For clue for Irish Freedom in the cause of liberty, with a sinuous of euros. Hell do phd in American History from rep as universe units currently direct or a Bikini University center for history, and policy new jersey. Terry is joined onstage by the incomparable triumph for it. They will bring to life the voices of politicians, social workers and immigrant during the air of tammany hall. We always pleased when the Irish Arts Center at the opportunity to invite cyanide or to our stage. Thank you for joining us tonight. At there will be a questionandanswer period for the audience towards the end of the evening. Well have a microphone pass around and we hope youll stick around after the show. And without further ado unlike to welcome terry to the stage. [applause] thank you, rachel. And thanks to all of you and thanks to our actors. Yes, i do have bubonic plague. Theres a reason for my questionable voice. Im sorry about that. If i seem rude or than usual to most people, its because i didnt want you to get the bubonic plague. We are here today to talk about the history that isnt as little as a should be i think, but luckily thanks to the inspiration of the man i dedicated the book to, peter quinn, i learned quite a bit about tammany hall over the last few years and would like to share some of that story with you tonight. Most of us i think it would be fair to say have heard of tammany hall. Some even know that tammany hall was an actual building. And there it is. Some may know that tammany hall was in essence the Democratic Party in manhattan and tell about 1960. If you live Near Union Square or you pay a visit there from time to time, you may know that tammany hall the building still access. It was declared an official city landmark a few months ago. Regardless of whether you know these details or not you probably understand the big idea that we know that tammany is a symbol of corrupt politics of a bygone age. We know that tammany stole elections. Shut down contractors, intimidate opponents and yet even shut down access links to the George Washington bridge. [laughter] well done. Sorry. Actually i meant to say that tammany helped build the George Washington bridge and they did it in exactly four years, which as the great Daniel Patrick moynihan often pointed out, was eight months ahead of schedule and 15 million under budget. [laughter] that was my pat moynihan in addition for those of you who didnt know. So anyway, its fair to say that history has not been kind to tammany hall politicians and those who voted for tammany hall, particularly the irish. Tammany hall is not only unamerican but distinct unamerican and its ideals because it represents a broad distinction between what may be called anglosaxon ideals, character of Public Service and the celtic ideals. Spirit that was from the new york journal called the outlook. And then theres this. Refuse, scullions be permitted to dictate what tammany must do . That was walt whitman. Discussing tammanys voters and lets not forget what they were saying about tammany and the irish and other places. The irishman uses his vote, his faithful influence in ruins, every anglosaxon policy and anglosaxon civilization throughout the world. So wrote a report in the british journal in the 19th century. Tammanys reputation was so widespread that the Organization Even made a cameo appearance on the floor of the Irish Parliament during the passion pe debate over the angloirish treaty in 1921. Michael collins attacked his former comrades at one point for their tactics in opposition to the treaty. We will have no tammany hall with your for the treaty with you are against it. For without tammany hall which led henry bolton who just returned to dublin from new york to replace the dish i dont anything about tammany hall except if reserved some of his bowling we would not be in the position were in today. Those were regrettably fighting words. So thats one year of tammany hall, a very familiar view but theres another side to this legend or political organization. Its face side that historians and just generally have ignored although some pretty prominent voices have offered testimonials to tammanys work on behalf of immigrants, the poor, the alienated and the despised. Frances perkins was a highminded social worker in the early 20th century, a reformer from new england who was new to the politics of new york when she arrived here in 1910. To pursue price, and to the shock of our colleagues, she found much to like about tammany figures like big tim sullivan, mcmanus, and, of course, al smith. If i had been a man serving in the senate with them, im sure i wouldve had a glass of beer with them and gotten them to tell me what time as perkins worked to achieve dramatic social change in the second decade of the 20th century, she realizes some of our colleagues in the Reform Movement had it wrong about the nations most infamous political machine. Once what i worked in a settlement house, a woman asked me, came to ask for help after her son was arrested. The sun was the sole support of the family. He went to prison, the woman and her young daughter would have no means of support. My colleagues in the settlement house beside the mother was not worthy of help. I was aghast. I walked over to the headquarters of the mcmanus political club, which was the tammany courthouse in the area. I asked to see senator mcmanus. I told him about mr. Kissinger told me to come back the same time the following day. I did as he requested the senator told me that the boy had been released. I dont know how he did it, but im sure it was irregular. I once told my colleagues when of gender that if i had the right to vote, i would be a democrat. They were shocked. One of them said, well, look at the scum of the earth they have. Frances perkins went on to work with tammany politician, most famously ousted in the years to come. In 1933 she became Franklin Roosevelts labor secretary, the first womens cabinet officer in American History. Heres another view of tammany that you dont often hear. On july 4, 1937 at the end of Independence Day commemorations at tammany hall, one of the machines greatest members, send Robert Lackner had this to say about the machines place in history. Over 30 years ago new york was the backbone of the United States and social and welfare legislation. We forgot the lost souls tide day and night to the bench. But about that time a small group from tammany hall were elected to serve in office. We remember these lost souls and guided them to an earthly salvation. We passed law after law, and made new york the shining mark for the world to emulate. Tammany hall may justly claim the title of the cradle of modern liberalism in america. Robert wagner of course is one of the prime sponsors of the Social Security act and author of the National Labor relations act, and the federal housing act making in the greatest legislator of the new deal era. So he knew something about the birth of modern liberalism. So did another tammany figure for though hed been largely forgotten. Charles Francis Murphy was the boss of tammany from 19 or two to his death in 1924. And when he died, one of new yorks best known political figures issued a moving tribute to him. Mr. Murphys death, nick city Democratic Organization has lost public the strongest, wisest leader its had in generations. He was a genius who capped army, at the same time recognize that the world moved on. It is well to remember that he hope to accomplish much in the way of progressive legislation, social welfare. Those are the words of Franklin Delano roosevelt. So if all this is making your head spin, if some of the world seems turned upside down, just grab hold of your chair or the person next to you or just close your ears for the next hour or so. Just remember, management is not responsible for damage caused by exploding myths. One myth that remained intact tonight is a connection between tammany hall and the irish. Of a tammany existed long before the great wave of immigration during the massive famine, tammany became a conspicuously Irish Organization during its heyday. Many of the politician to dominate the organization in the late 19th and early 20th century work them into grants immigrants or the children of famine immigrants. A fact hiding in plain sight for many decades. Some of the significance of this has escaped the conventional dollars of tammany tales who prefer to believe that the children of hunger sought to ease the hunger of others, simply because it wanted them both. But more about that later. The question of how and why the irish came to dominate tammany and other organizations has been the subject of endless academic speculation. Pat moynihan once showed that tammany politics resemble life in an irish village. People waited their turn like bachelor sons awaiting their inheritance, and it was Great Respect for hierarchy and authority, except of course in the workplace. I take the story back to a single election in ireland in 1926 when the great liberator Daniel O Connell was riding high in irelands catholics to organizing demand full civil rights including the rights to hold Public Office in the nation they dominated. Until the 1820s politics in ireland was a rigged game designed to keep the minority in power at the expense of the majority. In 1826, oconnell wrote, challenge the status quo in an election for the house of commons seat from county warfare. Mcconnell said Deputy Thomas wiese came up with a plan that would sound familiar to many in the decades to come. He sent out agents into the county to persuade catholic voters to do the unthinkable, to vote against the chosen candidate of the landlords. Votes were declared publicly backing. So to vote against the landlord was either a brave or foolish thing to do. Many of the poured catholic farmers want something in return for their vote. As one voter put it it cannot fill the belly. Others wrote to ask about jobs and even new places to live if their landlord evicted them in a fit of partisan nastiness that would do new jersey proud. [laughter] a republican named john howard told weiss without the problems he encountered and he opened his up to the Catholic Association election agents. They threatened to turn me against my landlord. Ive been reduced to extreme poverty. I must humbly beg you to do something on my behalf and not have me and my family doomed forever. He signed the letter after dictating to a friend or an associate. These poor irish didnt have much but they had the one thing which in a democracy made them as powerful as a rich man. They had the vote. Theyre willing to use the power of the vote to improve their condition, and who could blame them . If youre looking for the roots of tammany halls irish sensibility, i can think of a better place to start than that election in waterford in 1826. Within 20 years of that election, all was changed in ireland. The famine the pod with the idea, transfer not just ireland but the American Cities to which the survivors fled. The famine taught the irish a new lesson, those who held power would prosper. And those without it may start. The starving irish look to the government for help only to find the scowling face of charleston billion of its chief famine relief administrator in charleswood gensler of the exchequer. Both believed that the irish character was weak and flawed. Too much government assistance, they warned, would only lead to dependency. Only the worthy research serving a charity. Speak the problem with the irish is if we are to pay them and feed them, we shall have the whole population of ireland upon us. His colleague understood the terrible things are happening in ireland, but whose fault was that . Great events with which we have to contend is not the physical labor, but the moral, the selfish, turbulent character. Eventually he helped ireland would learn an important lesson from starvation spent the proper business of the government is to enable private individuals of every rank and profession in life to carry on their occupations with freedom and safety, in giving as little as possible in the business of the land owner, merchant, the money lender or any other function of social life. As they dispersed across the atlantic world, immigrants reach a very different conclusion about the proper business of government. When they were starving the government told them that they lack character. When government offered aid, it asked the court to prove they were worthy of that aid. As survivors and their children built new lives in new york and elsewhere, they made it clear through their vote and through their actions that they regarded those who provided jobs and help as their friends. And those who offered distain and moral uplift as their enemy. When the famine survivors arrived in new york they found at least one voice willing to speak the truth about the catastrophe that was unfolding in ireland. Bishop john hughes, a native was among the first to argue that starvation in ireland was not the result of famine or the heartless economic dogma. Spin political economy send the irish people too poor to pay for the harvest of their own labor. Leaving them to die of famine, and the same political economy authorizes provision merchant even admits the desolation to keep the doors locked and the sex of corn tied up waiting for a better pay. The rights of life are higher than those of property, and the general famine like the present, there is no law nor of nature that prevents the starving man to live on bread where they can find. When the children of the famine assume power in new york a generation later they show the same respect for victorian economic dogma that john hughes did. Its impossible a blue to understand irishamerican politics, to understand tammany hall without acknowledging the horrors of the famine. Sadly for historians there are very few people piece of evidence that can directly link memories of the famine to specific political actions or positions, or perhaps that silence, the silence of shame and grief speaks volumes. Theres no question that a family memory hundred irish americans essential or more ago. Its hiding in plain sight. For example, the great union leader and rabble rouse her once explained the difference between activists like herself and middleclass leaders of the womens movement. This issue here is that others have never been facetoface with hunger or eviction. Charlie murphy whose families are i did have that facetoface encounter never summoned a family memory to explain why can we support the social welfare reforms of the early 20th century, but then again perhaps they didnt have to. Perhaps it was understood. Tens of thousands of exiles crowded into the boarding houses and sellers of the fivepoint and other neighbors, Many Americans considered their country under attack. A new political movement, the know nothings, recruited more than a million members in just a few months in 1854. They swept democrats and the wigs out of office in cities up and down the east coast. One new york congressman, and upandcomer at the time, chose not to run for reelection in face of the know nothing on slot. His place was congressman from manhattans east side was taken by Thomas Whitney was the founder of the know Nothing Movement. Several months after his election, he denounced catholic immigrants on the floor of the house. Most other papers in this country are foreignborn. They carried with them to the about box practices and superstition of their church. There was just one catholic congressmen left in washington after the know nothing assault of 1854. His name was john kelly, a tammany man and a son of irish immigrants. He rose in reply. A government like ours however humble and maybe can be a sailed without endangering the rights of all. The persecutor of the day when religious intolerance is started on a disastrous course will inevitably become the victim of tomorrow. Even as the nation splitting apart over slavery, parts of the north were divided over immigration, religion and the very meaning of what it meant to be an american. In that battle, tammany hall was on the side of toleration and pluralism. A tammany resolution passed during the height of the know Nothing Movement made its position clear. Tammany declares with the greatest and glory of this republic, energy and patriotism of a large portion of its citizens. These are more than words, more than campaign rhetoric. This was a statement of principle at the time when large segments of the public believe that immigrants were a drain on the nation, the countrys resources and an insult to american identity. Taman had its reasons for welcoming immigrants or its off the newcomers as protection voters, and for some critics, the shrewd calculation on tammany support showed that the machine was unprincipled. But what was the alternative . Without tammany, immigrants would be left to the prejudices of know nothings like thomas who believe that only nativeborn anglosaxon protestants were worthy of citizenship. When bill tweedy became the boss after the civil war and was caught with his hand and his other hand and his seat in the municipal cookie jar, reformers were astounded that is irish constituents continued to support him. They voted for him even after he was arrested on corruption charges in 1871. Tweed was corrupt. In fact, he made a full confession of his crime to the board of alderman which is more than most gilded age criminals did, but he was also a dependable friend of immigrants at a time when his social betters insisted that the irish did not be assimilated into angloamerican democracy. As a state senator, tweed and tammany funded the growing Catholic Social Service network of orphanages, shelters and medical