ation.
It took like wildfire. The men waved their flags whenever they cheered
and the sight made me feel so patriotic that I forgot all about civil
service for a while. And the good work of the flags didn't stop there.
The men carried them home and gave them to the children, and the kids
got patriotic, too. Of course, it all cost a pretty penny, but what of
that? We had won at the polls the precedin' November, had the offices
and could afford to make an extra investment in patriotism.

Chapter 18. On the Use of Money in Politics

THE civil service gang is always howlin' about candidates and
officeholders puttin' up money for campaigns and about corporations
chippin' in. They might as well howl about givin' contributions to
churches. A political organization has to have money for its business as
well as a church, and who has more right to put up than the men who get
the good things that are goin'? Take, for instance, a great political
concern like Tammany Hall It does missionary work like a church, it's
got big expenses and it's got to be supported by the faithful. If
a corporation sends in a check to help the good work of the Tammany
Society, why shouldn't we take it like other missionary societies? Of
course, the day may come when we'll reject the money of the rich as
tainted, but it hadn't come when I left Tammany Hall at 11:25 A.M.
today.

Not long ago some newspapers had fits became the Assemblyman from my
district said he had put up $500 when he was nominated for the Assembly
last year. Every politician in town laughed at these papers. I don't
think there was even a Citizens' Union man who didn't know that
candidates of both parties have to chip in for campaign expenses. The
sums they pay are accordin' to their salaries and the length of their
terms of office, if elected. Even candidates for the Supreme Court have
to fall in line. A Supreme Court Judge in New York County gets $17,500
a year, and he's expected, when nominated, to help along the good cause
with a year's salary. Why not? He has fourteen years on the bench ahead
of him, and ten thousand other lawyers would be willin' to put up
twice as much to be in his shoes. Now, I ain't sayin' that we sell
nominations. That's a different thing altogether. There's no auction
and no regular biddin'. The man is picked out and somehow he gets to
understand what's expected of him in the way of a contribution, and he
ponies up--all from gratitude to the organizatio