The New York herald., 1873-11-29


among the several States is large enough for
the regulation OF our railways without UNDER
taking to build or purchase them.
In conclusion, from present indications, the
Presidents report of our relations with Spain
will probably bring the House of Representa-
tives, with the reading OF the Message, to
council of war.
Hngersol ana FarrinSton-The sheriff
and Tweed.
Judge Davis yesterday sentenced Ingersoll
and Harrington to five years and year and
half respectively in State Prison. That he
would make this discrimination was expected
and warranted The sentence upon Ingersoll,
it must be remembered, covers only one link
in the chain of his crimes, and will not be
considered severe even in that proportion. His
fate and that of Tweed will stand out as
warnings to all time in New York and sig
nalize to those in positions of public trust
that there is q force which outmatches the
cohesive power of public plunder that of
justice. If their fate has been delayed it
points the moral of their fall the more. Had
these men been swept to punishment at the
hands Of the law with the same hot indigna-
ton which marked their fall from power, tho
apologists of their misdeeds would have been
loud In reclamation against what they would
have termed s'indecent haste" In the polii-
cal quiet following an election in ap .off
year. these men have been placed in the
category of criminals, which their doings war
ranted, That force which is majestically
slow but deliberate in moving and inevitable
in crushing, exercises terror which equally
strong but impulsive forces often fail to in
spire. 'sThe mills of the gods grind slowly,
but they grind exceeding fine The penalty
dealt out to Ingersolls accomplice, Harrington,
shows to those who hasten to be rich by
questionable means, whether as tool or prin-
cipal, that personal insignifcance will not
shield where the crime is Intentional. 1t was
mitigated penalty. but the moral is in the con-
viction and the felon's brand which will at
tach to servant willing to be as dishonest as
his master required. Without such servants
not be committed, and if mercy makes q
distinction in the degree of guilt the mini
mum penalty is yet severe.
The letter of Attorney General Barlow to
Sheriff Brennan regarding his suspicious re-
tention of Tweed in the Tombs, in violation
of-the law instead of sending him to the Peni-
tentiary, may be taken as the utterance of the
Governor OF this State. We do not care to
inquire into the motives guiding this behavior
on the part Of the Sheriff They cannot be
worthy ones, nor be construed as anything but
the scandalous plea for shameful dereliction
in an important public officer. A sheriff who
makes himself the obsequious servant of his
prisoner may prove danger. He makes
law unto himself and evidently wishes
the people to believe that when a prisoner is
committed to the County Jail that to be in his
care is to be in the Penitentiary Lunatics
have had similar fancies about themselves
before now, and the Sheriff might be allowed
to escape rebuke on that plea, il he would ad-
vance it. Illusions take strange shapes, and
if Mr.. Brennan, from his official connection,
has believed that he is the Black Maria and
Blackwell Island the Attorney General let
ter should bring him back to reason, as fur
ther contumacy is not unlikely to result in
the exercise of the power of the Governor, who
is his superior officer. Tweed must go to the
Penitentiary, as Ingersoll and Harrington must
go to Sing Sing. The Sheriff cannot prevent
that and this servility to rich prisoner is
little to his credit seeing that he bundles the
poor ones up the Hudson or across the East
River with all the despatch which the law
allows.
The MORAL EFFECT OF THANKSGIVING
DAY.-In the midst of warlike alarms it is
pleasant to notice that throughout the country,