New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-02

men who Stea Otncr men nafncS w NVN WV
them, the ruilans who are the power OF
William NJ. Tweed, can always be recruited
What care they for public opinion lhey
never knew shame they cannot feel dishohor
they are below the reach of scorn. And the
men who buy them are no better than the men
who are bought, except in the accident OF
clothes. This il the class which makes inc
corruption of New York, "a class hardly KNOWN
outside of two or three great cities, ana pro-
portionately more numerous here than 1t Is
anywhere else in the world
If the better class of citizens had really done
their utmost to sweep away this reproach OF
our civilization, we should be without hope OF
n reform. We should then believe that the
mower of the corrupt class was too firmly es-
tablished TO be shaken, if all our reserves had
been called out and the enemy was still I'M
routed But much of the blame belongs to the
good and true men who see the evil and VIII
not raise finger to put it away, who depiore
the abuses of the ballot and will not vote, VINO
lament the disorders OF the caucus system, and
when honest candidates are put forth Will not
support them. No danger that now threatens
us is more appalling or more shameful than
yenal judiciary. Yet the other day when an cleo
ton was held to choose the highest court In the
State for the next fourteen years, the party OF
reform failed to draw out fifty per cent OF Its
admitted strength. The bane of our political
life is indifference. We tolerate the grossest
outrages on Justice when with little trouble
we might prevent them. We submit to the
rule of a venal and tyrannous clique of pot
house Democrats when we have sufficient nu-
merical strength to sweep them out of office.
] L. Iot, md sold i'm
the Hobbies of the City Hail. and knowing the
rogues of both parties who make their living
| by such sales, we go on electlng them 10
| places of trust and giving them the control OF
our party committees, just as if we thought them
honest men. Here we fairly expose ourselves to
the reprOach which The SpectGtorlay at our door
We make ourselves virtually accomplices in
offenses which we do not try to prevent. Yet
public opinion, if we understand by that the
sentiment of the great middle and upper classes
who always give character to people, is not
corrupt it is only inert 1t is slow to make
itself felt but its verdict though tardy is almost
always just. Overmuch tolerance perhaps is
the natural result of the doctrine of personal
and political independence, so that public
opinion is apt to be unseasOnably silent, even
when its impulse is toward the right direction.
| Englishmen who read the reports of recent
trial in New-YOrk might naturally infer that
American sentiment approved many atrocious
abuses because the counsel who knowingly
DETAINED an estimable woman was not
instantly Kissed from the court, be-
cause the vilest ISLANDERS were reiter-
ated without rebuke when speaker and list
eners alike knew them to be false. In a
| al bor lic bQH a WIN
some vigOr these wrongs would not have
been allowed. That they were allowed here
is no proof, however, that they were approved.
They who were on the spot know how the
sluggish sentiment of the community reused
itself gradually to Indignation, how it has pur-
sued the lawyers and the journalists guilty of
the outrage, and has fastened upon some of
them a stigma which will never be removed.
Public opinion on the subject of the Erie
Directory is unquestiOnaby sound; and how
ever men may be dazzed for time by the
personal gloies of Col. Fisk, jr., we
have little doubt that public opinion
of his financial exploits will ere long be pretty
emphatically expressed. No man in New Y Ork
needs to be told of the popular sentiment
touching the Tweed Directory. Indications
have not been wanting during the last few
years of gathering storm of Indignation
| which even that audacOuS organization knows
enough to fear. Perhaps when we have suf-
fcred little more public opinion will become
a little more active and "a little more free Of
speech. 1t is quick enough to punish social
folies and Offenses; that it is slow in dealing
with public affairs is one of the misfortunes of
our political situation which we hope TO out
| grow.