New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-11-16

The Campaign.
IL is ONLY three months since the campaign
against Tammany began, and already we have
won glorious victory. Tbat the City uoVern,
ment was controlled by clique OF rogues and
neculators. that the taxes were misappro-
priated, and the suffrage tempered with, every
body knew long ago. 1t was plain enough,
too, that by one means or another the public
money found its way into the pockets oiTweed
and Connolly Still, there was no absolute
nroof of these frauds until last July, when Jas.
O'Brien, who had quarreled with the Ring
over a claim Of three or four hundred thousand
dollars which Mr. Tweed refused to allow,
caused the publication of series OF startling
transcrjpts from the Controllers books. 1t is
not enough TO say that the disclosure justified
our worst suspicious. Prepared as we were for
almost any evidence of rascaity, the truth,
when it confronted us in black and white, was
actually appalling. There was the record Of
millions paid away for work that never was done,
supplies that never were furnished, chairs aud
carpets that never were seen iu any of the city
ar county offices. There were warrants drawn
in favor of men who had no existence, and
Endorsed TO the order of particular friends and
instruments of William NJ. Tweed. There were
proofs of the most daring forgery as well as OF
wholesale robbery The whole country was
aroused. Europe rang with the scandal. The
Ring seemed stunned; they made no defense /;
they offered no explanation; they pretended
to believe that the excitement would expend
itself in newspaper 6enunciation, and "this
thing would over Then came a general de-
mand for publication of the Controllers ac-
counts. Mr.. Connolly put US off. Mayor Hall
invented excuse. The prediction made by us
from the first was fulfilled /; the accounts never
were published, and while the Ring retain
control Of them they never will be.
The excitement, however, did not expend
itself in angry denunciation. The temper of
the people grew hotter and hotter, and it grew
more resolute at the same time. 1t found ade-
quate expression at last in the great Cooper
Institute meeting on the 4th of September,
and then for the first time the Ring seemed to
comprehend their danger. They found the
respectable Democrats, whom they had sup
piled for years with bogus ballots and repeat
ers, were turning against them. No man who
valued his character had word to say i'm their
defense. Even the World was compelled to
attack them, and the Herald on the 5th of
September unexpectedly discovered that things
were going wrong at the City Hall. The Ring
tried to make delay by the appointment of an
investigating committee, from which they care.
fully withheld all facilities for conducting an
investigation; but it was of no avail. Seventy
meeting, took the business in hand, raised
money, employed eminent counsel, and charged
themselves, FIRST, with further discovery of the
character and extent of the frauds; secondly,
with the punishment of the guilty thirdly.
with the organization of a non-political re-
form movement to affect the November election.
The last of these purposes has been carrid out.
Now we have to push ahead with the others.
As soon as the committee got to work, the
Ring began to break up The first movement
was the Foley Injunction, and that was the
signal for the detection of Judge Barnard
Mr.. Sweeny had already virtually retired. The
theft of the vouchers was followed by Tweed S
treacherous abandonment of Connolly, and the
Controller threw himself at the feet of the
committee and begged for mercy. Since then
it has been every rogue for himself and the
devil take the hindmost. The Democratic
Governor has been driven to interfere and an.
thorize the employment of Charles OConor to
look after the interests Of tho tax payers; and
though Tammany succeeded in forcing itself
upon the Rochester Convention and insuring
the defeat Of the State ticket by debating the
nominees, it has been evident for the last three
weeks that the Democracy will not stand be.
tween Tweed and justice. The victory of Tues
day completed the rout Of the swindlers, and
left them for the present utterly helpless.
But the Ring though broken, may be formed
again. duO, tHSftiOBt, ~ Is Vi UTMOST I'M
portance that we should persevere in the effort
so well begun by the committee, to sift the
frauds thoroughly, and send the thieves to
jail. Mr.. Tilden's examination of the books
of the Broadway Bank was a fortunate device
but the discovery OF evidence directly impli
eating Tweed in the appropriation of public
funds will be of little use if the only result,
is TO be civil suit to recover the money, and
the farce Of constructive arrest by the gen.
tiemanly sheriff. 1t is doubtful whether any
OF the stolen millions can be recovered but il
ought not to be doubtful that Tweed can be
sent to the State prison. and, if we reach that
fortunate contamination of our wishes. we
really care very little what becomes of the
plumber. Mr.. Oakley Hall has been arrested
for his share In the wrongful expenditures;
but he made pretty exhibition Of horseman
ship, and his grand jury refused to indict him
his district attorney having neglected to lay
the necessary evidence before them. Are VIZ
70 stop here? There is no proof that Mayo
Hall stole money himself-that is to say, Their,
is no proof which the public knows of-but b,
let Others steal it, and he must be held respon
slble for that. Mr.. Tom Fields whom the in
corruptbls Democrats of the upper wards hav,
chosen to represent them in the Legislature il
preference to Horatio Seymour, is accused O
gigantic peculations; be must be sent to keel
company with Mr.. Tweed. GArvey and Inger
soil and Woodward have run off with millions
OF our money; they must be caught and locked
up with The same party. The municipal de-
partments are rotten with jobbery and crime
they must be ransacked from cellar to garrett
and every scrap of evidence which the most
astute lawyers can collect must be used to send
to jail every rogue whom justice can reach,
We repeat that our victory will not be com.
plete until we witness the great moral spectacle
oil Tweed ana his accompiices in the striped
uniform of Sing Sing. That is the way to pre
vent the formation Of new Ring about as bac
IS the old one.-N 7. Tribune