The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-29
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
Editorial Opinions of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topios-Compile Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
SENATOR TWEED'S BETRAYAL OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

The long-avowed purpose and the reiter-
ated pledges of the Democratic party to re-
store self-government to New York city con-
stitute as definite and binding an obligation
as political party can anyhow contract.
Senator Tweed, because that sef-govern-
ment was in the way to become honest and
frugal, and his own corrupt power likely to
crumble, chose to repudiate that obligation,
frustrate his party's purpose and violate its
pledge In the presence of Democratic
caucus. he went through the formula of
denyinp the guilt of this treachery. He
might as we'll deny having shared the profits
of ohair-malcing for the armories, or plaster
ing for the county court house.
Senator Tweed is guilty of this betrayal Of
the Democratic party, and guilty, too, with
aggravating circumstances. His treachery
was in triplicate, and each part bore witness
to the existence of the other two parts He
betrayed his partys pledge and the contract
with the people. He betrayed the people of
the city, so long prey to his spelling. He
betrayed his associates in the Senate.
Those Senators, to constrain his necessary
vote, went to the outermost limit of conces-
sion and compromise; they softened almost
unjustifably the rigor of the reformation
which they had undertaken to make. Every
concession was at Senator Tweed's solicita-
tion. Every departure from the most Demo-
cratic and thorough-going reform was to
avert the threatened peril of his opposing
vote in the Senate. By these concessions his
pledge to vote for the remainder of reform
was procured His vote in the Senate kept
the word of promise to the ear; his work in
the Assembly broke it to the hope of those
who thought the mans word worth taking in
evidence of his intentions. Proof of his pre-
meditated treachery to his associate Senators
leaps to the eyes,
When the effect of the ring and radical
alliance on Tuesday was clear to its concoct-
ers; when, instead of disintegrating and de-
moralizing the reform Democracy, it was
plainly consolidating and inspiriting them
the first move of Senator Tweed to meet that
unforeseen contingency betrayed and revealed
him. Here was the man who had extorted
concessions; the man who had constrained
every modification of the reforms of the
Young Democracy; the pleader for time for
this abuse, the beggar for mercy yet little
while to that corruption, before he had time
to bethink himself of his unconscious self
betrayal announcing to the reporter of the
World and to the reporters of other city jour-
mails that he is pregnant with truly pure and
virtuous charter, such as neither the still-born
Frear charter, nor the defeated Compromise
charter, nor the secluded Huckleberry charter,
could any or all of them pretend to be. Why
was his virtue not put to use in improving
the Tweed compromise charter, instead of
worsening it-smoothing the way for a solid
Republican vote and partial Democratic
vote against it,
stWhen the Devil was sick, the Devil a monk would
be-"
but this promise of a Tweed virtuous
charter on top of charter compromised ou
of its pristine virtue to get Tweed's needfu
vote, disclosed that
"the devil monk was he'
when expecting himself to get we'll by defeat
ing all charter reform and maintaining rinG
and radical rule over this metropolis. This
treachery to Senators Norton, Creamer, an6
Genet is of kind which men with red blood
in their veins do not forget. 1t is too dis
honest to be forgiven, too insulting to bt
overlooked; and if it barbs political with per
sonal hostilities, nobody need regret it over
much who desires politics to be better than
game with loaded dice and packed cards.
But Senator Tweed's treachery to this city
by increasing whose taxes he has become
F'one of its heaviest taxpayers, inspires
resentment which every honest Democrat il
New York will share with their faithful repre-
sentatives in the Senate and Assembly. Her
we are plundered by him and such as him il
all open and public, in all private and dis
honest ways. He thrives on percentages o
pilfering, grows rich on the distributed divi
dends of rascality. His eXtortions are q
boundless in their sum as in their ingenuity
Streets unopened profit him; streets opene
put money in his purse. Paving an avenu
with a poultice increases his wealth. Hi
rapacity, like the trunk of an elephant, wit
equal skill twists fortune out of the Broad
way widening and picks up dishonest pennie
in the Bowery. And the system whic
Shields fosters, and prolongs him and hi
rapacious tribe he refuses to reform alto
pether, or consents to reform in part onl
long enough to betray those who believed hi
word.
Therein lies Senator Tweeds betrayal G
the Democracy of the State For the frs
time in nearly a quarter of a century tn
three departments of legislative power ar
ours. The system which environs with mu
tiplied securities rapacity like Tweed's an
rottenness like Smiths has hitherto bee
Justly chargeable to the party then in power
Senator Tweed, by his treachery, has organ
lied and effected the apparent and seemin
transfer of responsibility for the ring an
radical commissions, misgovernment, rotter
ness, and rapacity, from the radical party
the Democratic party. Street COMMISSIONS
Supervisor, State Senator, and Grand Sachel
of Tammany-it needed all his powers an
positions to accomplish this almost fatal bt
trayal of the Democracy.
There is one way in which this respons
bility can be thrown back where it belong
upon the Republican party, in alliance wit
whom Senator Tweed accomplished hi
treachery. There is one way, too, in whic
the government of New York may yet
reformed. l. By the solid vote of evel
country Democrat for the reform measure
which the anti-ring Senators and Assembl
men will soon agree upon. g By the reco
e