The New York herald., 1875-11-03
The Defeat OF Tammany Hall.

| OF the Grant party AT the last autumn elec-
tions After a contest unsurpassed even in
the bitter controversies of our city politics
or ferocity, calumny and desperation, the
forces of Tammany, organized as they have
never been before, have met with signal
and decisive overthrow. At the hour of going
to press the returns show the election Of Mr..
Hackett as Recorder of MIR. Phelps as Dis
trict Attorney, and the whole county ticket
by varying majorites. Mr.. Morrissey has
! defeated Mr.. Fox, the Tammany candidate
for Senator in the lower district. 1t is inn
possible to give an approximation OF the
figures Local feeling in various districts
may affect the majorities somewhat, but not
enough to change the general result. Tam
many Hall is oyerthrown, and its leader, who,
on Saturday evening loudly prophesied an
Austerlitz, has found Waterloo.
This result viii be gratifying, not only to
the true democrats in New York, but to the
democratic party throughout the country.
1t was time for the one man power to come
to an end It was time for system which
gave us a Tweed yesterday which might
have given us Tweed tomorrow, to cease
1t was time for political cabal, taking its
rise in secret association and showing in
its discipline and career some Of the worst
features Of the political societies Of the
French Revolution, to be stamped out. 1t
was time that Robespierreism should alb
dicate its reign Of terror over free party
and a free people. 1t was time that demo-
Gratis who claimed independence of judg-
ment and the right to participate in the
councils of their own party should no longer
be sent to the guillotine by the executioners
of John Kelly. 1t was time that the civil
service Of this great metropolis, from the
chief of the bureau to the laborer on
the boulevard, should not be deliv-
cred to the uses of an irresponsible
and autocratic rule 1t was time that
the burlesque upon good government which
Green and Wickham have given US since the
accession Of the present Mayor to Office
should be repudiated by sensible order-lov-
ing community. 1t was time that the demo-
cratic party should be freed from an incubus
which oppressed it and caused its defeat when
Greeley ran against Grant, and which threat
ened to overload it in the next campaign for
the Presidency. These are glorious results.
They are due alone to the courage of an in
dependent press giving expression to the will
Of an independent people The issue was
plainly drawn. John Kelly made his battle
in his own way. He fought it with blind
unreasoning, obstinate gallantry, and he has
lost He falls as leader Of the once power
full Tammany Hall, and with him falls the
one man power in New York politics
We can estimate the value of this triumph
when we reflect for o moment what might
have been had Mr.. Kelly been triumphant.
He profered no quarter, and he will ask
none, He aimed at imperial power. He
meant that his will should be as absolute as
that Of Tweed-that no democrat should re
main in the organization who did not accept
his rule as though he were the Shah of Per-
sia or the autocrat Of all the Russias.
The party councils would have been the
| simple records Of his own will The
State Convention would have passed
into his hands New York would have
gone into the next democratic conven-
ton for the Presidency to register his com
mands. Every ofice-holder who challenged
| his will would have been expelled from
authority and influence. This mighty En-
pire State, whose democratic history is ripe
with statesmen Of admitted genius and patri-
| otism-the State Of De Witt Clinton and Van
Buren, Of Marcy and Silas Wright-would
| have become the creature of local politi-
clan whose highest aim would be to govern
/ ~ f0II
New York. Those who have studied the re-
cent history Of the Tammany dynasties will
remember that when Tweed was in the
f1lness Of his reign this was his purpose. He
| planned statues in his own honor. He began
an agitation to drive Mr.. Belmont and Mr..
Tilden out Of the national government Of the
party. He created his own candidate for the
Presidency and opened the campaign for his
election He strove to win as Kelly did-by
organization, discipline, terrorism, the
lavish use Of money. Had he gained posses
sion Of the general government we should
have had Tammany Rings in every State,
court houses would have been "built" by
Ingersolls and Garveys in every city, and
the credit Of this great Republic would have
been dishonored by horde Of rapacious
thieves like the old leaders of Tammany,
who are now either in prison or wandering
in foreign lands. The public virtue Of New
York, when aroused, overthrew this appall-
ing scheme as yesterday it overthrow Kelly
and Tammany Hall.
We are far from saying that Mr.. Kelly
would have used his power like Tweed. 1t
is due to the defeated chief to say that the
{ evil was more in the system than in himself
John Kelly would have been a tyrant, but he
would never have been o thief But it is a
question whether free people suffer more
from public plunderer than from tyrant.
MIR. Kelly deserves the credit Of giving us