George washington plunkitt quotes
DOCUMENT 19–5: George Washington Plunkitt Explains Politics
Reading the American Past: Printed Page 75
DOCUMENT 19–5
George Washington Plunkitt Explains Politics
Political machines ruled big cities, and none was more successful — or notorious — than New York's Tammany Hall. George Washington Plunkitt, a loyal Tammany boss, liked to hold court at the county courthouse shoeshine stand, explaining how things really worked to anyone willing to listen. In 1897, freelance journalist William L. Riordon began recording Plunkitt's remarks and followed him for a day to see what he did. Riordon's account appeared in the New York Evening Post and was later published in the volume Plunkitt of Tammany Hall in 1905. Plunkitt's statements are excerpted here, followed by Riordon's diary of one day in the life of a big-city boss.
William L. Riordon
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, 1905
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