York City government refused to legally fulfill. George Washington Plunkitt and Tammany Hall became sort of a Robin Hood figure for many poor Irish immigrants who were trying to survive in the poor slums of New York City.

Plunkett was more than a local politician, he was a member of a national partisan network. He understood that the distribution of power would affect not only national politics but local politics as well. He understood that the changes going on nationally would affect his local power.He needed to stop change from happening on the local political level so he could continue to use the support of the Irish to stay in power even when the influence of the Tammany Hall party machine was in wane. To facilitate growth of Plunkett’s influence he continued to give Irishmen jobs and positions in politics.

Plunkett was able to keep a Democrat as the mayor of New York City from 1877-1894, when the terms were only one year. In that time period Tammany Hall was able to get an Irish Roman Catholic, Hugh J. Grant, elected as mayor and he served for two terms. The Irish and Tammany Hall had a relationship where they would use each other to their advantage but would also make certain that their opposite had a good incentive for continuing to help them. The Irish would continue to vote Tammany Hall’s way if the Hall continued to give them charity and Tammany Hall would continue to give the Irish charity if Irish votes kept coming their way.

Many Irishmen, such as Richard Crocker, gained political advantages by being apart of the Tammany Hall machine. Richard Crocker was born in Ireland and lived the first few years of his life in the old country. He had moved to New York City as a child and had wanted to improve his life by joining Tweed’s fire department. Tweed used Crocker as an enforcer to make sure people would vote in favor of the Hall. Because of his work for Tammany Hall, Crocker was given an alderman position. Soon after Richard Crocker was put in charge of Tammany Hall. He was the first native born Irishmen to be in charge of Tammany Hall.

Under Croker Tammany Hall’s business engagements and corruption only increased. Croker made sure that the Hall was involved with every business in New York, whether it was corporate business or the businesses of the slums. Tammany Hall became involved in railroad construction and many other questionable ventures. Croker received bribe money from the owners of brothels, saloons and illegal gambling dens. Everyone was on Crokers payroll and had a duty to pay a percentage of their income to Tammany Hall. Crokers payroll was used to pay voters to think that the Tammany Hall candidate was the man for the job. However not all of the Tammany Hall’s money was used to payoff voters, Croker used some of the money to buy himself a couple summer houses in Europe. Through his bribes and vast payroll Richard Croker had become boss of the city.

In 1894 the Irish had become a political force within New York City and their leader was Richard Croker. Croker used political and business connections to control much of the city, this however is what led to his downfall. Many of the businesses Croker had control of were in the Irish slums and were considered illegal. Reform workers wanted to improve the conditions of the slums and wanted to give the people living there better job opportunities. Tammany Hall and Croker were against the New York City reforms because reform of areas such as the slums would mean a loss of much of their income. Croker was investigated and was accused of bribing the police, intimidating buisnesses into paying protection money, as well as organizing gambling rings, liquor trades and prostitution rackets throughout New York City.

Richard Croker ended up falling in much the same way as Tweed, the man Croker had onced worked under. While Croker was able to escape prosecution he was forced to step down from his position in the Tammany Hall party machine. Richard Croker returned to Ireland to live a quiet life, after having lived an existence that had been enriched by the corruption of Tammany Hall. Like many other Irish Immigrants he was but a young boy when he arrived in New York City and faced severe poverty. Croker had made his keep by joining one of New York City's many street gangs but had wanted to improve his life further. By joining Tammany Hall and one of Tweed’s fire brigades Croker had become protected by the party machine. As long as Croker continued to work for the Tammany Hall machine he would be given the support that could help him become successful. Croker continued to use Tweed’s ideas once he became head of Tammany Hall, but with an understanding that the machine is only as strong as its foundation. The foundation for the Tammany Hall machine was the Irish and as an Irishmen himself Croker knew that he could use them to his political gain. Crokers life is a story of someone who was used by Tammany Hall but also used Tammany Hall to gain a better life.

Although Tammany Hall was one of the most corrupt political organizations in American history they were able to help give the Irish an identity. Ever since coming to the United States the Irish were viewed in a negative light. They were viewed as skilless and lazy drunks. Many Irish grew up in the countryside and did not have the skills to work in the city. The Irish weren't able to get jobs because they either didn't have the skills necessary for the job or they were turned down merely because they were Irish. They were put at the bottom of the New York society and struggled through some very hard times. The Irish didn't have a voice or an identity until Tammany Hall welcomed the Irish and gave them opportunities in a city where no one else would. Obviously many of these opportunities involved the corrupt dealings of Tammany Hall but without even these flawed opportunities many of the Irish would have had nothing. The Irish would be poorer, hungrier, dirtier, and there would most likely be more gangs if the Irish were left unsupported.

Tammany Hall gave the Irish the respect that no one else was willing to give them. This came come in the form of jobs, money, food or support for the local Irish gangs. In return Tammany Hall expected the Irish Americans it support to vote its way, and the Irish were more than happy to do so. Tammany gave Irish Americans and the Irish in general the opportunity to get involved in politics and have their voice heard. Many Irish were able to take advantage of these opportunities and started to climb the political ladder. Tammany Hall was a very corrupt political organization but without the Hall there would have been no one willing to help the Irish move up in American society.

The corrupt Tammany Hall was the ally of the un-welcomed Irish in New York City. Tammany Hall reached out to the Irish community because they saw voters that would be able to help votes go Tammany Hall’s way. Irish-American politics in New York from the middle of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th involved many scandals and much corruption. Both the party machine and the Irish used each other to gain advantages in the city. Tammany Hall used many different methods to encourage voters to vote in favor of the Hall. Tammany Hall used Irish gangs to persuade voters, also gave people benefits such as food and jobs if they voted the Hall’s way. Because of the Hall’s support of the Irish, the Irish were given many opportunities. Through corruption the Irish were able to gain jobs and political standing. Because more Irishmen were getting political positions Tammany Hall was also soon overrun with the Irish. The Irish corruption in Tammany Hall led to the party controlling the New York City government for over a decade and to an Irish-born man leading Tammany Hall. With an Irishmen in charge of Tammany Hall even more of the Irish were able to work in well-paying jobs outside of the slums. The corruption in Tammany Hall ultimately led to Irish Americans escaping their lives of poverty, enabling them to move away from the slums of New York City and make for themselves better lives.

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