Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-06
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1873.


be matter of surprise. That the YER
dict of the jury should have been ex-
pected, that the country, the court and
the counsel for the prosecution, as well
as the prisoner and his friends, should
have been prepared for such result, if
not still worse one, is still more mat
ter of regret. The deep regret-aye, the
bitter humiliation and shame-with
which this result has been received, may,
after all, result in permanent good to
New York and the country at large. 1t
must serve to convince the people, if
there had been necessity for further
proof, that only the outposts have been
won in the great battle between reform
and corruption. The whole country
were startled out of their fancied secur-
ity, some months ago, by the astounding
announcement of the immense frauds
that were daily being perpetated in the
city of New York by the very officers
whose sworn duty it was to defend the
interests and property of the people.
The facts were so patent, the evidence
was so complete, that there was no es-
cape from the acceptance of the truth,
that millions of dollars were unblushing-
ly filched from the tax payers of New
York by system and by means which
could be characterized by no other term
hut robbery Neither was there any
doubt by whom these almost inconceiv-
all ~ tnI
liam NJ. Tweed was the master spirit.
Whoever else had part or lot in the
matter, he was the grand central figure.
The name of Tweed becamea synonvme
for fraud, corruption and robbery. So
awakened did the citizens become to the
fact that men, who for years had never
taken part in politics came to front, and
time and time again were the adherents
of Tweed and Tammany Hall hurled
from power. 1t was not a party tri-
umph, in the ordinary use of the term.
1t was the banding of good citizens of
all parties and creeds for the sake IF
good, honest government. Tweed. him
self, wilted before the storm, and was
forced to retire from the position hp held
IN the city government. After almost
endless delays, an indictment was found
against Tweed for a simple misdemean-
or, the severest penalty for which, on
conviction, was simply imprisonment
for few short months, or a correspond
ngly inadequate fine. So unexampled
was his crime, that the lawmakers had
hardly deemed it necessary to provide
'5r it's punishment. Tweed had, it was
alleged, stolen nearly million of dollars
from the public treasury, had bribed
and corrupted others, if not actually
committed forgery and yet, as we have
said, the highest penalty that could he
awarded was less than would be inflicted
upon the merest petty thief. The par
ticulars of his crime are too well known
to need any further recapitulation here
Their discovery, as we have said, had
aroused the people At the polls and By
impeachment they had purified the CITY
government, they had rid themselves of
Il corrupt judiciary, and had secured for
public prosecutors able and inc0rruptible
lawyers. 1t was under such circum-
stances, with 50 inadequate punish
ment in the event of a conviction, be-
fore pure and intelligent court, and
with the prosecution in the hands of
counsel selected for their ability and in
tegrity, that Tweed was brought to trial,
and that the failure of the jury to con
yict excited no surprise The fountain
of public justice was corrupted at its
very head. For centuries the hope of
the people has been in trial by jury.
Established by the people, and for the
protection of the people against wong,
.usupation fraud and crime, it proved,
in this case the protection Of fraud and
crime against the people. While the
Magma Charta and our own constitution
provide for the trial of every accused
person by a jury of his peers, little did
they imagine that in the middle of the
nineteenth century, in the year of grace
1878, it would be interpreted to mean a
Jury of his peers in crime and iniquity.
But so the New York commissioners OF
Jurors seemed to have interpreted il.
The very composition of the jury showed
it. The open, unblushing assurance of
Tweed proved it. The i'll disguised salts
faction and indifference of his counsel
demonstrated it. The whole system,
adopted by the ''Ring' for the selection
of Jurors was and is rotten and corrupt
to the very core. No qualifications
whatever are necessary. Dock loafers
and State prison conyicts, as in this case.
are competent jurors. A panel of jurors
can be drawn to convict, acquit, or dis
agree, as the case may seem to require.
This result has been seen for years in the
city of New York, but it had its culmi-
nation on the trial Of Tweed. Here
rests the hope of the criminal. Here
lies the danger of the people. Is it any
wonder that staid, respectable papers
talk about almost demand-a vigilance
committee. AS the original disclosure
of Tweeds frauds led to the overthrow
of his corrupt political ring, so will the
result of his trial lead to a publication
of the means for the selection of jurors.
If this shall be the result New York can
well stand the humiliation and shame of
the present in the triumph of reform in
the future. The time is opportune. The
>wer is in the hands of the people, and
~ representatives. will not fail to APP
ply the r,