New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-31
CANAL RING FRAUDS.
THE MORALE OF THE RING.

CENrERs OF THE CANAL RING-C0MBINATI0Ns
AND INTERPRETATIONS - EXCITEMENT IN
SYRACUSE AND ROCHESTER OVER THE EXPO
MISREPRESENTATION RATHER THAN DEFENSE
TO BE REsORTED TO.
lBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUSE.l
ALBANY, March SO-The Christian Canal Con-
tractor will go down to history with the Christian
Statesman. Both have enjoyed a long lease of
power. and both are victims of q newspaper eclipse
The Christian statesman used Sunday schools and
temperance societies as means to political ends
Tho Christian Canal Contractor builds churches
and endows charities on which to found
worthless vertical wall and keeps up public
parade of piety to hide the absence Of pudding
But just as there followed in the shining wake of
the Christian Statesman tho suspicion that there
was more smile than sincerity about him, so people
have come gradually to think of the Christian Canal
Contractor that his morality is as unbalanced as his
bids and his professions hardly well fulfilled as
his contracts. The Christian Statesman lasted I'M
til he was exposed the Christian Canal Contractor
was found out long before his name got into The
TRIBUNE for the leading contrac tors vi the Ring
may well be said, long ago lost the respect OF
their decent nGgaa55fs. case in point is That of
contractor whose name stands high Oh HE IRIB-
UNE's blacklist. He built and largely supports
leading church in his city. He is the head OF
large and fourshing Sunday-school He Is the
sponsor Of the temperance society and is yet the
owner of of the worst swindliug contracts and
tho partner of another OF the black sheep.
Said leading Democrat of the State to this part
Ier at the Convention last Summer: I'D, we don't
mind you; you don't pretend to be anything but
wicked But to have Is. going about building
churches and endowiDg Sunday-schools with the
money he has stolen from the people is little too
Xnu .aI ha. q toll i'm
that he may be able to cheat the State, but he
can't cheat the Almighty"
That is about the way 81 neighbors feel about it,
if one can Judge from their conduct a year ago,
when the Canal Ring attempted the impudent task
of forcing him upon his city as its Republican
Mayor. The whole honest sentiment of the town at
once rose against him, and citizen of high stand
ing was nominated to oppose him. The Reform
candidate was on his way from Europe at the time.
and was encountered landing by the
omnipresent Willard johnson, with his
modest step and his bunch of
keys "Willard,n as he is familiaIy called-who
adopts the wise political maxim of walking fifty
miles rather than write a letter-persuaded the new
arrival that lie would run only to be defeated and
he Withdrew. A good instance this of Canal Ring
politics-a Democratic Assemblyman working to
make Republican Mayor. But when ho reached
his home the Reform candidate was beset by friends.
who implored him for the sake Of the good name
of the city to save it from the disgrace that
was impending over 1t, IN tho election OF Chris
tan Canal Contractor to its chief office He finally
gave way. A card appeared in the Monday papers
announcing the withdrawal of his Withdrawal, and
all that day and all night the best citizens Of the
city went from door to door rousing the people to
sense of their danger, and with such good result
hot lo,o ma
and the Canal Ring failed by 800 votes This is
perhaps long story for a short moral, but it is well
enough to know that canal contractors are not
without appreciation in their own country.
There are many singular characteristics about the
Canal Ring. Like all rings, it is centralized. not
only in method but in locality. Rochester and Sy-
racuse have been its two great capitals though OF
late days the glory Of Rochester has diinin-
ished somewhat since the abdlcation OF
the Lords. In both cities there are many
combinations OF tho semi-secret seml-open
character that might well be termed half bandit
and half busness-like. These rings within the
Ring have their offices IN sets opening into ono
another are for all practical purposes partners and
vet in the eyes of the law are distinct persons
Their bank account is In the name of one of their
number. Beden carries the bag for the Belden. Den
ison g. Gale combination. and the division OF
profits is periodic and impartial lntemarIlage Is
another characteristic of these local consultations
of the Canal Ring. The sou OF 5000 cubic yards OF
Vertical Wall marres the daughter of 100000 feet of
White Oak. while perhaps Grabbing and Cleaning
contracts a matrimonial alliance with Solid Rock
There are whole networks of families In various
localities whose daily bread is canal contracts. In
this way another is added to the ties that hold
the Ring well strung together Canal contracts
are hereditary The father transmits his
business and his knowledge to his son. and the lat
ter will sometimes have brothers and cousins as
partners. In q contractors family the member
who seeks some other mode of support is an
anomaly There is one instance of father and
three sons all active canal people at tue same time
one of them being placed on the canal as en-
gineer to play into the hands OF the others
1t is in these cities of Rochester and Syracuse that
they know canal contractor when they see him.
In these cities local sentiment is awake, and when
THE TRIBUNE arrived ten days ago with its first ex-
posure of the frauds, the excitement was such as
has not been paralleled in many years In both
cities that days TRIBUNE sold for 81 copy.
The Ring viii die, but it Will die hard. The ex-
posure which they have 90 long defed has at last
come to them at the hands OF Gov. Tilden and The
TRIBUNE. and pound OF publicity is as good as an
ounce of punishment If the Canal Ring is
not broken into fragments, there is no virtue
in the printing press and no power in public
indignation but they do not propose to surrender.
or if they do it will be only reacherous capitula-
ton. Their policy will BIO comprised in obstruction
and not in defense. None of them have yet arisen
to defend the system which has enriched them at
the expense of the people. They confess and avoid.
Jarvis Lord waves the agitation Indignantly away,
after the manner of injured statesmen, as per-
sonal attack upon HIM by Gov Iilden's
official sheet" but he has attempted no real
explanation. The Office Of obli0ue defense