Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-12-01
THE SENTENCE OF TWEED.

M Tweed to term of Imprisonment of
twelve years will be received throughout
this country with more genuine satisfac-
tion than has been called forth by the
results of any legal decision within the
memory of the present generation. The
circumstances which lead to the case
were essentially outgrowths of our Amer
lean civilization. 1t was test question
whether the simple forms of municipal
government could be successfully ap-
Piled to very large cities in this country.
New York IS city of million or more
inhabitants, and contains hundreds of
thousands of citizens of foreign birth,
who have but little knowledge or affec-
tion for our customs or traditions but
| what New York now is, a dozen of our
large cities will be before the century is
out; and the difficulties to which she
has been subjected will, in the ordinary
nature of things, force themselves upon
Philadelphia, ST. Louis. Chicago, and
even Boston, before many years. On
this account the trial of ''boss" Tweed
has been watched with keen interest by
those who had not the slightest person
al concern in the matter. If when
metropolis reaches certain point in
wealth and population, its treasury is
to be at the mercy of any political ad-
venturer who can gather to his support
swarm of ignorant voters. and then by
the same influences escape all punish
ment for his misdemeanors, thoughtful
men in other places than New York saw
little cause for pride or pleasure in the
rapid growth of our great business Gen.
tres The trial, the conviction and the
sentence of Tweed all go to prove that
there is, even in such a population as
that of New York, an amount of honest
purpose and moral strength sufficient to
overcome and to suitably punish the
most powerful plunderer of the city
funds, in spite of a determined resistance,
backed by immense personal influence
and unlimited expenditures of money.
Two years ago, impudent and secure
in the knowledge that his ill-gotten
wealth was safely invested, and that he
and his hench-men controlled some of
the largest wards in the city, and held
justice, so to speak, at their beck and
call; this man turned on his aecuseIs
going to do about It" It was at that
time difficult question to answer, and
few would have been sanguine enough
to have predicted this reply. Time
brings about its own redresses for wrongs
committed, and we think we are safe in
saying that this was one of the most
important elements in this case. We
do not mean to underrate the valuable
services rendered by Judge Davis, or
the jury, still less the work of the Re-
form party, that made this trial possible !;
but we are firmly convinced that the
loss IF popularity which has fallen upon
Tweed during the past two years, from
the fact that he was no longer promi-
ntparty leader, has made this con.
viction possible in sense that it has
: never had before. Had the trial taken
place when his guilt was fully proven
to the world by the publication, by Mr..
Green, of the condition of the city and
county treasury, the conditions govern
| ing itwould have been such that, in all
probability, he would have been acquit
ted. Every one knows that at this very
| time he was returned to the State Senate
by the Irish voters in the lower wards
! Of the city by a ridiculously large ma
jority, although the opposing candidate
Y was one of the bravest and truest pa
3 triots that ever left Ireland.
: Now two years of comparative retire
:, ment have taken from him much of tn
popularity he once possessed in so larg
measure, and he is only remembere'
by thousands of his former followers a
disgraced man. But while bot
praising and regretting this delay. e
praising the foresight that allowed tim
to intervene, and regretting for the ger
6 eral moral effect of the punishment tina
this delay was necessary-we are gla
to be able to state that we are conten
with the punishment meted out. Twee
!, is an old man, and there is but littl
J chance that he will live to the close
% his term of Imprisonment. Whethe
this is suffered IN the cells and corridor
of Ludlow street jail, which he ONT
assisted to remodel, or at Blackwell
: Island, by which he used to sail on h
trips to his Summer-house in Come
ticut, we care very little. The disgra'
- is irremediable, and will thencefor
i cling to him and his family even thoug
: he should be pardoned out within
year. City Government in New Yol
= has gained new lease of life and wi
" Tweed in prison, Americans, all t
q world over, may talk of their count
i with some degree of hopefulness.- Glol
81 They tell story of an old grang
~ in Illinois He was about to die a
IN some of the family wanted to send fol
ne minister to pray for him. ''To pray