New-York tribune., 1872-06-19
WHO DEFEATED REFORMf

The current Legislature Of our State Is Re-
publican in either House by nearly or quite
three to one. That majority was secured not
by reason of party politics but in spite of
them. Purity in legislation, honesty in admin
istration, constituted the controlling purpose
of those who achieved this result That pur-
pose was not realized in the action of the
body thus called INTO being. Though some
good bills were passed, some abuses modified,
if not fully corrected, it is commonly agreed
that the late session was q failure-that the
lust expectations of the people were dlsap-
pointed BY whose fault? The Grant organs
say "the Greeley Republicans" are responsible; /;
they conspired with the handful OF Demo
Gratis to shield corruption and defeat Reform.
In vain we ask them to designate those
"Greeley Republicans" Designate them by
name, and we can then determine their rela-
tive and absolute culpability in the premises
Make a list of the "Greeley Republicans" in
either House, and we will try conclusions with
YOU as to their responsibility for what was good
and bad respectively in the Winters work.
Is not this fair demand2 Yet they all
shrink from meeting it.
Let us apply tOuchstOne to the pharisaic
after our last State election it was ascertained,
through scrutiny that followed the explosion
of the Bowling Green Savings Bank, that Gen.
James Wood, Senator from the Livingston
District, had while o member of the last
Senate, received good many thousands OF dol
lars from some unspecihed quarter, which moneys
$4,000 at one time, $4,000 at another-had
been deposited by some unspecifed person or
persons, in bank bills, in the Savings Bank
aforesaid, and nearly all drawn out, from time
to time, OD the checks of James Wood atore-
said. Being cited to explain, Wood declared
that he had borrowed these sums of William
NJ. Tweed and Jay Gould, and had never re-
paid them! Soon after the meeting of the
Legislature, an investigation of these remark
able loans was demanded and ordered. The
Senate, like the Assembly, had been organized
| b, the Custom-hOuse faction in the interest of
Gen. Grants denomination. That faction made
Mr.. James Terwilliger Clerk of the Senate,
but that person had to resign upon proof OF
his taking 20 per cent commission on the State
printing given out by him as Clerk OF former
Senates.
Gen. Woods case was long held by the Com
mittee to which it was referred At length
q report was made which bore hard against
the incupated Senator. ThereupOn Mr. Chat
field of Tioga moved a resolve of expulsion.
Action upon it was postponed from time to
time at the request of Woods friends. AT
length, when it could be put off no longer, Mr..
Erastus C. Benedict Zone of our Citys Grant
Reformers) took the floor and argued against
expulsion. He favored Mr.. Murphy's substi-
tute mildly censuring Wood, which was carried
over Mr.. Chatfield's head by the following vote
Yeas Benedict, Bowen, DickensOD. Foster, Graham.
Narrower Lewis, Lord. Madden, Murphy Iiemorn,
Wagner, weissman, winslow, WOodin-i5.
Nays-Adams, Allen, Baker, Cha6eld. Cock, johnson,
LOwery, MCGOWAN, Palmer, Perry, Robertson, d. p.
Wood-12
This vote was the turning point of the ses-
sion. In screening Wood from his righteous
due it proclaimed impunity to bOundless cor
ruption. Every one saw that, if Wood could
not be convicted of bribery, no one could be.
Every iObber in either House realized that he
could now sell his vote to the highest bidder,
and take his pay right on the floor. From
that hour corruption ran riot in either House,
and rottenness, like the first pair in Eden, was
naked and not ashamed" Were the
men whose votes screened Wood from
Justice, and left him to figure as a Senator,
"Greeley Republicans 2" Was one of them of
this stripe9 If you know one such, name
him! And if, on the contrary, Wood was
suffered to go "unwhipt of justice" be-
cause he was Grant man, and by the efforts
and votes of the Conkling-Grant interest, let
tue Peoples verdict be rendered accordingly