The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-09-21

Dor.
The power of Tammany is broken. Her
prestige is gone. Her central junta is dis
solved and divided against itself, and. her
hitherto invincible army of followers is all
adrift. How are they to be called together
again for our November State electionp 1t is
supposed by the more sanguine of the sun
terrified" that the party State Convention of
October, in their State ticket and platform,
will secure the union even of the city demo-
Gratis against the republicans, as usual, and
that so the Tammany catastrophe will not
seriously affect the integrity of the democratic
party of the Empire State looking to the i'm
| rose-colored view of the democratic situation.
| 1t is evident, from the collapse of Tammany,
that the chiefs of the rural democracy of the
| State Central Committee and of the coming
State Convention will take the place of the de-
throned sachems Of the 'old Wigwam" 10 this
State campaign. But the necessity Of o 'new
departure" is upon them, and In meeting this
necessity the first question is, What will the
new managers of the approaching Democratic
State Convention do2
They will, let us assume, repudiate the
corruptions of Tammany Hall as inconsistent
and incompatible with the principles, teachings
and objects Of the democratic party they will
cut loose from the Tammany administration of
the city as misfortune for which the demo-
cratic party cannot be held responsible, and
they will propose new city charter under a
system of checks and balances calculated to
secure an honest administration against rings
and rogues and frauds and spoliations of all
descriptions. We will assume that this coming
Democratic State Convention will do all this
because of the imperious necessity for some
action to this effect, and that upon the ''new
departure" thus suggested a State ticket COM
posed of men free from any damaging associa-
tons with the financial Irregularities of the
Wigwam will be submitted to the sufirages of
the people. What then? Why, then. no
doubt, the democracy of the State will make
their best possible fight under the circum-
stances; but still, if the republicans are united,
the general results Of our November election,
under the circumstances, State and city, can
hardly be anything else than crushing
democratic defeat.
For the alleged ''high crimes and misde-
meanors" of Tammany Hall, whether justly
chargeable to one man, five men, ten, twenty
or thousand men, the democratic party of
the city, the State and the country at large are
and will be held responsible before the bar of
public opinion. Once upon time we had
President of the United States of the name of
John Quincy Adams, and the regular expenses
of the general government under his model
administration were about thirteen millions of
dollars year. But there was, under his ad-
minstration, an unfortunate accounting clerk
in the Treasury, Tobias Watkins by name, who,
in settling up his accounts one day, fell short
to the astounding figure of some four thousand
dollars. Thereupon the newly organized
democratic party, with General Jackson as
their candidate, took up the cry of ''reirench-
ment and REFORM" harpng upon the Watkins
defalcation as an evidence of corruption call
ing for the overthrow of the guilty adminisira-
ton. That hue and cry, too, assisted materi-
ally in the first election of Jackson, and ever
since, with more or less effect, the same hue
and cry has been employed by the outside
party against the inside party in all our
political elections-national, State and NUM- |
cipal.
All parties, however, in these latter days in
power, 80 far outstrip In their financial mis-
doings the unfortunate Tobias Watkins as to
make his case appear supremely ridiculous,
with his contemplate deficiency Of four thou
sand dollars. Under General Jacksons admin
istration, in the enlargement of official defalca-
tons, there was an immense Improvement upon
the paltry bagatelle Of poor Watkins, while,
from the demorallzations, embezzlements and
general financial convulsion Of Van Buren's
administration, such a state of public indigna-
ton was created that it swept him and his
party out Of power as by a continental tor
nado in 1910. But the general demoralizations
Of our great war Of the Southern rebellion
brought upon the country raging epidemic
of political corruption, compared with which
even the scandalous official stealings under
Van Buren, are reduced to trihes. ''Shoddy"
contractors during the war suddenly bloomed
out as millionnaires, and whiskey rings, through
rched many lucky Adventures to the extent
of millions, though here aud there an unlucky
straggler has found his way to the State
Prison, but rather as subject Of public SYM
patty than Of public contempt. Still, consid-
ering the good name for honesty and rctrench-
ment acquired by General Grants admnistra-
ton, this late defalcation Of half million,
more or less, confessed by Psymaster Hodge,
and other recent federal embezzlements, would
have raised tremendous cutlery against Gen.
eral Grant but for the astounding and over
whelming enormities in its considerations of the
public money charged against the administra-
ton of Tammany Hall.
This is the trouble which will confront the
democratic party in our coming State election