STATES & CITIES: Scandals of New York (Cont'd)

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Political Significance. In 1909, one of the many other times when Tammany Hall was in really bad odor, a group of public-spirited men formed a Committee of 100 headed by Norman Hapgood, Joseph M. Price and Dr. Henry Moscowitz (husband of "Al" Smith's efficient adviser and chief propagandist). Wealthy contributors to the committee were headed by Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Fulton Cutting, with $20,000 each. A fusion of Republicans and independents put candidates in the field, carried on an intensive campaign, chief feature of which was the erection of a huge papier-mache cow at campaign headquarters. Before the cow was a trough, from which the cow ate taxpayers' money. Attached to the udders were rubber tubes through which was pumped "graft milk" to be drunk by Tammany. Tammany countered by erecting in Times Square a heroic female figure with a shield labelled "Our City" and the legend "Defeat of Slander" on the base. Also it persuaded brilliant, sadistic William J. Gaynor to be the Tammany candidate. He defeated Fusionist Otto T. Bannard. though the Fusionists did elect George McAneny Borough President of Manhattan, Alfred Steers Borough President of Brooklyn, and young John Purroy Mitchel president of Manhattan's Board of Aldermen. Four years later John Purroy Mitchel was elected Mayor on another Fusion ticket.

Next month will be elected a borough president, many aldermen and assemblymen. In the five boroughs of New York City 1,350,000 voters have registered, an unusually large number for an off-year. But both Republicans and Democrats knew that the large figure was due to Tammany organization, not to civic indignation.