The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-01-12
Revolt of the Pretorians.

have 70 long used the dangerous classes to
lost themselves into aud retain their hold
upon Office, are now reaping the righteous
reward of their wrong doing. Under the able
tutelage of Tammany Hall, the roughs,
shouldcr-hitters. gamblers, repeatcrs, and
1esperadoes that abound here have been
erected into power whose potency
at last thoroughly alarms its authors
by perjury, fraudulent voting, and falsi-
icaton of the canvass, the train bands
have repeatedly carried their masters into
power and kept them there These means
have given them almost imperial sway
over the lives and property OF the commu.
nifty. In return, the party managers have
thrown their followers few crumbs from
the city treasury, while they have ilchcd
vast fortunes for themselves.
The lesson has not been lost upon these
opt scholars Tired of serving they aspire
to rule The last charter election developed
this fact most emphatically. Nearly or quite
one half Of the candidates for Office were re-
VOTERS against the rule of Tammany Hall,
and many of these were notorious as her
once humble scrvitors, who at her bidding
voted early and often, stuffed ballot boxes,
and counted out or in whomsoever she was
pleased to designate. Chief among these re-
VOTERS was FLORENCE SCANNED, striking
type of his class. This maa resolved TO be
Alderman, even if he had TO murder his OPP
ponent. At the head OF his armed legion he
marched unmolcsted in broad daylight TO
the haunt of NEsDIrs friends and be-
gan bloody attack upon them with
bludgeons, slungshots, aud firearms. In the
neIso SCANNED was himself shot in the
spine To most men the wound would have
been mortal. Yet this man resolved to live
to he Alderman, and he succeeded Tam.
many counted him out--an easy thing to do,
doubtless, TO this helpless ruhian, who lay
writhing with broken back in a charity
hospital. But powerful as Tammany claims
W he, this man was her master. From his
pauper pallet in Bellevue, SCANNED defed
her to cheat him. Twice she essayed the
task and declared NEsBIr elected and
twice under his menaces, she shrank from
the contest. This poor wretch, hopclessly
dead from the waist downward, and strug
Cling for every breath lie drew, insulted and
cowed Tammany Hall. Physically help
I 81 us lac was, his little finger was more
powerful than the loins of PETER b. SwEE-
NY. They gave him his seat-dared not do
othcrwise-and Went to the hospital ward
and swore hinr>into Office.
Such a lesson is Significant of the growing
power of the dangerous classes. They know
their strength, and will use it TO wrest the
control of the party romSwEENY, TWEED,
and HALL. Already they threaten tho City
Chamberlain with non confirmation when
he is rcappointed by Mayor HALL, unless
JIMMY o'BRIEN is made Street Commits
soner. The Ring is stronger than the Ring
masters. The rich placers of the city are
coveted and will be captured by the cap
tains of cut-throat train bands, or there will
De an intestine war in the Legislature this
winter and at the next fall elections. between
the opposing cohorts of CONNOLLY, OBRIEN,
GENET, DREAMER. and NoRToN on the one
side, and SwEENY, TWEED, HALL, aud BREN-
NAN on the other, the result of which can
The last election demonstrated the weak
ness Of SwEENY, who failed, as on several
occasions hitherto, 10 carry even his own ward.
WV. VI. TWEED has never yet won vic,
tory when he ran for Il county office, save
the Supervisorship. HALL is nobody
since SwEENY, by giving him the Mayoralty
and tickling him with the hope of the
Governorship adrotly got him outside Of
the District Attorneys office and BREN,
NAN is the only one of the clique who can
muster any intrinsic strength for the contest
while each OF their opponents is good for ten
thousand to twenty thousand votes from
.helr personal followers. The men who dc
the hard work and endure the wear and teal
of party strife will no longer serve under
such leaders, VIII the latter resign
They would gladly, but dare not til
the statute of limitations enables them to
cover the sources of their ill-gotten gains
WIN they fight? They must, for desperate
IA their chances are, it is their only hope
Meantime, the spoliated taxpayers may con
sole themselves with the reflection that when
rogucs fall out there is a possibility that
honest people may profit by il,
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