hardpussbeatermn - hardpussbeatermn

afforded for colonizing, repeating, and ballot-box stuffing being
immense. In a doubtful mayoralty campaign the first and secondwards alone, coupled with a portion of the third adjoining them,would register sufficient illegitimate votes (after voting-hours,if necessary) to completely change the complexion of the city asto the general officers nominated. Large amounts of money weresent to Tiernan and Kerrigan around election time by the DemocraticCounty Committee to be disposed of as they saw fit. They merelysent in a rough estimate of how much they would need, and alwaysreceived a little more than they asked for. They never made norwere asked to make accounting afterward. Tiernan would receive

as high as fifteen and eighteen, Kerrigan sometimes as much as

twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars, his being the pivotal wardunder such circumstances.McKenty had recently begun to recognize that these two men wouldsoon have to be given fuller consideration, for they were becomingmore or less influential. But how? Their personalities, let alonethe reputation of their wards and the methods they employed, werenot such as to command public confidence. In the mean time, owingto the tremendous growth of the city, the growth of their own