New-York tribune., 1871-10-20
rHE HALr or rHE REFoRM MoYEMENE

| THE Halt OF TIE Reform MOVEMENT.
The Reform movement begun with such en-
thusiasm two months ago is threatened with
failure, il unity Of action and singleness OF
purpose and direction be not soon attained
While Tammany is unit and Its desperate
battle is directed by single bold. bad, but
subtle man, the Reformers are divided into
various factions led by divers Committees and
| all quarreling over spoils unsecured and dis
putting over the honors OF victories unwon'
Meantime they have met with several very
serious checks which might we'll be called re-
verses, though the Reformers themselves do
not seem to regard them in that light.
The Investigating Committee of Citizens has
done admirable but incomplete work. Its e1-
| position of Ring frauds has been very effective
| in making public sentiment against Tammany;
| it has greatly aided and supplemented the ef-
forts of the Committee of Seventy by col
lections of facts damaging to the principal
Ring leaders, and it promises, next week, to
make still more damaging revelations. But
thus far it has furnished no legal evidence
which will help recover the money of the
people from the thieving contractors VIII. have
stolen it, or send to States Prison the City
and County officials who were their confeder-
ates in crime and participants in the plunder.
Confident in their power, the Supervisors,
ready tools of the Ring, have refused
authority to send for persons and pa
pers, and the examination of witnesses
from which so much was expected has
never been attained. Without this power over
persons and papers no investigation could be
complete. If the Tammany frauds had not
been open and fragrant, this investigation, like
scores of others undertaken in the same way,
would have resulted in the whitewashing
Of the culprits. 1t was on the ground that
the inquiry could not be thorough and impair
tial without the power over persons and
papers that the Chamber of Commerce wisely
declined to undertake an examination on Mayor
Halls invitation. We do not wish to un-
derrate the great work done by the Committee
of Citizens; they know even better than any
others can know that they have failed for lack
of this power, which the Supervisors were
vainly asked to delegate and none, we be-
leve, regret the failure more than Mr.. Booth
and his colleagues. They are about to dis
solve, and it will be with the consolation of
knowing that their great labors, whatever the
result, have been appreciated by the people.
The Committee of Seventy, an organization
resulting from the public agitation of the sub
ject, has really accomplished little, though it
promises much in the future, and we are
hopeful of great good still to be done by it.
1t has induced one Of those generally held to
be in league with the Ring to come forward
and aid in the pursuit of the thieves, and 1t
has been instrumental in forcing Gov. Hoff-
man to some action but beyond this it Is
difficult to point to any largo advantage
which the Committee has already conclusively
gained 1t has gwen valuable moral support
to the cause, and helped by the influence of
its members to advance the movement legally
and politically, but beyond this the fruits OF
its labor are still unripened
In the Courts the success of the Reformers
has not been as great as was hoped for.
The suit against the Mayor halts. No
one has confidence in the jury, except
the Mayor himself. The examination of
Ingersoll has been ordered. but the delay al
lowed for appeal leaves the victory without
positive advantage to the victors, and one more
such triumph will check the advance in that
direction altogether. It is true that Mr.. OConor
has been associated with the Attorney General
as counsel for the State in actions against the
Ring his letter of acceptance reads as if
he meant action md his association of Judge
Emott William NJ. Evarts, and Mr. Peckham
with him confirms this hope and belief. But
what they are to attempt and what they can
accomplish are matters of doubt, about which
few of the Reformers are sanguine. Beyond the
injunction suit of John Foley in the Supreme
Chambers, which inaugurated the campaign
against Tammany with the most decided legal
success which has been gained at all, nothing
effectual has come of the legal proceedings.
TO John Foley's injunction we owe it that
stop has been put for the present to all Ring
frauds; that the Two Per Cent act is complied
with that the bond factory in the Controllers
Office has been closed that the corrupt Con-
molly has been compelled virtually to retire,
and that an honest Deputy, Andrew H. Green,
is in possession of the most important de-
partment of the City and County Government.
1t must be apparent that the field which
now promises most and which Is indeed
the only one left for present operations, is
that of politics. Every energy must be de-
voted first to securing fair election In No
vember and then to winning it. In the first
place. repeating and miscounting must be rem
dered impossible. There can be no coopera-
ton with the United States authorities at this
election; the election laws of the General
Government are imperative OF the local
polls. Everything must be done by our
own exertions. To insure fair election the de-
frauding Inspectors must be driven out OF Office
To insure victory there must be thorough
union and organization of the scattered forces
Of the Reformers. For the time being, as we
have before urged, all party claims should be
ignored, and honest men, irrespective of political
opinions, should be nominated and supported