New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-09-16

ton during the Winter ct le6U second that DIR. Lit
tleohn was prominent in that corrupt legislation. We
shall provo the first of these propositions, think 90
your satisfaction. We will put this case beyond the
possibility of doubt. Now, let me pause one moment
TO show TO you tho nature of this proof and conine
your attention to critical and minute examination OF
tho nature and character Of tits proof. You at
glance, 1t cannot be direct proof. You know that
Nothing is clearer than that. If is going to
nit crime, he invites two three good honest
men TO 20 along and 500 Iii n doit-neyerl neverl All
malefactors are convicted if convicted at all in almost
every instance upon circUmstan ial evidence. man
who is to do wrong deed gees alone and in silence he
invites no scrutiny and no observation. lie knows
perhaps, that there is eye upon nthe eye above
and he means there sbpll bs 10 other he is brave
toward Heaven, but he is cowardly toward man. You
see at glance that the proof we have TO give
you must be circumstgDtial, II you were 60.
ing to get the Legislature TO give you, or
you would at perceive that you had got approach
the subject velvetfooted and very carefully. You
would mud it for y0nr interert to wear seiste and
perhaps saddeued face nth an mir Of nodesty and
quiet, which could not subject You 10 scrutiny You
never would oe seen talking with anybody of a
pisous character you would talk with anybody
VINO woold peach upon YOU you would cover up
your Footsteps ms carefully possible. That Is this
case, ioh " You see We have circumBtantlal EVIL
dence and nothing else. had direct evidence, it
would DO alnost suspicious circumstance-for it
Would tend to ialVeach he ability with which tue
scheme should have Seen cOncocted We are charging
semething pretty broas. II rests upon the shoulders
OF o good many men, Nv doubt, and these who
are implicated III 1t just as guilty one lie the other
Now, ii is very hard 10 prove guilt by quilts own n
strumeUts; we shall call witnesses gentlemen, with
whom we cannot converse and ea,y-~" What can we
prove by you ?" rGey won't tell Ss. We have
got to call these men aud get from them such
circumstances ss are cal, ulated 10 convace you
morally that this legislation OF the Winter
may be true in many OF nis statements could put my
hand upon good nauy OF os printed statements with
in the last year where he says ~ never took cent
directly or incorrectly for my vote or my influence In
the Legislature Whether be did not Is not mate
rial hee ii is not necessary In any sense TO establish
defense. Whether he CId take brides or not Is not
matter We are going TO inquire into particularly. We
cont much about that are gong to show that
the legislation corrupt and that he Was pfoml-
rent in that legislation. What is ths word "Proui-
nent - That it s dihOllt TO convict Mr. Little
john of this than perhaps most Of the members who
prominent Ia the Legislature, you may well ini-
agine. He was the Speaker vi the House; he was q
very influential man with that Legislature, If control
over their votes is evidence Of influence He was
prominent; he could come down from the Speaker o
chair and address the House with great effect. he Is
good speaker and effective debster lie could carry
almost any measure he fit, and it was important
to have just such In JUST that place; and of all
connected with Ihe whole matter, he
must be kept above suspicion - ike the
ohase lady in the mack, "lOy spotless, ard Serene
not even 20 DO cbatsd a. but only pointed ont and
gTinned by those raIgrs and COLLINS Of the Legla
ture-the Lobby. He must bs "a nan who never re-
lents whose heart has sOftenlDg toward corruption
and who must lead his the scream OF the
ravens of the Lobby when they cry for bread That
part Of the programme, aud that wao admirably
carried out by whom will denominste the Father
OF the Lobby, and who had, IN this peIsJn Of MIR.
Litlejohn one whom may dsnominste as bis fondest
and bost beloved Now, under these circumstances,
Genllemen how do you suppose we cat prove Dir.
Iittleohn's connection with this matter On the
other sde tbey have told that we could not prove
aA li,lf us In no WA
could not by private search-we could not look iuto
the o his heart add the motives he had It
was his boast that could not 90 into that" you
cannot prove that" Gentlemen, we prove it by cir
cumsantial evidence, evidence by which almost every
other crime ia proven. ", shalPrOU Il and when
that is proved you will agree with that the task Of
proving that Mr.. Littlejonn was prominent is very
slight. don't think thai will be denied
Now gentlemen, we have named in our paper those
acts which are generally denoninated the New-YUrk
railroad acts, four Eve Of them, and what is
called the Taylor and Brennan or West Washington
Market bil If which the learned counsel spoke last
night. We have specified thesei We might have
named many more; might uaIno the BROOKLYN Ferry
bill, to pass which the Common Council Of the City
Of Brooklyn appropriated $@J,UVO But let that pass
II lie important, in this view, to ask how came the
Common Council OF Brooklyn 70 appropriate t20,-
OOU to get that measure parsed. as yon pass over
they thought it too much; they thought they
ought to pay only cent and sought 10 obtain
the passage OF act TO effect II. great many
Ieople pass these ferries, perhaps a mil
hon daily. How many mombers Of tine Legislature
were there say l5O ana yOu want 20 votes 10 pass
a bill. But what did they want with S20,O0Oi To
get 76 votes. These wbp acted in Brooklyn
not fools they appropriated IL out of the Trea-
sury $40 600 spent, gone fom the Treasury OF the
city Of Brooklyn forever! Where did it 10 tot What
do Won suppose made them do that, II they had not
known that that the way get measures through
that Legislature. And Mr. Greeley is aragned before
NI.0I al Nl.aW
opinion with $4,000. When Inan bets $4,000, you
may know he has got sure thing IT.
But their names sre legion. need not 60 over
them. That Legislature nooIOusly corrupt; Gov.
Morgan stated openly that eighty members OF that
Legislature took money for their votes" Mr.. Little
iohn in Que Of his speeches. ssid "bat perhaps more
members of that Legislature we've open TO improper
Influences than Of any other former Legislature" br.
Weed said; God grant we may never look upon it's
ike again." The,e measures, which we have denomi-
mated corrupt, and 10 which we principally TO
con6ne our proof were, you remember vetoed by the
Governor, and they passed over the Governors veto
by vote Of twO-thirds Gentlemen, ever since
Stunevant was Imprisoned 10 the City Of New-York
for contempt of Court, Tor refgsing, an Alderman
obey the Injunction OF the Court In granting and
giving rights 10 lay railroad track on Broadway and
other streets-from that moment until the 18th OF
April 1860, there has been III this State bevy OF men
who know that in these railroads there was q gold
placer of nestmabe value and they have sought their
game with their whole hearts. And IL never was
achieved until that neyeT-Obe-ofgotten day, The llh
day of April 1861 when the wish VI their hearts was
graled and they succeeded III the long sought, sbo
rous carefully ingenious cunning measure Of
taking out OF the City of New-York--oh could say
millions but must say than can DO counted by
millions something that cannot be valued by money.
will speak of thai hereafter. The City of NewYork,
you know, is peculiar in s geographical structure.
Unlike other great cities it may be almost said to
have length without breadth; II IL yearly fifteen miles
in length, and scarcely two in Width On the side
is the North River, and OH the other winds the East
River At the lower part of the town most OF the busl
ness is done; Wall street, the great money market OF