Asa Bird Gardiner Quotes
.d. New York City;, .d. risk;, To hell with reform!
Noting that Tammany Hall had been defeated in the previous election over the issue of reform:
Asa Bird Gardiner, 1839-1919, Successful Tammany Hall candidate for District Attorney of New York City, Remark to reporters, 1897
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This is not only attributed by reliable sources but apparently Roosevelt had said this on several occasions. The word “radical” has had different shades of meaning at different periods of American History. The origin of the word from the Latin means someone who wishes to change things very rapidly and not gradually. In the time of the Civil War, the majority of the Republicans proudly referred to themselves as “radicals” or “radical Republicans” because they wanted to abolish slavery immediately. In the late 19th century the word “radical” referred to anarchists. From the Russian Revolution onward “radicals” were communists who presumably wanted to change governments throughout the work through revolution—very rapid change. However, in the early 20th century, radicals were people who wanted to reform and regulate businesses and monopolies rapidly and it is this sense he was a radical. But by style, he was a radical in most things in that he wanted to change things and change them rapidly.
Dominique was assassinated during the 2000 election.
Asa Bird Gardiner was a controversial American soldier, attorney, and district attorney for New York County (a.k.a. the Borough of Manhattan) from 1898 to 1900.
