Scope and arrangement
The Citizens Union, Republican, and City Club of New York ephemera collection, dating from 1873 to 1909, consists of assembled printed matter that chronicles each organization's efforts to elect anti-Tammany Hall officials in New York City. The collection consists of broadsides, bulletins, cards, leaflets, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, postcards, a poster, and a scrapbook mostly created by the three organizations. There is a small amount of ephemera created by other watchdog groups, government boards and committees, unions, as well as two anti-Citizens Union pamphlets created by Tammany Hall Democrats.
Most ephemera pre-dating the formation of Citizens Union in 1897 was created by the Republican Associations of various wards in Brooklyn and focuses on by-laws, rules of order, election instructions, and endorsing candidates. Other material pre-dating 1897 includes publications by the Committee of Seventy, correspondence from the Law and Legislation Committee of the Central Federated Union of New York, and a report from the Citizens' Committee on Public School Reform.
Most of the ephemera dating from 1897 through 1905 consists of campaign materials created by Citizens Union and the Republican Club. Cards, postcards, leaflets, pamphlets, broadsides, and a scrapbook focus on the mayoral, assembly, and aldermen board electoral races.
Beginning in 1901, most of the Citizens Union and the Republican Club postcards, broadsides, pamphlets, and leaflets feature Seth Low's mayoral campaign on the fusion ticket. Other Citizens Union leaflets and pamphlets describe the party's platform and history. Present also are Citizens Union membership registration cards, newspaper clippings of fusion ticket endorsements, and instructions to election district captains.
Material from 1909 constitutes a pamphlet created by the Citizens Union of the City of New York about the Board of the Aldermen of the City of New York.
City Club of New York leaflets and letters also center around supporting the fusion ticket and when the Club should endorse candidates in the municipal election.
The collection also contains a small amount of anti-fusion ticket propaganda pamphlets created by the Democratic Party.
There is a small amount of ephemera that was not created by a particular organization, including a scrapbook of cards, clippings, and letters endorsing 1897 municipal candidates; and the published lyrics to a political satire song.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by organization or format, then by date.