New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-11-28
THE RyNG AND ITS KING.

l.. Il.
Councils in 1856, while Fernando Wood was
Mayor. Boole was an ignorant but smart fel-
low, good judge Of human nature, evidently
cut out for thrifty business man whose energy
would have insured wealth however honest its
course Of employment. In an evil hour, and
under an evil system--that Of sixty small
Council Districts-he was elected from the
Mackcrelville region to tho Board Of Council
men. He at once mado ofice-hOlding o
business, and set about making it pay. 1t was
this Board that originated and pretty nearly
cOnsummated the purchase of the LOwber
property, where the Taxpayers were Aeeced to
the extent Of hundred thousand dollars; it
was this Board that voted for the purchase
Of the Wards Island property, another
reckless waste Of public money; it was this
Board that undertook TO indemnify Fernando
Wood for resisting the Police law. by voting
him $4,000 for law costs-snd he had tho
effrontery to come into the Chamber at the very
close of the session and sit in tho Presidents
Chair, expecting that his terrible presence would
awe the members into consent. BoOle was
active and zealOus in promoting oil these
schemes, and, though not assuming on open
Leadership, he was the real leader on the DEM
ocrstio side. That party had over two-thirds Of
the Board, and among them were some OF the
most stupid and corrupt men ever elected to
office. 1t will long DO remembered As o curios-
ity and curse.
In the Fall of 1857 Boole was chosen Alder.
man, running in between two other candidates.
He took his seat in the Board in 1853. Through
the Mayoralty of Mr.. Tiemann business was not
good in consequence Of his remarkable propensi.
ty for vetoes; but Boole was training and learn
ing; and when Fernando Wood again came to
the Chair, the Ring was cOmpactly organized,
embracing nearly all the Democrats and few
of the others in both Boards; and Frank Boole
was the Chief Of the Ring. Opinions differ as to
the number and names Of the Ring members,
but, as nearly as We can judge from the votes,
We guess that Boole, TuOmey, Peck, Cornell,
Plat, Farley, Genet, Brady, Smith, Henry,
Starr, Owens, and perhaps one or two more,
knew the secrets if they did not unite in
the conspiracy. That Boolo (under Fernando
WOODY soon became the master was evidenced
in the quarrel between him and Genet, and the
strong effort to defeat him in 1861. The years
ls60-6l were haying.tme TO the Ring; indeed,
the Aldermen got so fat and saucy that they
finally kicked out the Councilmen's Ring Alto
gether. and now all that is necessary in the lat
ter Board is TO pacfy four or Eve Of the right sort
and they will put through anything that may be
desired. The Boole Ring find It much cheaper
to buy votes in the Council Board at retail as
they need them than to allow tho Junior Ring
per centage on all the Jobs - they run.
The public will never know how many little
petty swindles were perpetrated by the Ring,
but some of the big jobs were beyond conceal.
lnent. There WAS the Gansevoort matter, which,
however legally sdjudicated, was swinde Of
half million Oh tho city. There are stories
current Of heavy sums paid for ferry leases; OF
a few hundreds for the grant Of pieri ofspecial
toll to hurry up a resolution to pave street,
and Of grease to start the wheels Of committees
in whose dusty pigeon-holes were slowed away
projects OF vast Importance 10 certain persons or
sections. If tbero was one Of these opposed or
exposed by Boole, We have yet to hear OF it.
His quiet and easy management gave him rare
facilities for controls he got upon some OF the
most important committees, and held strict
watch over Others; in the Board he was ever
vigilant, and through the proper understanding
with the presiding officer, was able TO call up or
keep down any project az he pleased. In vain
Father Tucker might denounce him in bold
words of shaky grammar; Boole took it quietly,
or replied in grammar so much worse THAT the
Eighth Ward was silenced; but when it came
to voting, Boole could reckon his men o. surely
as one can count biz fingers.
We should need columns to recall the thousand
Jobs that may be pointed out in the journal Of
As rule the first question asked
lin secret) was "Bow much is there intoiti" that
is, how much will the interested parties pay to
have II put through. II the toll were sstsfac-
tory, the mill would grind; If not, not all the
influence Of all the Astors oonld start tho mo
chinery. There is secret history Of railroad
operations that is unusually rich, and We pre-.
sumo the managers Of the leading roads can
tell to Q dollar how much they paid certain
third parties to "use their influence" to stop or
further thiHy that scheme. At the beginning
Of every seysion there would come batch Of
resolutions ordering grades and rails and
switches TO be changed, and great row would
be made until the Ring was bought Off; and