The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-11
sRxRxx or xzn PRuss.
Editorial Opinions ofthe Leading Journals
upon Current Topios-compiIed Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
THE TAMMANY RING AND IT'S FRIENDS
From Harper's Weekly.

THE TANIMANY RING AND ITS FRIENDS
From Hdrper's Weekly.
The Egentng Post condemns the admins
tration of President Grant, and praises that
of the Ring in the city of New York. It has
for some time spoken very gently of the i'm
perial rule in that city, and recently pub
Iished a tentative article, indirectly CON-
mending it by stating what was
claimed upon its behalf by what is called
the Citizens Association. After a little
while it republished the article; and, averring
that its statements had not been challenged,
declared that they we're therefore established!
It would not be easy to imagine a more sum-
mary and amusing method. AS matter of
fact, the Republican journals of the city
were exposing the Broadway widening job
and the water bill at the very time the Post
made what it calls its uncontradicted asser-
tions.
And by what authority were they NADER
Upon that of the Citizens Association. That
such an association may have been at one
time, and under certain circumstances, body
whose opinion would have weight upon such
subject, is very possible. But all the pub
lie now know of the Citizens Association is
an occasional manifest signed by Mr.. Peter
Cooper and MIR. Nathaniel Sands. Mr.. Cooper
is one of the most venerable and
respected citizens of New York, but
IL Is not R6u6Ialy SuppO5oQ Jhhb ne
prepares the manifests They are
understood to be substantially the work
of Mr.. Sands. MIR. Sands is understood to
have favored the passage of the Tammany
tax levy of 1868, upon which the Republican
Senate proposed to hold out; but the votes
of Mr.. Williams and Mr.. Mattoon, in favor
of the Tammany project, which Mr.. Sands
befriended, made such action useless.
Mr.. Sands subsequently received an ap-
ftnn N
sion. His opinion, therefore, upon the
action of the Tammany masters of the city
must obviously be received with great reser-
vation. And that the declarations of the
Citizens Association are the opinions of Mr..
Sands is probably not disputed. But if such
declarations in regard to the benefits of the
ring to the city of New York should, under
these circumstances, pass unchallenged, it
would by no means necessarily be because
they could not be successfully questioned, as
the E0ening Post assumes.
The new charter, of which the Post speaks
30 kindly, was the work of the ring, and
designed to perpetuate its power; and such
has undoubtedly been its effect. 1t is GER
tainly remarkable that paper which pro-
fesses to respect SO deeply the principle of
the responsibility of power should praise,
upon that ground, and with its knowledge of
the actual situation in the city, charter
which makes the terms of the chief officers
appointed by the Mayor twice as long as his
own. Executive responsibility to the people
is destroyed by the charter. The govern
ment of the city of New York under the Tam
many ring, as we have frequently shown, is
an absolute empire, which will end only by
the voluntary retirement of the ring g-masters
or by successful rebellion of their subjects.
The methods of their government are fami-
liar to every citizen. One of them is to cover
themselves and their acts with respectable
names. Thus, the last project of city rail
road selects the ring, with three or four con-
spicuous citizens as the commission. Every
New Yorker at once understands 'the little
game" of the ring, of which, it is unnecessary
to say, those gentlemen are innocent.
To our readers who are not New Yorkers,
and who may be supposed to be uninterested
in such local questions, the reason of our al
lusion to them is obvious. The p0oer that
7leU controls the city and State Of Neoo York
aims at the control Of tho National GOoern-
ment. The ruthless imperialism sohich pre-
calls here 1t aoOutd ertend through the
country. It's methods Of bribery and Satinai-
dation ii sO0uld practice upon a national
arena. Aa6 st is, therefore,, Of the utmost
Importance that the people of the United
States should understand the character and
contemplate the measures Of the imperial
ca6aI aohich aooud rule them. Its power
can well be studied in the tone of the
Euening Post, when commenting upon the
government of the city. Its defiance of the
ordinary safeguards of vested rights is illus
trated by the Erie bill and the water bill,
which confers a practically unlimited and
irresponsible authority upon one man. It's
naahga influence upon popular rights mag be
seen IN the fact that the G0oer7l0r of NeW
York, qohonl tile cGbaI nominated and elected,
faiHsfuE'y O6eys its soiU, and that the honor of
Ms bench IN the city is nOtorioasly stained
This is the rule which the Eoening Post
praises, but which the best men of the Demo-
cratic party privately deprecate and oppose.