The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-28

Our readers may unnecessarily II AhcJ xiv
much attention to the reports of the move
ments Of local politics, that we are now on the
eve of another great excitement as 70 the
control of the city. 1t seems that there 10 d
controversy impending between Boss John
Kelly, who commands the swalow-tailed
democracy. and Boss John Morrissey, who
commands the short-haired element OF that
dominant faction. These two athletes are
stripping for the encounter. Slowly coming
up to tho front and forming in line to take
whatever part may fall to them IN the strife
we have Boss Tom Murphy, who commands
the republican beef-eaters, and Boss Tom
Dreamer, with a detachment Of plug-uGlies
from Mackerelville whose expenses he is lib
orally defraying out of the one hundred thou
sand dollars he recently made in Wall street.
Every day we have bulletin from our local
statesmen as to the condition of the fight and
the points involved That profound German
scholar, Mr.. Justice Quinn, who made him-
self immortal some time since, when he
viewed with alarm the growth OF the
German power in this country Of ours, has
given us his views of the strife. Boss John
Kelly, who Is as silent as Grant, vouchsaies
occasionally, in an oracular phrase to tell US
what may or may not be done. Boss John
Morrissey holds loud council in an uptown
barroom, threatening the defiance OF Achilles
between his cups. Boss Tom Murphy is too
busy eating CLAIMS at Long Branch and too
assiduous in his personal devotion to the
Ia fxiya he m a
proper conduct Of his party. Altogether
there never was SO much excitement, SO much
noise, so much clamor and so much strife,
and the destiny Of New York may be said to
turn upon the combinations" Of the next
few weeks.
And yet what does it all mean? II is really
nothing more than the clustering of rats
around the bin Their only purpose is corn.
All these declamations about home rule and
reform and solf-government are the gnawing
Of the rats through the heavy plank. What
they want is corn, treasury corn What they
have lived on all their lives is corn. They
have been in and about the public treasury
ever since their teeth were sharp enough to
scratch through pine knot. Every year we
have this clamor, this excitement these
combinations" this burrowing through the
newspapers, this scratching into clubs and
conventions. 1t is simply the rats OF the bin.
eagerly striving who will first get through the
plank and who will have the largest share Of
corn.
We wonder what are the thoughts in the
mind Of that gray old rat who has had his
own good times in the bins Of the past as he
looks out upon the scene through the bars of
Ludlow Street Jail2 What advice Boss Tweed
could give to these scheming, rushing scram-
bling adventures if they would only come to
the old mans cell door and listen. We won
der hat must be the musing Of that alert
and never very conspicuous rat Peter B.
Sweeny, az he slyly saunters along the Boule-
ward in the dusk and dawn and thinks Of the
days when he was in command of all the bins
in New York and gave or took the corn az
he pleased. What discussions over table
d'h6te and brandy and wates between
that colony Of rats-Tom Fields, Harry Genet
and the rest-who wander around the CONT
mental capitals out OF the reach Of Mr-
OConor's indictments They know how
hollow all this is, how unnecessary al these
professions of devotion to the people," how
there is no difference between one politician
and another, between beef-eater Tom Muir
ply and swallow-tailed John Kelly, short
haired John Morrissey and plug-ugly Tom
Croamer They are all rats at the bin eagerly
scratching for corn. What they want is corn
all the time. They live on corn. The only
means Of obtaining corn is from the bin Of the
public treasury
If the people would take a proper view Of
this matter and SEQ that % long as New York
i governed by politicians il wiz be badly
governed, then We might hope for o real re-
form. II from year to year the bin is 70 be
abandoned to the rats why, then, the best
that We can do is to look on and listen 10 their
gnawing, and have as much amusement as we
can out Of their tricks and struggles and con-
tests and efforts to eat through the planks.