14                               Terrence J. McDonald

built his political base against Plunkitt as he watched support for the
older man wane. In June of 1905 the McManus Association unani¬
mously endorsed McManus for election to Plunkitt's Tammany
Hall leadership of the district. At the McManus Association picnic
that August, the ten thousand in attendance were led in the cam¬
paign song:

Good-bye to Plunkitt boys.

He used us like play toys;

Now we'll stick to Tom McManus,

For "The" is true blue.

He'll stick to me and you

So we'll chase old Plunkitt to Gowanus.

Like Saxe, McManus alleged that Plunkitt had grown rich while
doing little or nothing for his constituents, but McManus also
claimed that Plunkitt made extra money by charging Tammany
Hall candidates for their nominations. Both McManus and the city
alderman from Plunkitt's district said Plunkitt had charged them
five hundred dollars for their nominations. These allegations took
on more validity when the book Plunkitt of Tammany Hall landed
like a bombshell in the campaign. Campaigns for Tammany district
leadership moved into their most intense stages in September. The
1905 election was scheduled for Tuesday, September 19. The book
was released on September 1, and on September 2 and 3 New York
newspapers began running excerpts from it. Once the book arrived
and it was seen that Plunkitt was proud to admit he had gained his
fortune through graft—albeit allegedly "honest" graft—all the
charges against him seemed to carry more weight. Furthermore, the
newspapers thereafter referred to him as "honest graft Plunkitt" or
"the apostle of honest graft." Nor could he take back the book's
boasts about his millions or his willingness to see his opportunities
and take them. Unfortunately, this was exactly what his political
opponents were saying and to that they added the honorifics "tight¬
wad" and "Vanderbilt."