Word: pendergast
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State. As the master of a solid bloc of faithful votes. Tom Pendergast has long been the No. 1 Democrat of his State. But in 1932 St. Louis' Bennett Champ Clark went to the Senate without his help and Boss Pendergast has since had to sign a working agreement to claim patronage only in the western half of the State. The truce has lately been strained, to the dis pleasure of Tom Pendergast. First strain came when young Maurice Milligan, whose Brother Jacob was defeated by Pendergast's Harry Truman for the Senate, was appointed U. S. Attorney...
Although Boss Pendergast announced after the 1936 campaign that active management of his machine would thenceforth rest in the hands of Nephew James Michael Pendergast, he has by no means relinquished his duties as policy maker. Day after last week's election, Democrat Pendergast, after exclaiming that "this is a better tonic than a carload of medicine," indicated that he might be a more stub born obstacle to Democrats Clark and Roosevelt than optimists might think. Having invited reporters into his office for one of his rare interviews, the old boss announced that he was going on the warpath...
Roared Boss Tom Pendergast, jabbing the air with his mighty forefinger: "I have never done a thing in my life except support Democratic officials to the best of my ability. I have not received that kind of consideration from Governor Stark. ... If his conscience is clear, I know mine is. I now say let the river take its course...
Retired Boss Pendergast, his nephew or other big shots of the organization may possibly be subpoenaed, but there is little chance of their being indicted. Those wise in the ways of Kansas City politics feel sure that the Pendergasts have taken no direct part in irregularities, have never even hinted that votes be stolen or lists padded; that they merely told their subordinates to get all voters to register and vote Democratic, ward patronage to be apportioned according to results. Hope that this week's trial might break up the Pendergast Machine rested not so much on getting...
...Pendergast family tree of politics included three brothers: 1) "Big Tom," 2) James, boss of the First Ward, who died in 1911, 3) Michael, boss of the Tenth Ward, who died in 1920. Nephew James is a son of the late Michael, was successor to his father as ward boss before succeeding his Uncle Tom as boss of the Works...