Changes

Self-employed, he then created one marvelous invention after another, acquiring more than 1300 U.S. and foreign patents throughout his life.  He invented the record player (phonograph), the light bulb, the electric power station, the mimeograph machine (copier), a telephone transmitter device for the mouthpiece (Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone itself), electric power generator, and many other remarkable items.  The wealth generated by Edison’s work (and capitalism) is astronomical.

Self-employed, he then created one marvelous invention after another, acquiring more than 1300 U.S. and foreign patents throughout his life.  He invented the record player (phonograph), the light bulb, the electric power station, the mimeograph machine (copier), a telephone transmitter device for the mouthpiece (Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone itself), electric power generator, and many other remarkable items.  The wealth generated by Edison’s work (and capitalism) is astronomical.

But Mark Twain saw much political corruption during this time.  At the top of the list of corrupt governments was in New York City, where “Tammany Hall” ruled from 1805 to 1871, until its leader “Boss Tweed” was imprisoned for taking tens of millions of dollars from the city and his opponents won the election in November 1871.  His famous quote when caught stealing was, “What are you going to do about it?”  (Later, robber baron Jay Gould posted a multi-million dollar bail for Boss Tweed.  A decade later, in 1886, Tammany Hall regained power, and ran New York City politics until 1932, when Fiorello La Guardia was elected.  La Guardia airport is named after him.)

But Mark Twain saw much political corruption during this time.  At the top of the list of corrupt governments was in New York City, where “Tammany Hall” ruled from 1805 to 1871, until its leader “Boss Tweed” was imprisoned for taking tens of millions of dollars from the city and his opponents won the election in November 1871.  His famous quote when caught stealing was, “What are you going to do about it?”   

 

In the New York City elections of 1868, Tammany Hall worked to steal the outcome by giving this advice:<ref>A. Callow, The Tweed Ring 210 (1966) (quoting M. Werner, Tammany Hall 439 (1928)).</ref>

 

:"'When you've voted 'em with their whiskers on, you take 'em to a barber and scrape off the chin fringe. Then you vote 'em again with the side lilacs and a mustache. Then to a barber again, off comes the sides and you vote 'em a third time with the mustache. If that ain't enough and the box can stand a few more ballots, clean off the mustache and vote 'em plain face. That makes every one of 'em good for four votes.'"

 

When Boss Tweed was eventually arrested, [[robber baron]] Jay Gould posted a multi-million dollar bail for him.  A decade later, in 1886, Tammany Hall regained power, and ran New York City politics until 1932, when Fiorello La Guardia was elected.  La Guardia airport is named after him.)

“Tammany Hall” was the name used to describe the Democratic Party organization in New York County, which operated like a machine in how it elected people, gave out jobs, and even stole money from the City.  Eventually, it was the New York Times and American’s most famous cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who wrote public scorn to Boss Tweed and his imprisonment.  Nast cheered Tweed’s humiliation.

“Tammany Hall” was the name used to describe the Democratic Party organization in New York County, which operated like a machine in how it elected people, gave out jobs, and even stole money from the City.  Eventually, it was the New York Times and American’s most famous cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who wrote public scorn to Boss Tweed and his imprisonment.  Nast cheered Tweed’s humiliation.