The sun., 1872-11-18
A signal Rebuke.

Dr JCIirsoN ciusses the follies OF the wise
~ the last stage of life among the prodi-
,,iCs tllt surprise mankind; but such phe-
honcur are not always the product of ex-
tr,nc old are. Under the impulses of
passion and nupit tho oIamor or wlld eA-
,itemput, men esteemed wise often fall into
errors of tn" most surprising description; (;
nd such appears to have been the case in
;he means adopted by Mr.. CHARLES
O'CoNup Mr.. WHEELER II. PEcKuAM, and
we know not who else besides to recover
from WILLIAM 81. TWEED the large sums
rf mc'ry OF which IL is believed he has
IlUnicryd our city treasury.
Soon after the discovery of the facts, and
while a., people were still full of indigna-
iiou pnd alarm, Mr.. O'CoSoR, Mr.. PECK
HAM, and Others came forward confidently
proposing 20 cuforce the rights OF the pub
tic and make good the loss through the
;ougts. when Mr.. O'CoSoR appeared upon
the stage, followed by Mr.. PECKHAM and
the rest, u SENSE of confidence was inspired,
rud The people trustingly believed that
with such advisers and advocates justice
would be- iulnllbly and completely obtain
I'd for them. But now, after more than
vear has gone by, ii appears that Mr..
N''o'nn' proceeding was one OF the sur
Irt..P errors into which wise man may
'lll, aud that he and the well-paid lawyers
,.r r"rr Win him took exactly the wrong
t".' le trH"l their object
Mr.. uCu%oR commenced his suit in the
game OF the people Of the state, alleging.
~ oricr to maintain IL, that il was the
state aud not the city ana county Of New
York which would suffer by TwEED's
operations, because, as he contended, the
lebt created for the purpose Of procuring
'ho money which TWEED and ms associates
appropriated was in fact, "A debt which
The state would have 10 pay. In this-and
was most surprising in a man like Mr..
b' oNoR--he overlooked and pnt ont of
view that provision of the State Constitu-
4On which declares that except to rcpel
INVASION, suppress insurrection, or defend
the state In war, no debt shall be here
after contracted by or on behalf OF this
tate unless such debt shall be authorized
by law for some single work or object TO
oe distinctly specified thercin;" and "no
idch law shall take effect until il shall mt
general election have been submitted to
he people, and have received majority
of all the votes cast for and against il at
such election And not only did Mr..
DCoNoR. yielding his intellect 10 the agi-
mtlon OF the hour repudate this portion
If the Constitution, but he even went so
ar in his argument as to maintain that
here was no such corporation as the coun-
yof New YorB, which must lose the money
alleged TO have been taken by TWEED, and
must pay for 1t by the taxation of liz mem.
bcrs, and which had the right TO bring q
NIT for its restitution.
NJ awhile, without regard to these sur
prlsng errors and the mistaken aud ill
'onsldered action growing out of them
Mr RICHARD O'GORMAN, the regular law
ln'cer OF the county, had faithfully per-
formed his duty by instltuting in its be-
hhli' hhd with the Board of'SupervisOrs as
plalntlh, suit in the Supreme Court here
against TWEED for The recovery OF tle
hme money which Mr.. O'CoNoR was wildly
proposing to regain for the State nj large
10 th!s suit the defendants counsel inter.
posed the plea that Mr.. O'CoNoR's prose
e"uon was also pending In another lndlcio
uepartment OF the State, and that the tw,
si''s WIN two different plaintiffs respect
VIZ inc same subject matter ought NOT /,
prosecuted at the same lima Accor1