New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-02
The Democratic Leaders Again.

.
great struggle. The latter must be euorayen
In the memory Of this people as long as hon.
est men shall survive or there are similar
abuses 20 reform. We have no occasion In
remind the immunity of il. Nor have We
any interest in the squabbles of the Demo-
Gratis among themselves. WhGther "Apollo
HalP' goes down, OF "Tammany'' goes up.
is the same thing to us. We have our own
private opinion that, when an organization
like Tamnany has its name almost identified
with swindling, and when its history hag
/ been mainly either Of petty disrcpitable
politics, or OF public and notorious thievery
an honest man who happened to be q Demo.
crat would be disgusted at having mart Or
parcel with it, and would hasten to be for
ever rid oft and its traditions and surround
ings.
/ But this IS matter Of taste Gentlemen
usually do not care to JON a club which has
been managed and carried on bv swiudIers.
If our Democratic gentlemen. either beliey-
ing that they can purify this nest OF thieves
or caring more for politca! connection than
for an honest mans sclt-rcspcct, choose to
become members of this disreputable organi-
cation, it is no affair of ours. Primarily, il
| is difficult for us to understand how any New
/ York citizen who had the smallest svmna-
! thy with reform, or with the moral ideas OF
the age, could belong to n party which has
not single idea remaining, which has not
only never effected single political i'm
provement, but has been stained and per-
vaded with corruption. And further than
| that, how a public man who believed in
something higher than ohice-hunting and
! low party man9uvring, and above all, who
was aiming and labOring to elevate the
working-classes, could voluntarily join such
corrupt and dsreputable association IS
Tammany has been, remains fox rs some
! thing utterly incOmprchensibe.
! But all this was not in our minds when we
spoke of the position of the Democratic lead
ers in the great struggle with Iammanv. In
the recent political campaign we observed m
the speeches of Mr.. Hewitt, Mr.. TildCn, and
other Democratic leaders, and we note con-
tinually in the crazy columns Of the World,
an effort to warp the popular judgment On
tho conduct of these gentlemen during the
struggle, and an attempt to make our good
naturod community forget what the old chiefs
of the Democracy might have done and what
| they really did in that great crisis. These
gentlemen understand well the popular TEN.
permanent. They know that our great weak
ness in America is to too easily forget and
| forgive. They trust to this good nature, and
then by incessant repetitiOus of fallaces-
which, perhaps, they hall believe themselves
| they hope eventually to entirely reverse the
popular Judgment on the Democratic party IN
| New York.
| So far as is in our power, We propose to de-
feat this amiable design. We believe that it
is IN the interest Of public justice and mo-
rality, that our young men should know, aud
not forget, that in the most terrible struggle
with organized corruption which ever &C.
Cured in this country, when power and polf,
place and fame, were on the side Of public
dishonesty and abuse, and loss and danger
on the side Of its assailants, the old Demo
cratic chieftairs never lifted finger in the
contest, and even gave their moral support
to the successful swindlers. For it must he
remembered, that in that long year Of our
battle with the Ring, public word from Dir
Tilden, or any other Of these gentlemen,
would have been worth a thousand speeches
from our Republican leaders, or all the arti-
cles that appeared in Republican journals.
They were reputed gentlemen-men of hon.
or, with large property interests at stake, and
the we!l-knOwn representatives of the De.
mocracy. The public, especially the rural
Democracy and the Demo .racy of other
| States, looked to them to rebuff these strange
attacks on the party leaders Of TIE city, or,
if that could not be done, to humbly confess
their truth, and to proclaim the utter separa-
ton OF the Democratic party from these
stytIfdiers. Not word evcr escaped them.
Mr.. Tilden appeared at the head of the
Tweed Convention" and, if we mistake
not, Mr.. Clarkson Potter presided in sitting
which had not the courage either to condemn
Tweed Or his acts.
This was even after the public exposure.
But before this, so hopelessly corrupt had
the party become, that the stolen money Of
the Ring controlled all the Democratic mr.
maries Of the rural districts, and its influence
was beginning tn be felt throughout the
whole country. During that year, when we
struck our blows alone, Tweed and Swceny
controlled the Democratic party ofthe Union
they confidently expected to name the next
President, and all that Democratic triumph
could offer was in their hands. During that
very year, few intelligent men in New York
doubted the evidence and the suspicious in
dications We brought forward as to the coz
ruption Of the Ring.
And yet, during that very period, no Dem
! ocratic leader made 4 sign of opposition Or
suspicion Of this corrupt gang. On the con,
trary, the names Of several appeared on the
LIST OF munifcent donors Of prircely gifts to
a member of the family of the leader. thus
| testitying their social respect for the man.
/ 1t is true, as Mr.. Hewitt said in his recent
letter, that, privately and confiClertialIy. The
| Democratic leaders doubted and denounced
the members Of the Ring. But they kent oll
this holy indignation for their families. or for
the clubs, where everybody agreed with them.
No syllable of it was lisped in public. We
cannot, however, agree with Mr.. Hewitt that
to Mr.. Tilden is due the credi. Of proving
charges vaguely made. We acknowledge
that when the whole public were in full CIV
against the rogues, Mr. 1ilden Joined the
hunt. We freely admit, further, the claims
upon public gratitude which Mr.. Tilden es.
tablished BY his investigation into the ac-
counts Of the Broadway Bank, by bis service
freely given to the conduct of the civil suits
against the Ring, and by his selEsacriacing
! efforts 10 bring the corrupt judges to Justice.
But the publishing Of tho accounts and the
| fraudulent vouchers was the great proof to
the public Of the guilt and rottenness of Tam
many and the succeeding demonstration in
| figures by the committee Of citizens, of which
Mr.. William A. Booth was the able chair
man, formed the Official and exact verifying
! OF what the first publication clearly showed.
| On the whole, the wise and humble part
FOR the Democratic leaders is, either never to
alludc to the Ring frauds, or humbly to con.
fcss that, in the darkest hour of municipal
corruption, they failed in their duty, and had
not the courage or the genius to say in pub
lie what in their hearts they belicved.-N,
Y ViJYee