Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-12-10
anosbIle aateekp Gbunite 0oOmsOap december IT, 1879.
weeds Conviction.

We DO not think that we can do our
readers greater favor than Ivy reproducing
in full the following admirable article on
the subject named above from HayJ1ey's
Weekly:
1t Is but three or four years ago that GER
tain Of Treed's retainers, aud among them
three or four respectable citizens, proposed
to erect statue 10 the man who has Just
been most justly convicted US felon, and
with the profoundest approval of the coun-
try. That single fact is an illustration both
of the public peril and the public escape.
The respectable citizens who signed the
proposal did not dare to do otherwise. They
know the enormous power of the man, and
his INSCRIPTIONS use of it. They knew
that he was the chief of the dominant
political party in the city that the Gov
ernor and the Legislature obeyed his will |;
thai judges on the bench were his tools and
lawyers at the bar his creatures that he
corrupted the press, and held DULLES in his
pay-and they signed under terror, rs
Others sent bridal gifts to his daughter upon
her marriage, knowing that he would
publish their names, and not daring to re-
fuse. No mans power seemed more abso-
Lutte for his purposes than Tweed's, and he
was to have statue With Washington
and Franklin and Shakespeare, he was to
be honored in enduring marble or bronze
as human benefactor. Public decency
was outraged. One of the most renowned
and honored of Am erican citizens exposed
the infamy in the journal of which he is
the senior editor But "What will YOU do
about it ~ was the sneering reply Aud
all the while Tweed was thief aud those
who were to build the statue knew it, and
three OF the most conspicuous citizens look
ed into the accounts of his confederates, and
declared under their signatures that they
were correct.
Fortunately Tweed's fall has been as sig
nal us his success. Upon the distinct
proof of his crimes the whole decent COM
munity arose and began the work of re-
form. But while his party was defeated
and his immediate confedcrates either es-
capped or shrunk into obscurity, he was
personally sustained by his constituency,
and seemed to defy the wrath of public
opinion. His stolen wealth enabled him
to buy the tricks and techncalities of law
yers, and for a long time he evaded Justice.
But at length brought to bay by the power
of the honest State, and by the assiduity
of law officers resolved that justice should
be done, arraigned before a thoroughly
able brave and incorruptible judge, whom
all his arts could neither ajole nor terrify
nor all the wretched bubbles and bullyings
of counsel confuse or deceive, by an hon
est and unbought Jury of his fellow-citi-
zens, William NJ Tweed has been convicted
of enormous and continued frauds, and
will eXpiate his crimes, like other thieves,
at Sing Sing or on Blackwell's Island.
If the career of this man is an illustra-
tration of the startling venality of our pol
itics, the movement which ends in his
| conviction is the vindication of the power
| of the popular conscience working peace
| fully in legal forms. Our problem is to
keep that conscience permanently active,
so that dangers menacing to society itself
| may be averted in the beginning. II is
| true that after long struggle we deal sat
isfactorily with Tweed, but are we dealing
with Tweedism? DO we comprehend the
practices and chances in politics that make
| rweeds and Tammany Rings not only
possible, but probable? The overthrow of
| the Tammany Ring is one of the most au-
spicious and significant events in our pO-
| litical history. Good citizens justly con-
graduate themselves. But let them not
| forget that their political indifference pro-
| duced it, The price of good government
| is not voting the regular ticket, but intelli-
| gence and vigilance. If good men will
not take the trouble to govern, bad men
will and good government requires great
deal of trouble from every honest citizen.