The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-18
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS ON THE TAM
MANY OVERTHROW.
Even the "worId' Gives its Old Friends q
Kick.
From the New York world.l

vice we gave him on the morning of the
day he wrote his letter of refusal, was adj
vice which he would have done well to fol-
low. Had he promptly resigned in COM
pliance with Mayor Halls request, he
might have escaped the judicial brand
which has been burnt into his forehead by
the order of the court maintaining the in
junction in force so long as he holds the
office of comptroller, and thereby remains
member of the Board of Appointment.
1t is no light thing for public officer to be
thus branded and compelled to perform his
duties with judicial manacles clanking upon
his hands. Mr.. Connolly could easily have
escaped this disgrace by resigning at the
mayors request, and giving place to a new
comptroller, whose recognized integrity
would have forestalled this decision. 1t is
of course utterly impossible that Comptrol-
Ter Connolly should remain in office now.
Ills retirement is mere question of
time; Of hours perhaps, possibly of days,
certainly not of weeks. Ifhe does not re-
sign no,o, the mayor cannot avoid impeach-
ing him; and the stigma affixed to his ad-
ministration by Judge Barnard foreshad-
ows the sentence that would inevitably be
passed upon him by the Court of Common
Pleas if he is foolhardy enough to brave a
trial. He has no reason to expect the Court
of Common Pleas, which is the tribunal to
try impeachments, would treat him with
more tenderness than Judge Barnard. We
are confident he will not brave such a trial,
and we hope to hear of his resignation in
the course of the day. If this hope is not
realized, we do not see how the mayor can
possibly justify himself if he does not take
immediate and vigorous steps for impeach-
ment. The strong judicial condemnation
given by Judge Barnard is such presump-
tive evidence of malleasancc, that the may
or has no longer any choice unless Mr..
Connolly prevents impeachment by a
prompt resignation. The community
would regard it as an ineXcusable lack of
vigor on the part of the mayor if he hesi-
tated to impeach head of department who
is already branded as a criminal by court
of justice. Whatever Mayor HalPs private
opinion may be, he will be constrained to
respect these judicial declarations and he
can no more decline to put the comptroller
on trial before the Court of Common Pleas,
than a district attorney can refuse to prose-
cute person against whom a bill of indict-
ment has been found by grand jury.
Painful as this duty may be, the mayor
cannot shirk it unless the necessity for im-
peachment is removed by Mr.. Connolly's
voluntary resignation.
[Trom the N Y Times.l
OUR hope, however, for the future, is in
what is now the ruling class in all countries
the great middle class-who are not so
rich as to be luxurious and inefficient, or SO
poor as to be the tools of demagogues. The
upper mechanics, trades-people, merchants
and professional men, all understand that
they have been individually robbed by the
plunderers of the New York treasury
They are determined to punish the rogues,
and to check such frauds in future. They
will control even the great ignorant mass
beneath them, so that we look, in the flu
ture, for such a reorganization of this city
government as will make New York very
different place to live in. Possibly through
the Germans, light will yet dawn on the
laboring people of the city, and they will
see that every dollar stolen from the city
treasury is dollar taken from their hard
earnings. When that day comes, the
power of "rings" will be finally broken.
From the N. Y. Evening MALL
NJ Roach i, bic ,,laa for Hall T,vood
and connolly yostardav sa;d.
Al And tell ali those here associated in this de.
mand that, guilty or innocent this triumvirate
must = stand Of iail together, l one Is condemn,
of All and if one Is Yinieated it shall be- the ac
quittal of ALL
The learned counsel ought to know where
of he speaks, and in this instance he will
ma an earnest response from all the nom
est taxpayers OF New YORK. thorough
reform, thorough lnyestgatioh OF an de,
partmen's oi .ne cry governmehe, anu ,,
tnorougn measures 9i punishment ior an
oHenaers-these aie Inc ueinalios oi Inc at
iengtn arouseo cit,.els OF ene lnosl isn,g doIng-
sulierlng inetropolls ever Nlowh. :pt, Inc
mills OF Ihe gous gfii'o sio"iy' ou.' sr'io
exceeding sihaii.
lfrom the New York Times'l
WE faithfully warned Mr.. Connolly, be-
fore be had written his foolish letter, that
every days delay IN reslgning would DAM
age HIM IN pubic estimation and SUBJECT
him to a more CALLING lire. The merclless
manner IN which he has been handled by
Judge Barnard, who IS SO lenient to the
other city officers, .verities our prediction,
and ought to convince Mr.. Connolly that
we gave nm soou auslcc' how iopo''
wi.Ii equal iiallhllcss anu .ie sal''e
cliiPilasls, anu "alii INN .i'as ms poe'.lu' =,
WIN srew moise anu muiso otely aay .aa
uc conlliue, iis '".ne a'.enlPs W "i''ie.ai,u ii
slle M nicsi."oie p ,' .,, - ete lap,us Ioge'
ish'saia n''sn. 20 "on .'''''N ~ o'o'po '0'''s