New-York tribune., 1871-10-09
OUR AMERICAN ALADDINS.

| Ii any minute record or tneS6 Clmeb ii pre-
served to o remote posterity, there will be
some difficulty in finding just place for those
who are to-day prominent examples of the
suddenness with which men acquire great
wealth and q certain influence in public affairs
The curious student of A. D. 1000, who would
draw some lesson from the history Of New
York in the Nineteenth Century. will be sorely
puzzled over these fungoid growths, these
American Aladdins, who fill large space in
the public eye, and exercise power in civil
affairs which the severity of the times has de-
MED to better men. Aladdin was made rich
| in single night, and, by using his wealth
| and cunning, gained q princess for his bride
and shared in the honOrs of the State. Whether
his rapid fall and after disgrace shall be paral-
| leed in the career Of any of our fraudulent
| princes, we cannot tell Their brazen record
is yet incomplete. But to what notorious
character In history or fable shall he 1iken
| William M. Tweed, or Thomas Murphy, or
James Fisk, jrf In what passage of this curl
| Ously wicked world have fourished characters
like thesef 1t seems impossible that any race
or any form of national life should have pro-
duced such phenomena; and we may some
times wonder why an all-wise Providence has
permitted the existence and outward prosper
ity Of men Yho defraud the general good and
debauch the. public morals but then Satan
was "by merit raised" to his bad eminence; t;
we consider the painted hag who faunts her
shame in the eyes of honest day; 80 we are
silent and wait the end.
Perhaps after ALL there is certain secret
satisfaction in knowing that our American in
sttutions-if we may so accuse them-which
have produced the greatest virtues, the most
exalted patriotism, and the noblest patterns of
rugged life, have likewise brought forth the
most audacious scamps. 1t ls something to say
| then, besides owning the most prodigiOus cat
aracts, the talest trees, the longest rivers, the
brOadest lakes, the widest and most diversified
domain, we have furnished the world with the
most notable examples of mighty and success
full rascality. The crime of stealing is old as
| sin; but to steal on gigantic scale is in some
| sense q fine art. Tweed is as much greater
man than the Tammany henchman who robbed
bank of six or seven paltry hundreds of dollars
as Brinvilliers is greater than Polly Bodine,
or an artistic Thug is more than a brawling
butcher of Cow Bay; and here lies the danger
of these larger rascals. The audacity of their
crimes blunts in some sort, the moral sense,
| anu Incn anu envy Wullo
We alter Porteuss line, and declare that zone
theft does make villain, millions heron
Yet, we must take some shame to ourselves
and to our race when We remember that the
chief characteristic of these men of sudden
wealth and influence is their yulgarity. We
have historic record of many whose great
riches and dissolute lives remind us of our
American Aladdins. Alcibiades was as ambi-
tious and prodigal as Fisk; he had his
Tilandra, though it is not said that she ever
refused asylum to his gum shoes 1t was re-
marked of Alcbiades, too, that he very hap
PLY lisped the truth, and that can never be
said of Murphy, whose glue and shoddy army
hats dissolved in the rains of Virginia. Tweed
has taken all of the City's funds; but of the
rich and rapid Athenian it was only charged
by Pheax that he took some of the gold and silver
dishes Of the Commonwealth to use on his
own table. Fisk goes to war with matchless
regimentals multitudinous attendance, and
Sardanapalian banquetings. Alcibiades had a
Cupid painted on his shield, and complained
that the planks of his war-galley were too
uneven for his luxurious repose but he fought
bravely, won many victories, and never was
compelled, 80 far as we know, to hide in
back-yards or scale fences or disguise himself
with blackened mustache, to escape an
imaginary pursuer. When Alcibiades, in q
drunken frolic took half of Anytus's plate, his
| friend said it was q moderate offense, as he
might have taken all; Tweed would have
been moro grasping. The nephew of Peri
cles was accused of defacing the efiges
of the gods; Murphy daubed the defend
ers Of his country with glue and shoddy.
Alcibiades cut of his dogs tail that the Athe-
mans, compassionating the nlused brute,
might say nothing worse Of hin master; Tweed
proposes to himself statue of brass and
gives beggarly moiety of his plunder to the
poor, that, discussing these, we may not see
where his right hand goes while his left is
thus employed. Possibly, Murphy may see, in
his intimacy with the President, some likeness
of that friendship Of Socrates which ennobled
Alcibiades before he was grown INSCRIPTIONS
and chameleon.like but we discover no paral-
| lei In an association which has it's foundation
in mercenary selfshness.
No, we shall examine history in vain for
any examples of such vulgar display and un-
deserved acquisition as distinguish our repre-
sentative pretenders. When ignorant, mean,
and low men climb to be controllers of mighty
| corporations, engineers of vast political mu-
chiucn tho keepers Of Il great city. ,,ni tho