e it is for the people to feel that they
can get up in the mornin' without hem' afraid of seem' in the
papers that the Commissioner of Water Supply has sandbagged the Dock
Commissioner, and that the Mayor and heads of the departments have been
taken to the police court as witnesses! That's no joke. I remember that,
under Strong, some commissioners came very near sandbaggin' one another.

Of course, the newspapers like the reform administration. Why? Because
these administrations, with their daily rows, furnish as racy news as
prizefights or divorce cases. Tammany don't care to get in the papers.
It goes right along attendin' to business quietly and only wants to be
let alone. That's one reason why the papers are against us.

Some papers complain that the bosses get rich while devotin' their lives
to the interests of the city. What of it? If opportunities for turnin'
an honest dollar comes their 'way, why shouldn't they take advantage of
them, just as I have done? As I said, in another talk, there is honest
graft and dishonest graft. The bosses go in for the former. There is
so much of it in this big town that they would be fools to go in for
dishonest graft.

Now, the primary election law threatens to do away with the boss and
make the city government a menagerie. That's why I can't take the rest
I counted on. I'm goin' to propose a bill for the next session of the
legislature repealin' this dangerous law, and leavin' the primaries
entirely to the organizations themselves, as they used to be. Then will
return the good old times, when our district leaders could have nice
comfortable primary elections at some place selected by themselves and
let in only men that they approved of as good Democrats. Who is a better
judge of the Democracy of a man who offers his vote than the leader of
the district? Who is better equipped to keep out undesirable voters?

The men who put through the primary law are the same crowd that stand
for the civil service blight and they have the same objects in view--the
destruction of governments by party, the downfall of the constitution
and hell generally.

Chapter 21. Concerning Excise

ALTHOUGH I'm not a drinkin' man myself, I mourn with the poor liquor
dealers of New York City, who are taxed and oppressed for the benefit
of the farmers up the state. The Raines liquor law is infamous It takes
away nearly all the profits of the saloonkeepers, and then turns in a
large part of the money t