New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-10-29
THE RrLE or THE RING.

! Such appears TO he the fashion down East.
| ----------- -
THE RULE or THE RING.
The fact that City Chamberlain Sweeny,
Grand Sachcm of Tammany, appears by his
own express and tacit admissions TO be In re-
ceipt of one hundred and ninety three thousand
| dollars per annum, as compensation for services
merely nominal, is Characteristic of the general
mode i'm which New-York City is ileeced by the
Ring that now misgOverns it. The problem
before the tax-paying voters of the city is how
! long the "rule of the Ring" shall continue. In
| China, India, Turkey, and other Oriental coun-
! tries, il is the custom of the government to give
| its favorites a free license to collect all the
| taxes they can mt the halves The
tax collectors are distinguished from other
thieves by the term 4" licensed" or Govern
"mcnt thieves and their visits are looked
upon in the same light rs those of common
marauders, except that it is more dangerous to
resist them To this condition our city Is rap
idly approaching and from it nothing can save
MS but n sweeping change of the political par
ties in control of the City Government. IL
would seem rs if the Unsuitable horse-leeches
of the Democratic party of the nation with
held from the public breast at every other
point applied their powers of suction here
with all their concentrated and aggregated
might An increase of Sj,000,00O in taxes dur
! inc the past year marks the rate at which the
members of the Ring are bleeding the City
| Treasury The Ring has its standing majority
| i'm the Common Council whose daily mission
it is TO vote money into the pockets of its
! friends and TO foil all efforts however well
directed for the accomplishment of any public
purpose, if advocated by any member who
opposes the Ring.
The common interest of each is to favor the
rascality of the others, in order to insure the
success of his own The ruling members of
the Ring are not To be found in the list of Of
Gce-holdcrs or candidates. Several of them
hold no known positions, but are content TO
farm ont the offices to their henchmen for n
stipulated share of the salaries, perqusltes,
power and plumber The standing bait which
the Ring offers to the taxpayers of New 0rk
as their reward for maintaining IT III power, Is
the same as the venerable Indian asked for
when promised that his three ruling wishes
should be granted, viz: first, "All the rum
Gin the world secondly, "The balance of the
rum and thirdly, Whatever rum there
was over For the promise of " free rum,h
and the nearest approach that can be made to
free vice generally, NewIOrk City is expected
to vote at the State election in November and
again at the City election in December, for the
Rule of the Ring by Fifty Thousand ma
jority.
For free rum" the taxpayers are asked to
vote that Mr.. Sweeny continue to receive his
five hundred dollars per diem for doing nothing,
and that the City taxes be again increased
next year by five millions of dollars, bring
ing up the aggregate from twenty-five to
twenty seven millions of dollars. For tho
promise of "free rum we must allow an ON
nbus-load of licensed thieves still to rule and
bleed the City, at rate which will permit any
one of them to lose hundred thousand dol
lars at a single eight with the tiger" without
disturbing his serene equanimity.
The "Rue of the Ring is every year in
creasng the number of sound and intelligent
men who are convinced that in great city
| like New-York self-government is OF necessity
standing failure. The admirable and eco
nomical reforms effected in those functions of
our City Government, the Fire, Health, Police,
&c, which have been taken out of the hands OF
| the City Government by the State, go far to
confirm this view, and to satisfy the taxpayers
with every means by which the Rule of the
Ring may at least be circumscribed IN ITS
power to plumber. But however this process
may curta the power of the Ring and
benefit the City, while tho Republican party
elects the Governor and controls the Leg
! slature of the State, all these metropoli-
tan reforms would only add to the power
of the Ring the moment the control OF the
State shall be won by the Democratic party.
| Then the rule of the Ring will be as complete
over the Fire, Health, and Police Departments
as it now is in the Common Council and the
! City offices. Let our taxpayers remember,
| therefore, that the future government OF the
City depends as much on the State elections
TO be held in November as on the City elec-
tions in December. Let them enrol their
names and manifest their presence and nilu-
cnce in the active working organizations OF
| the Republican party in their several wards.
! No Reform can be effected in the City ana
| County Government except by breaking mp the
Rule of the Ring and this can only bo done
! Dy cieOt.DG ,Ae Republican ticket ia the oVdIc