The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-16
Lessons for tho People from Legislative
COrruptiOn-The Case at senator Wood.

Lessons for tho People from Legislative
Corruption-The Case of senator Wood.
We publish to-day a synopsis of the evil
dence given before the investigating commit
tee in the case of Senator Wood. There is
much matter for serious study in these pages
Of carefully guarded admissions by the mas
tiers of the broken ''rings" Gould,
Smith, Barber, the lobbyist, and others.
These chapters Of conspiracy against the
very safeguards of the nation are not
to be carelessly scanned for the over
throw Of Tammany- in November and
the tumbling of the Erie house of cards
but yesterday will have lost nine-tenths of
their usefulness to the public credit if the
fragrant immortality which built up and sup
ported these Babel towers of rascaity fail to
produce its lesson of responsiveness in the pub
lie mind. The case of Senator Wood ia one in
point, and should be studied by every citizen
to the most minute Of its details of cold FLOODED
corruption. 1t is not enough to bury scoundrel
in the oblivion Of his shame. From his case and
that of every other immoral influence in our
midst tho people must inform themselves on
how to choose their rulers in the future. The
importunate beggar Of place, no matter how
respectable his appearance or how canting his
professions, must have his record searched
and his character weighed before single cti-
zen casts his vote for him. The Machiavells
at Albany, aided by their suborned satellites,
hung glittering Mokannas veil over their fes-
tering features, and the deluded voters were
too aPathetic or too much dazzled to tear the
arein no hurry to cover up the rottenness laid
bare.
1t is one Of the deliberate misstatements of the
party press to say that all this plumber system
but the weak among their particular side sue
cumbed to the designing thieves. This is un-
true. If there had not existed a malignant
fountain of corruption, ceaselessly irrigating
the ground around the legislative halls in days
gone by, the audacity Of Tweed and his CO.
plotters could never have taken root as it did,
There was an active, deadly contamination in
the soil, whence the upas tree of Tammany
sprung in q single session and spread its
shameless branches over the entire State.
On reading the testimony before this Senate
committee in the case of Wood it will be seen
at what price and how the legislative iniquities
were concocted and carried through. Wood
was elected in 1870 in opposition to the Erie
candidate. With well studied knowledge of
his man Jay Gould approached this pattern
of the legislative tool, whom he had lately
spent five thousand dollars to defeat, and
find that Tweed had need of him, too,
and FASTENED to ''lend" him fifteen
thousand dollars also. Was ever crime
more ironical in Its terms? Wood voted
as Tweed wished, and, according to Tweed,
paid him the interest on his note. As the
money was invested In the Bowling Green
Savings Bank, this taking the money from one
pocket and putting it into the other will point
once more the thin sham of keeping appear
ances" which they INDUCED ill., The commit
tee 60 far, indeed, inside the whole truth when
they say 1t pointed to actions 'of an i'm
proper character" But this case of Woods is
only pin point among the square miles of
corruption which these wretches brought
about. Look at the case of the Eighth
ward rowdy, happily defeated last November,
and scan his record from the time when he
acted as shoulder-hitter around the dens Of in
fanny to the time when gang Of three thou
sand OF the scum Of the city went up tho
Hudson River to meet the spoil-laden, be-
jewelled Senator coming back TO bis olden iel-
lows, like Attila In the midst OF his barba-
riansl Look again at the LEGISLATOR who be-