‘Everybody is talkin’ these days about Tammany men growin’ rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. There’s all the difference in the world between the two.’
This classic work on American politics offers the brutally honest and cynical wisdom of George Washington Plunkitt, a fascinating and successful politician who served as a leader of the Tammany Hall political organization. Despite the unpopularity of Tammany Hall during the Progressive Era due to it being associated with corruption and graft, Plunkitt wholeheartedly defended the organization and praised it unapologetically in a series of talks that eventually became this book. Being someone who knew how to play the political game and played it well, Plunkitt gives readers an unvarnished look at how the political process actually worked in reality.
George Washington Plunkitt was an American politician from New York State. He served in both houses of the New York State Legislature and was a leader of the infamous Tammany Hall political organization.