Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-05
. oRCEsTER
Broken Ring.

A Broken Ring.
We all know what agreeable consequences the
proverb predicts as likely to follow the falling
out of rogues. Such results the New Workers
are now timorously anticipating, for it is said
that the Tammany ring is broken, or, at least,
badly cracked. The men who compose this
odious circle are Tweed, Hall, Connolly and
Sweeney. Other persons identified with their
fortunes, admitted to some extent into their
councils and allowed share of their plumber,
are, nevertheless, subordinstes. These four con-
titute the board of apportonment, to which the
legislature has given absolute control of the
finances of the city and county. They must
all agree upon every measure for taking money
from the people or laying it out. The rumor
which the outraged New Workers are trying to
believe, Is that, at meeting of the board some
weeks ago, several claims were presented which
had their origin before the new charter went
into operation. One of them asked for about
quarter of million of dollars in behalf of the
miserably paid official ex-Sheriff o 'Brien whose
regular emoluments, amounting only to about |
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars year,
he asked TO have increased by the modest |
sum we have mentioned for some kind |
of extra services as sheriff; another was
q claim of the city printer for about
a million of dollars, and another from
that oppressed and underpaid plasterer,
Andrew J. Carney. The session, it is reported,
was long and stormy. A letter was read from
the ex-sherff, in which he threatened, if his claim
were not pressed, to make some damaging ex-
posures. Some of the members were disposed
10 oblige their old friend especially since he could,
and apparently would, make himself very I'M
pleasant if they refused. But one member
steadily declined to yield to Mr.. 0'Brien's blan-
dishments or threats, and declared that not an
other dollar should be paid out upon claims
arising before the board was established, be-
cause the law gave the board no right to adjust
such claims.
We can imagine the perplexity of the other
members when their associate took this atti-
fude. He would be glad to accommodate his
old friend 0'Brien, but really he cannot do it;
he is perhaps over scrupulous, but honesty and
fidelity to public trusts are his most cherished
traits of character; they are his weak points, if
you please, but he fatters himself that they
'1ean to virtues side" and he cannot sacrifice
them. Nobody could know better than his as
sociates in office that honesty and fidelity are
not among this virtuous persons strong points;
of course, they did not waste any time in won
dering over his sudden conversion. They were
at loss, however, to conjecture the motive of
his opposition to so simple and ordinary an
operation. Since that time many meet
ings of the board have been appointed
but none have been held. Three members are
in the city, but the fourth, at his summer resi-
dence at Lake Mahopac, strengthening his
moral as well as his physical nature with the
bracing influences of the rur al solitudes, gives
70 all invitations of his associates the mys-
ferrous reponse that, since they have corpse
to bury, with which he HIS no concern, they
had better do it at once and thoroughly, and
need not ask him to assist at the funeral; that
by law his work as a member of the board was
complete when the appointment for the year
was made, and he does not know of anything
further for the board to do" This member we
suppose to be the acute and versatile Mr..
Sweeney, who displays by his present conduct-
not to speak Of virtue, which is entirely out of
place in this connection-an independence and
flrmness for which we had not given him credit.
Another member of the ring, no less than
the Great Tweed himself, is disafected, if not
alarmed and sullenly ranges between New
York and his sylvan retreats in Connecticut, in
wardly raging and muttering that, with the two
per cent restriction upon taxation, the city gov
eminent cannot be carried on. There is also, it
is said, no friendliness between the ring and
Hoffman since his Of the pOdp
amendment bill. The mayor and controller,
prevented by their official engagements from
leaving the city, subject to constant attacks
from iuVeterate foes and former friends, de-
nounced on one side for the jobberies of which
they have been guilty, and on the other because
they are unable to continue them, do not proba-
bly, find this summer the most pleasant within
their experience.
This promising quarrel, if it has advanced so
far as the reports say, is naturally rather exhil
aratng to the taxpayers and reformers. Mr..
O'Brien, it is said, in revenge for the aront put
upon him, has already furnished TO the Times
the figures which it has published, TO the dis
comforture of the ring. 1t is suggested that
perhaps Mr.. Sweeney may think it for his inter
est to desert to the enemy, while his services
may command some return, and devote his
knowledge of the schemes and crimes of his as
socates to aid in their defeat and exposure. The
spectacle Of Tweed, Sweeney, Hall and Connolly
cutting each others threats, or committing
hari-kari, would be a cheerful one to
their fellow citizens but we fear they
will be disappointed if they count
on it too strongly. If these plundererS