New-York tribune., 1872-06-29
THE HON. ROBERT B. ROOSEVELT AS A RE
FORMER,

The Ne,c- York Times having refused to pub
lish the following letter by Congressman Roosevelt II
printed at his request in TIE TRIBUNEi
TO the EDITOR Of The Times. -,.-,
my sincerity ReformeT and cassed me with those
cause support Mr.. Horace Greeley against Gen. Grant
but also because franked eleconeerng documents In
his behalf and, further because accepted nomina-
fiOn from Tammany for Congress two years ago.
mho the ht hT pDposing the Fort
GansevOOrt swnde as y was tnsn eale1. & Inns wss te
rst and worst Of all the frauds on the city treasury,
0eiE Gen EaSy toS e8i1eered by James b. Taylor. aud the
hsr Tnenybers of INV family alone, without help from
Others, and almost without sympathy peat on lhat
femSis by successive Boards OF Aldermen, and pre-
vented its cOnsummation; untl, dlsgusied WIN
gle Then seeing the necessity for concerted and or
ganized action, helped found the Glzehs M t
and was OF its Executive Committee during l'S most
active ard useful years; startng Tue rsE sah DGdu %
OF this city, defeating Francis l. A. Boole the KING
Toe Of MS day establishing the paid FIRE Department.
and helping along many other good works accomplished
there was st something TO learn, aud wider fields III
which labor about SIX years ago began IRe STUDY o
1ocsI potcs and iOned the only actual Democratic
organization opposed 10 Tammany Han ana that Is the
only political organization 10 Ehen nbEe gvea al @ yTt
Viedngy through insult threats, and oboquy opposing
}rsnd sobiv because it was a fraud, aud because be-
lieved that corruption was ealing out the
vitality OF American institutions, ana Woull, II
reflections on the conduct OF The Times during this entire
period acknowledging the obligations que 10 II Tor lts
all that time first 10 last, Horace Greeley and The
TRIBUNE Warnest, bteducst, CO
adjutOrs, whether the guilty ohclais De0hgea 10 tAeH
own party 70 that Of their opponents whether he re-
eut was help hurt one faction or the other Nhen
three years ago the republican menoeIs o tne Lgli
ture united with the Iammany men ana EXTENDED the
terms Of ooe of the Controller, President Of the Park
CommissjoD and Commissioner OF Public WOrks-Messrs.
Connolly. SWeeny and Tweed-fOr four years thus plac
Of the rope in hands Of the coIruptonlsts almost
despaired and began TO lose faith IN the Republic; but
The moment The Times opened it's batteries IN earnest
stepped again the 'front.' and was one OF the two Dem
Ocras who spoke at the Cooper Union ting converting
efiugf from "A hcuublcan into
i nv pover 10 making II the great success 1t was.
did THIS knowing precisely what the results would be,
understanding perfectly that was throwing away all
chance of political prefennent, making little enemies
VINO would be sure 70 follow and punish me, and put
ting the State under the dominion OF Republicans 1t
Was previous 20 that time had accepted Tammany
nomination for Office, and # were a sham humbug,
preense as reformer, II was then Ihe Times should
have denounced me. Instead OF which 1t was KIND
enough 10 compliment me- have right now to ask
whether that compliment was trick or lie, and II
time 10 hud fault What has changed since |
that Justlhes your charge, except @ that "oni9
election received all the Democratic nominations for
could get as any sensible candidate would do. If there
had been any bargain made that should cease my eI
subsequently shown ukewarinness in the cause, you
might have had the right 10 blame me- Instead OF that
for reform when Others who subsequently received
most OF the aures held back but afterward gave up
agdinst Tammany in the crucial struggle IN order 10
the conduct OF affairs fell into Incompetent hands did
all could with proper regard 10 my duties at Nasng
ton set things straight and only failed because Re
publican legislators proved bigger scOundrels ana un-
fortunately greater fools than the adheIeDts OF lam
many, as The Times itself has admitted.
SO much for the past, now for the present. nave |
frank6d Summers speech Grant, and my own on the
District Of Columbia The latter The Times ought 10 be
glad 10 have disseminated can hardly believe, II It's
attention had been called 70 them, II wOud nave pdssed
by inter silence official frauds thets, and pecula0ns
which far suTpass the most triumphant eR0rs OF lam
many Hall. These had undisputed rlgbt 10 IfahA
H. however, you alege, which did not know az lhe
tine, In some OF tue packages nandDI wac ihseIDeu3
trivial matter. 10 weighed not the tnrueth part
az ounce, was larger than mes hand, aud coud
have added nothing 10 the expeIse OF the mals put
had known OF It's Insertion, should not nave sent H.
although under the law insist had perfect rR1t 10
anything pleased, provided did n0e exceed Tour
ounces weight IL is perfectly natural that Grantie
should ike stop Summers speech and ksepit
much possible from the people an0 perhaps even 10
suppress my humber effort. As for myself 10 not JON
tD the OutO against the frankng pryilege 80 long as
Congress prints documents ana keeps up Ihe 6OOe news
PAPER 10 publish members speeches, those documents
and speeches must be distributed TO be OF any
value and DO that 50 well as the representa-
fyes Of the people DOaway with Ihe 0tOCe ana he PRINT
ing office, and Will vote for the aDOltOn Oi What 10
called the privilege" but which, instead, is an afduOus
and trying labor. hundred dollars wOnld IeaaIy
10Y yearly postage, whereas every meinsef Pags
that ten times over have his mail addressed ana h
names OF his constituents obtained Wlle the physca
work OF fTanking a serious annoyance one OF my Pct
projects u Congress 10 bring about dlscOntlhuaho
1hs GiObe az vehicle Of debate. but the Oldef anu
more eloquent members opposed and defeated my efforts
by parliamentary management. In the fbehhiue tno
Grant Eepu members not only fanh such nhteiuS
they thiuk proper but actually PRINT eecuObeeiIbB oOc
Lents by the million, at the public expense, IOr parry
purposes II eitherside " be stopped stop DOsh' anu