New-York tribune., 1872-07-17
TWFED and HIS COMPANIONS.

TVEED AND HIS COMPANIONS.
The renewal of the arguments in the Tweed
case by Mr.. O'Conor and Mr.. w. II. Peckham
reyives our hope that some time, before the
memory of the great Ring frauds has utterly
passed away, the law may yet avenge itself
upon the chiefs of that conspiracy. The ques-
ton now before the General Term is only
question of jurisdiction. If it should be de-
cided against the defendants it will probably
be taken to tho Court of Appeals. III the
Judgment of the Court below should there be
affirmed we shall get to the merits OF the
case. and Mr.. Tweed and his fellows will be
in fair way to receive their deserts. Until
thew do, the work of reformation will have
been hardly begun. For it is useless to de-
ceiye ourselves with the belief that municipal
corruption has so far received more than
Temporary check None of the robbers OF
public money have been properly punished,
and though the gang of thieves has been
scattered and some of the noisier OF them
have come to grief, no signal vengeance has
fallen upon the leaders, and no terrible ex-
ample points a warning TO their successors.
If we had to select from the whole rogues'
gallery of New-York public men the six who
represent our worst types of social, official,
and political corruption, we should name
William NJ. Tweed, Richard b. Connolly,
George G. Barnard, Albert Cardozo, James
Fisk, jr., and James OBrien. Tweed made
peculation and politics the two branches of
huge system of fraud by which he satisfied
vulgar and debasing ambition. So closely
were these two pursuits interviewer in his ex-
traordinary career that it is hard to decide
whether he oftener stole for the sake of po-
htical power, or scbemed to get power that
he might the more safely steal 1t was once
the hight of his pride to be the foreman OF
fighting fire company. 1t came to be his later
boast that he was the head of the Albany lobby
and the dictator of the State Senate. AS the
Old Man of the Mountain, to convince an en-
voy of the devotion of his followers. bade
soldier throw himself from a precipice, 50
Tweed, as the story runs, used to amuse him.
self by commanding Senators to vote as the!
did not want to, and they Obeyed him. lie
took contracts, after while, to furnish any
required majorites for State elections, and two
wears ago it seemed inevitable that he should
offer the Presidency for sale, as he had Offered
the Governorship and all the city offices. Ills
money accumulated even faster than his power.
Every new political alliance brought him an
additional fortune. Too coarse in his tastes
and too vulgar in his personal bearing to pur-
chase even that equivocal social recognition
which is so easily got for money in New York,
he spent the income of his millions registering
with the Fourth Ward constituents who called
him "the Boss,n and building q costly house
on the most expensive avenue, where he lived
in lonely state, as solitary as hermit. To
the great majority of citizens, the taxpayers
who supplied his treasury, the face Of Tweed
was utterly unknown. 1t was in the dirty
back streets where votes are manufactured
and in the disreputabe' club-rooms where the
swindling operations of election day were con-
certed, that the Boss was such familiar and
welcome visitor.
In the organization of the great system of
theft by which the Ring grew so suddenly
rich Tweed is supposed to have been aided
principally by Connolly. The ex-Contreller
was a less conspicuous, and, if possible, less
amable character than his chief. He had no
influence over the lower class of men. He was
never seen at ward meetings. He was merely
a money -getter and his vice was not ambition
but avarce. There can be no doubt Of his
ruling passion. The Ring valued him because
he knew how to keep false books, and make
figures lie, and forge vouchers, and divide
with peculating tradesmen; and he was will.
ing that they should pursue their own pOlti.
cal schemes, if they only let him take what
he wanted of the common plunder. II
Tweed has the credit of systematinng politi-
cal corruption, making votes merchandise
commodity, and extending official venality,
Connolly may be said TO have put thief into
every place of trust, and done his best to make
petty larceny respectable. For Connolly had
sort of personal standing, and gentlemen
were not ashamed to meet with him.
OF the two members Of the Judiciary by
whose help the Ring was so long sustained in
power, CaTdozo resembled Connolly, and Bar
nard was man after the pattern of Tweed.
Cardozo helped his Tammany friends for
consideration. He bought his place and paid
for it in professional service, and covered him
self by the plunder Of clients. His aspirations
never rose higher than his bank book. Justice,
honor, position, dignity, duty, were terms
which he could only define in dollars and
cents. Barnard was perhaps equally rapacious,
but he was one Of yoW eull-blooded, loud
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