New-York tribune., 1873-09-03
THE TRUST COMPANYS SECRETS.

Alderman Ropes discovered, within a few
hours after assuming the Presidency OF the
Brooklyn Trust Company, that Sl4S,OO0 of
city funds had been stolen, and he promptly
exposed the fact to the city officials. That
act led many to think Mr.. Ropes deserving
of the promotion which it is well known he
covets. Had he gone forward in this public
spirited course, and shown that he had care
only for the public good, and no consideration
for Rodman and his confederates, Mr.. Ropes
might have won the advancement to the
Mayoralty of which he is so ambitious.
But Mr.. Ropes was induced to keep secret
from the people of Brooklyn his knowledge
of the crime, and to aid in an effort to re-
cover the money on terms which gave pro-
lection to the alleged thief or thieves. 1t is
idle perhaps to urge that similar conduct in
any other than public business would have
been construed into an Ofense against the
laws which is commonly known as the COM
"pounding of felony.n At any rate it is
unnecessary at this time, for the people of
Brooklyn have already formed judgment as
to the action of the officials who have dealt
with Rodman.
But Mr.. Ropes goes even further than this,
and is at this moment aiding the Directors of
the Brooklyn Trust Company to conceal Sc
crets of that institution which if known would
ruin the reputation Of other men than Mills,
Rodman, and Sprague. If the institution had
been thrown into bankruptcy (and its shat
tered finances left it month ago in bank
rupt state), all the dangerous secrets of the
Ring would have come out. To avoid this,
Judge Alexander McCue was sent for by
Judge Pratt, Director of the broken
bank was appointed Receiver after
consultation and in pursuance of the pro-
gramme of concealment; and for month
longer the secrets of the bank were hidden.
Mr.. Ropes was elected President, aud he, too.
consented to this cOncealment from all but
the public officials Finally, betrayed by a
dismissed official, show of prosecution was
made against the "scapegoat" Rodman, and
further developments were concealed Now
Mr.. Ropes comes forward and declares that
there is nothing more to be learned by inves-
tigation that $14S, 900 are shown to have been
taken, aud that is all.
Mr. Ropes knows very well that this is tot
all. He knows that this defalcation 1is
own bank alone was S4O5,0U 2s with, 1ne
year and half, and that il has been gradu-
ally reduced from time to time until 1t was
discovered to be S98,92O IL. lie knows that
among the records Of his bank is the informs-
ton as to who got that money, and that the
persons who used it were not Mills, Rod
man, or Sprague only. When il was drawn
and how. the further examination which
Mr.. Ropes prevents in the interest of
the Ring would have shown Will he
still prevent the people from securing
this evidence 80 necessary to the successful
prosecution of their suit against faithless
officials which is soon to be tried at the polls :
Mr.. Ropes is now the guardian of the secrets of
the Ring. The Trust Company was the Sub-
Treasury of the Ring, and as the Controllers
Office here concealed the frauds of Tweed and
Connolly, so the Ring bank and the Treasurer's
Office conceal the evidence of crime as great
in degree. The people to whom he will prob
ably appeal this Fall win not forget the
| obstacles he throws in the way Of Reform in