Plunkitt of Tammany Hall

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall

1. There are two distinct purposes of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, and both correlate with each other. The main purposes of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall can be expressed into two purposes, telling others how to succeed politically, and to glamorize Tammany Hall and Plunkitt himself.
Plunkitt tries to give accounts on how to succeed politically, like himself. He starts off by saying that, as with any other endeavor, one must start at the bottom rung of the ladder and work ones way up.   He expresses openly the false hope such characteristics like good leadership skills, or being a skilled orator, give one. “Did I offer my services to the district leader as a stump-speaker? Not much. The woods are always full of speakers (Riordon 8).” Recounting his humble beginnings, Plunkitt goes on to say that he himself “got some marketable goods before goin’ to the leaders (Riordon 8)” Plunkitt states the most important thing in the political world is the people’s vote. So the “marketable commodity (Riordon 9).” that Plunkitt expresses as a must, is the vote of others. After he had built a following of sixty voters, the district leader would trail at Plunkitt’s feet, because of the considerable voting power Plunkitt had in his command. Plunkitt’s early political power, in his eyes, was not due to his skills as an orator or because he had a doctorate degree, but rather because he controlled a group of voters.
The second purpose that Plunkitt tries to convey in this book, is reverse the thoughts that Tammany Hall and Plunkitt earn their money from ”dishonest graft.” Plunkitt reinforces time and time again that all of his money from honest graft. What is honest graft? Plunkitt says that
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there is dishonest graft and “There's an honest graft, and I'm an example of how it works. I might sum up the whole thing by sayin': ‘I seen my opportunities and I took 'em.’” According to Plunkitt, dishonest graft was despicable. Dishonest graft was directly stealing from the treasuries of...