New-York tribune., 1873-02-04
MP TJJDENS LETTER.

letter, which we publish this morning. Ii Is
ostensibly defense of his own conduct. III
il were nothing more than that we should
hardly deem it worth the space it fills, for MIR.
Tilden needs no defense. The country knows
him as a practical politician who does not
make public duty subservient to party ad-
vantage, and who has attempted to manage
the machinery of the Democratic organization
with due Difference to patriotism and honesty.
In the overthrow of the Tweed Ring, Mr.
Tilden, as we have often shown, rendered a
service to New York which can hardly be
overestimated. His hostility to that Ring was
not the result of sudden popular excitement.
He did not follow the Democratic reaction
against the fraudulent regime; he led it
by some years. He fought Tweed at every
opportunity. He opposed, with Dir. Greeley,
with the editor of The World, and with many
discerning men of each party, the Charter
which gave the Ring unchecked power in this
city; and when his predictions were justified
in the discovery of the secret accounts, he
was the first to see how that discovery could
be turned TO the advantage of the city, and
to suggest all the measures which have since
driven the thieves out of office, purified the
record their wishes at the polls. Mr.. Tilden
presents connected and highly interesting
narrative of his long contest with the Ring,
and although, as we said before, it was not
necessary TO his vindicatiOn, it deserves a
careful reading, and is especially pertinent to
the present condition of affairs.
1t will be seen from Mr. Tilden's story-and
is pretty well known already to readers of
THE TRIBUNE-that the instrument by which
the Ring acquired its extraordinary power was
the Tweed Charter of 1870. Mr.. Tilden and a
number of prominent Republicans, including
Mr.. Greeley, went to Albany and opposed it
with all the energy they could command. THE
TRIBUNE, The Evening Post and The World
pointed out its mOnstrous character. Several of
the Democratic members of the Legislature de-
clared themselves against it, But Tweed had
done in 1870 what he has done since. He had
reached an understanding with what is pOpu-
lary known as the CustOm-hOuse faction of
the Republican party and by that faction his
Charter was supported and carried. "a year
"latern says Mr.. Tilden, ait was stated in the
newspapers, on the authority Of Judge Noah
"Davis, as derived from a well known men,
"ber of the lobby, that the price paid to six
"leading Republican Senators was to each
$4,000 for the Charter, and $4,000 for the
"kindred bills of the session, and $1,000 for
similar services the next year." Five of
those six Senators are now Republican leaders
at Albany.
Up to this time the thefts Of the Ring had
been comparatively modest But with the
adoption of this Charter, by Republican votes,
the various departments Of the City Govern
ment were all placed in the power of Tweed,
Sweeny, Connolly, Fields, Bradley, and their
associates, and during the remaining hine
months of the year they stole no less than
twelve and quarter millions of dollars. The
election law which afterward gave them such
extraordinary power over the polls, was like
wise passed by Republican votes; and when
Cardozo's Code Amendment, framed to give
the Ring Judges a despOtic power over the
press and the bar, was pushed through the
Legislature, every Republican member either
voted for it or abstained from voting at all.
The great question now is whether under
the Charter of 1878 we shall have a new Ring,
as absolute in power for evil and as carefully
protected against interference, as the Ring .of
1870. We have seen that dangerous alliance
has been made between the remnant of the
Tweed Democracy and the Custom house fac
ton of the Republicans, and we are not to
take it for granted that the objects of that
alliance were fully accomplished when the
allies carried the election last November, and
when Tweed escaped the prosecution which
Mr.. Tilden's discoveries in the Broadway
Bank rendered possible in the courts. 1t is
evident that a strong effort is making at Al
bany to impose upon us a purely partisan
charter. subordinating the security of the pub
lie to the supposed interests of political
clique. Surely we have not SO soon forgotten
the costly lesson taught us three years ago.
Surely VIC are not about 70 surrender our