New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-11-11
TEYING THENNFLTES.


pointing q court for III" investigation OF their
own alleged delinquencies ia not pleasant
one, and therefore, while il was plainly the
duty of the Canal Board to take some kind Of
action in the cases OF the suspended en-
gineers, Yates and Babc0ck. we cannot say
that the investigation WAS looked upon with
public favor For ii must be remembered that
the abuses committed under the superintend-
ence of Yates ard RabcOck were only parts
of a great network Of fraud aud miSmanage-
ment which covered the entire administration
of the canals for long series OF years, and
that the present Canal Board was di-
rectly implicated in it, There were hardly
any isolated cise7 oi fraud, properly speaking.
Every ewindlc pcipetrated by the contractors
was prepared 10y long and consistent course
of manipulating Stale officers, and making
cOrrupt bargains with the guardians OF the
public interest. Investigate the cause of n
rotten wall. and you trace the thread of crime
from the builder through the engineers, the
administrative departments, aud the Legisla-
turc. back to the party convention and The
town caucus. The swinding ran right on from
one Job to another. frcm one election to the
next. the same set of men always operating
the machinery and getting tho principal part
of the profits, just aS the operations oil
the Tammany Ring in New-Gork were Il
connected system of thcfts, branching out IN
many directions. but all ce1terug IN Tweed,
Connolly, and Sweeny. Every state officer
therefore WHO has been concerned IN any 0l
the doubtful transactions of the Canal hing
becomes in n certain senoc implicated III the
whol, business, and whether the alleged
oficnses of Yates aud Babcocb are directly
attributable to the present Board or TO IA
former one, it is equally improper That these
men should Dc tried by officers who ale them
selves accused of participation in Canal
sWndies.
We can appreciate the dire pressure which
compeIed Messrs. Hopkins Stroud and others
to defend the impeiilod King; but Che Repdb-
lcan party ought 10 understand that it can
hardly afford 10 take the responsibility Of their
conduct upon It's overloaded shoulders. An
election has JUS boon held in which Che Canal
Ring. menaced with destruction by Demo
cratic Governor, joined lis fortunes openly to
those Of the Republican party. We SaI moth
ing of the rjimOrs OF formal alliance between
the politicians Oh the one side and the thieves
ON the other; it is enough TO know that
they worked together, aud between them they
MANAGED to reduce the Democratic MA 0Tity
and u4in possession of both Houses Of the
Legislature. Handy have the votes been
counted when the Canal Board restores the
suspended engineers and puts itself distinctly
on record as opposed to the movement of Tc-
form. A,ciihr il IN The instinct OF sclf-pIeser-
Walton on the pat OF the Beard, If you will;
the question is, what position will the Rcpub-
Ican party assumc9 VIII it cultivate con
timed alliance with the Canal Ring, now chat
the Bcldens, Dcuisons, and Lords have given
q specimen of their political power? That is
the most Interesting question just now in the
politics of the State of Ncw-lOTk.
As for the contest with the Ring, that Of
course goes or. The new Canal Board going
into Office Oh the 1t OF January viii be COM
posed Of the Governors friends, and, We
iYl,.., OF honest men; at any rate they were
chosen with reference especially TO the work
Of Canal Reform, and We have no reason 10
doubt that they viii fulfill The expectations Of
their friends As for the prosecution of old
offenders, that i, 4 part of Jhe proceedings
which hostile Legislature cannot seriously
ohstruct. The Governors Commission viii
push is Investigations to the bottom, and the
ATTORNEY General and the courts Of law viii
take care Of the rest Of The job.