New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-24
THE END or TWEED.

THE END or TWEED.
II is with no desire 20 exult over fallen
evil-doer that we refer again to the fate which
has oyertaken the chief of the Tammany Ring.
But so complete and crushing ruin has come
10 that corrupt combination OF politicians III
the sentence of Saturday that 1t requires
word of comment, before the name and the
crimes of VIM. NJ. Tweed fade from the public
memory, even as he has passed from the sight
of men. The anxiety of honest people is now
at an end. The conspiracy which he headed
was destroyed in the elections OF 1871. The
victory was greater than many dared to hope,
and when after il the press and the organizations
for reform began to demand the prosecution
of the beaten chiefs, it was thought an inOr-
dinate and far too sanguine hope which die
tated the demand But it has been pursued
with unrelenting energy and industry by such
eminent lawyers as those mentioned by Judge
Davis in his sentence, 0'Conor and Tilden,
who have shown that zeal for the public is,
after al, as powerful an incentive to noble
minds as thirst of power or of gold to men of
lower category. After the failure of the
first trial by the disagreement OF the jury, 1t
ever TO convict culprit whose enormous in
fuence permeated every ward in the city and
embraced so many thousands in its range.
But by the amended jury law an honest
tribunal was secured an upright and able
Judge was, by happy fortune, on the bench,
able and Jealous prosecutors conducted the
case, and the result has been a righteous and
salutary sentence beyond the hopes OF oil
thoughtful refOrmers.
There can be no proper objections to this
verdict The worst evil Of the day was that
open and unashamed political corruption of
which Tweed was by common consent the
most conspicuous and fragrant example. He
did not invent corruption. We do not even
say there are not worse men yet untried
But he was indicated for the severest possible
punishment by simple and memorable process
Of logic The most crying sin of the time was
political corruption. The most enormous
and notorious combination for political
corruption which our times have seen
was the New-York Ring. Tweed was
unQuestionaby the most notorious if not
the most guilty member of that combi-
nation. His crimes deserved the severest pun
ishment, and his punishment would be more
beneficial than that of any other man. The
full rigor of the law has been put in force
against him. His sentence is virtually that of
perpetual imprisonment. At his age, he could
hardly hope to survive an imprisonment of
twelve years, with or without hard labor. The
civil life OF this once powerful and wealthy
political chieftain closed on Saturday, and it
will not be long before the rumorS from his
prison will die away and he be confounded
with the crowd of lower and less guilty felons
Every one will draw the obvious moral of
this ruin, but it would seem more generally
advantageous if the lesson could be learned
that he never was really successful. His bull
lying arrogance and glazing Ostentation were
never such manifestations OF prosperity as
should have offered temptation even to con-
siderate worldliness. He was called enOr-
mously rich, and in fact it is clearly proved
that be had stolen more than million and in
creased that sum by lucky speculations. But
honest people can scarcely imagine what neces-
sary uses he found for all his income. When
man sails pirate craft he cannot stint his
crew. Tweed required the cooperation liter
ally of thousands to secure and retain his COM
mand of the means of plumber; and rogues
insist upon better pay than honest folks. In
his day of power it is said he sustained no
less than thirty political clubs He spent
enough money for champagne each year to
dover decent family-and most of his sup
porters preferred whisky. He had little leisure
OF taste for the luxuries into which he was
led by the exigencies of his singular social
relations. AS to anything else which comes
with normal and honorable prosperity, he
knew and could know nothing of it. His
associates were all his interiors, people ex-
Decting fayOrs from his hands. The best Of
them wanted a chance at the Treasury, the
worst of them the price of dram. When a
man rises by honest means he finds
at every step his acquaintance increas-
ing among the classes marked by the
same qualities of genius, or culture, or enter
prise, as those by which be has advanced.
But when bis gains have been accomplished
by dishonest or disreputable practices, void
is created around him by the public conscience.
and he has no escape from solitude except among
inferior creatures of his own kind. If Tweed
had lived in power, and died out of Jail, he
could never have been called happy or sue
cessful man. The lesson of the rise and tho
fall of such as be was is that it does pay to
resist them, and does not pay to initiate them.
----
FINLHCIAL BUOYANCY-WAR NEWS.
Wall Street first felt the panic and seems 20