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Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by ex-Senator George Washington Plunkitt, the Tammany philosopher, from his rostrum—the New York County court house bootblack stand; Recorded by William L. Riordo by George Washington Plunkitt
page 54 of 93 (58%)

Before the would-be motorman left the civil service room, the
chances are he would be a raving lunatic Anyhow I wouldn't like to
ride on his car. Just here I want to say one last final word about
civil service. In the last ten years I have made an investigation
which I've kept quiet till this time. Now I have all the figures
together, and I'm ready to announce the result. My investigation
was to find out how many civil service reformers and how many
politicians were in state prisons. I discovered that there was forty
per cent more civil service reformers among the jailbirds. If any
legislative committee wants the detailed figures, I'll prove what I
say. I don't want to give the figures now, because I want to keep
them to back me up when I go to Albany to get the civil service
law repealed. Don't you think that when I've had my inning, the
civil service law will go down, and the people will see that the
politicians are all right, and that they ought to have the job of
runnin' things when municipal ownership comes?

One thing more about municipal ownership. If the city owned the
railroads, etc., salaries would be sure to go up. Higher salaries is
the cryin' need of the day. Municipal ownership would increase
them all along the line and would stir up such patriotism as New
York City never knew before. You can't be patriotic on a salary
that just keeps the wolf from the door. Any man who pretends he
can will bear watchin'. Keep your hand on your watch and
pocketbook when he's about. But, when a man has a good fat
salary, he finds himself hummin' "Hail Columbia," all unconscious
and he fancies, when he's ridin' in a trolley car, that the wheels are
always sayin': "Yankee Doodle Came to Town." I know how it is
myself. When I got my first good job from the city I bought up all
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