The Portland daily press., 1874-12-09
Our New York Letter.
Mayor Havemeyer's Desih-Tweed's isx.
urieas ExiIe-Thnriew Weeds Innssnes
in faver Of The "Dssso-The Csmmis-
sisners sf Charities aad Csrrecsisss %
he Investisasea.
NsW YORK. Dec. I. 1874.

Nsw YORK, Dee, I, 1874.
The suSden death of Mayor Havemsyer was
an event which could not fail to make pro-
found impression upon the people of New
York. The manner Of its happening was
startling and the possible consequences with
which it was fraught were Of no little moment.
For weeks before, rumOIs were rife that the
late eccentric Mayor contemplated sgnalizing
the expiring days of his official life by making
some radical changes in the personnel of the GOV
ernment he had created. He had already
given an indication of his feelings BY the sum
mary removal Of theCommissioners OF Accounts.
the only two incumbents over whom he had
the absolute power of dismissal. They had
offended him by too much zeal in the perform
ance of their duties. Acting in conformity ta
spirit and letter Of the charter, they were COO.
tinnally ferreting out svasions of law, and aGts
of omission and commission, which betrayed
indifference to, or ignorance OF, the statutes,
whence their functions we're derived They
"wanted to know" things, TO the utter cOnsies-
nation of the circumlocution Office. Repeated
warnings were given them, that their excessive
inqusitiveness would endanser their tenure Of
office, but they kept right on, and collected
materials for weighty arrangement Of sew
eral Of the departments of the municipality.
At the time OF their ejectment, they were en-.
gagged in preparing report, which is undsr.
stood to have reflected seriously upon shs man.
agemeut of the Fire Commissioners. I,is
quite likely this document will see the light
presently and not impossible that il may serve
as the..basis of removal for cause Of soms Of
the inculpated officers. mlreq3A
Mr.. Vance. upon whom the prssogatfyes of
the Mayoralty devolve until the first Of Jsa-
uary, is a perfectly safe man for the emer-
gency. He Is honest. clear-headsd, even-tsm-
pered and thoroughly capable. There is small
danger of his doing anything which Is 10 dsr-
ogation of propriety or . careful regard for
the public interests. If he is called upon to
correct any of the mistakes Of his predecessor,
he will take the responsibility with equal arm-
ness and discretion. D ffs91tli-r-g-,
When he assumed the Executive Chair,
there was laid before him O communicafion
from Governor Dix directing attention to The
extraordinary partiality shown to Tweed BY
the Commissioners OF Charities and Correc-
tions. 1t Is well known that Mr.. Tweed's resi-.
dence upon Blackwel's Island has been me6e
comfortable by indulgences which are alto
gether inconsistent, with the discipline sf
prison life. While his fellow convieis are
locked up In their cells BY night be is pro-
vided with spacious sleeping apartment, and
a couch of down. AL the other inmates Of the
penitentiary are marched in lock stop 30 their
meals. He is served with the daintiest food
that money viii buy, in dining room much
more elegant in its appointments than Is oe-
cupied by the average Of the tar payers from
whom he has ilched the means whereby hs
maintains this anomalous state. He holds q
sort of court like captive potentats, and ne
one Is permitted to have audience with him
without his express permission. His gaolsr Is
Obsequious, deferential.' and humbly subser-
Went to his wishes. No restrictions are placed
upon the number, the quality or the sex Of his
guests. Indeed there are no insuperabls
hindrances to his escaping, except such ss are
incident to his bulky frame. Bu. while he Is
treated so well where be Is there is nothing
to inclte him to run away. Since he must 30
in exile, his present quarters answer as veil Is
any. Besides flight might lead to an effort to
sequester his property, and that is q risk be
will be slow TO incur. He knows the valus Of
money, better than ever now that he has dis
covered it can make palace of prison.
/ have no idea that anybody desires that
Tweeds punishment should be exceptionally
severe. That he should have palatablc food,
and sleeping accommodations adequate TO his
ponderous bulk, is simply consistent with COM
mon humanity. But when ID comes to ex-
f;nrx f-or oil kha r.,las
plicable to penal institutions, the effect is in
conceivably bad. 1t not only makes distinc-
ton, which the law never contemplated. bat
discriminates in favor of the offender who has
stolen much, and against him who has stolen
but little
1t is not TO he wondered at that the belief
prevails widely that Tweed pays for this favor
i tism. of course such theory subjects the
Commissioners to censorious remark. One Of
them-Mr. LaimbeeT-unable to bear the odi-
um Of such an imputation aud having valnIy
protested to his associates against persistencs
in policy which rendered 10 inevitable, has
denounced their condact and resigned his
place. The other two. Messrs. Bowen and
Stern, have been requested by Mayor Vance TO
make an explanation. They have done 30, and
their excusatory statement lies unopened at
the City Hail. Mr. Vance not having returned
thither Saturday after the funeral OF Mr..
Hayemeyer. 1t Is not difficult to anticipate
the line Of defense. They will take'the grodnd
that some privileges were accorded under med
ical advice; that there has been great exagger-
alton as to the nature and extent OF them;
that it is not true that any such general liberty
of action has been granted to the prisoner n
has been represented, etc. etc etc Aud until
the excitement dies out there will be closer
surveillance over the captive; be win gracious
Is submit to being locked in at bed time, and
will forego some of the attentions 10 which he
is accustomed, In order to save his courteous
hosts from official decapitation.
The gentleman who enjoys the credit of hav-
ing made Tweed's suburban residence pleasant
Is Mr. Thurlow Weed, the most famous pollu-
clan living, the Warwick Of our time, the man
who coached Seward, brought out, but after
wards quarrelied with aud separated from,
Greeley, introduced Raymond into public life,
governed our governors, manipulated our leg
islatures, made "slates," and dictated policies
for more than q generation. He is Republi-
can, bu: his party ties have often ses loosely
upon him. He came near slipping cut Of the
traces in Lncoln's time, and did actually trav-
ell as far as Philadelphia, towards the snemy's
camp when the arm-in-arai convention met.
just after Andy johnson Stopped over" He
has a penchant for intrigue still, which the
frosts of age have not withered. Between him
and Tweed, there is . similarity of name, and
some other points Of resemblance. Both have
ruled the camp in state and city. Both ex-
ercised imperial sway over legislation. ami
have in their turn had the entree Of the Execu-
tive chamber. Unfortunately, an insane pas
sion for vulgar wealth, an utter obliviousnes.
to the distinction between meuna and hs,lm, a
species of kleptomania so Unsuitable that II de-
fed restraint and caution, brought disaster to
the pupil in the same role which had given tri-
unph to the master. Perhaps spirit of gen.
erosity, of pity, of compassion towards a fallen
leader of the people. memory of former an
tagonisms or affiliations. prompted the reter-
an wire-puller to interpose to shield his hap
less imitator from the extreme humiliations of
of his terrible downfall. 1t so happened that
his relations with one of the Commissioners,