New-York tribune., 1871-10-23
PRODIGlLITY AND POVERTY.

IhODIudLIII AMI TOIbh1t'
A very considerable portion Of the Work
ing Men of our City are now confronted VIII
the prospect Of Nothing to Do-no pay, even
for part Of what they have done. Their
case Is, unhappily, not new, it h the natura,
sequence and outcome Of prodigality ana
profligacy in public expenditure. Carlyle, In
his mastery daguereotype Of the French heV-
olution, thus prefgures what is now e1-
perienced in our streets and In our crowoeo
tenements:
"How singular this perpetual distress OF the royal
treasury And yet is thing not more incredible tnan
undsniable A thing mournfury true ths stumbling
block on which al ministers successiveH STUMBLE anu
fall Be It want Of fiscal gsnius' or some far other
want there s the papabes discrepancy between heV'
anne and Expenditure; Detleii Of the Revenue; you
must choke cOmble) tho Deficit or else 1t VIII swallow
your
"Great Is Bankruptcy; the great bottemless gulf
into which all Falsehoods, public and private 90
sink disappearing; whittier, from the nrst origin OF
them they were all doomed For Nature Is true and not
le No lie you speak or act but 1t VIII come, aer
longer or shorter circulation, Like Bill drawn on Ma
lures Reality and be presented there for payment, with
the answer No e1eets Pity only that 1t often had 90
long circuation-that the original forger were 90 sell
dom he who bore the Anal smart Of It'll Lies, and the
burden Of evil they bring, passed on; shifted rom
back TO back and from rank 10 rank and 30 land ut
mately on the dumb lowest rank who. with spade and
mattock with heart and empty wallet, daily come
In contact with reality, and pass the cheat no
longer"
We ask the deceived and distressed Work
ing Men of our City to ponder these undeni-
able facts:
I. The rulers Of our State and City are all
Democrats; the last ves6ge OF shadow OF Re
publican equipoise in the Board of Super
visors having vanished with the election of
Smith Ely, jr, five years ago. At present,
Governor Mayor, Controller, &C., are Demo-
Gratis, while both branches Of the Legislature,
and all the labor employing departments of
our City administration, are exclusively con-
trolled by Democrats.
II. The expenditures and disbursements
which have whelmed our City in debt e1-
hausted her treasury, and sOrely embarrassed
her finances, were wholly authorized and made
by Democrats, and nearly all the money paid
out to Democrats. The Republicans have had
no hand IN it,
III. MesSrs. Tweed g. Co., as rulers of our
City, made their own estimates and plans,
for this years expenditures and receipts,
which Messrs. Tweed g. Co., as rulers of tho
State, put through the Legislature and Gov
Hoffman signed. No Republican had word
to say in the premises, save one whom, need
ing, they bought, used, and paid.
". The laborers for our City cannot be
employed and paid as usual, either because,
1. Tweed g. Co. did not ask for money enough
in their Tax-Levy of last April, or Q. They
have misappropriated the funds thus provided.
No second alternative is possible.
V. Whoever attempts to incite the Working
Men against the Rich, or the Reformers, or
those who have enjoined Tweed and Connolly,
deceives them. The obstruction to further ex-
penditures is the law, commonly termed the
Two per Cent. act and Tweed g. Co. framed
and passed that act. The law is just what they
chose to make 1t, and there is no lawful
right to override 1t.
Men and brethren think OF these things