New-York tribune., 1875-11-16
THE RING AFTER ELECTION.
NEW LIGHT on THE VOTE IN THE CANAL
BOARD.

A STATE CORkIsIONDbNI Of iAin'E'"'
ALBANY Nov. 15.-Somctimes a photograph is q
sreat deal better than an affidavit. Indeed IL the
camera could have been brought to bear on the
Canal Board meeting here last week. the pen would
hordlv have been necessary That meeting has not
nod the publicity il deserved. Ii was striking In
ia surroundings and discOuraging in its results But
of all this of course little could appear from the I'M
martial and Opaque reports of the Associated fress
which must occupy itself with statements and sur
names. and cannot draw either differences OF PIC
tures Perhaps it is not too late then TO give this
victory of the canal contractors a postbellum-
description drawn from eyewitness.
The Canal Board meets in Auditor Thayers larger
office which is about the size of the handsome
Corumittee-rooms at Washington. the smaller room
being Mr. Thayer's private Office, where probably
Mr.. Baxter was gently Shon of 10 per cent OF his
inst claim against the state. At one side is an In
closure of desks filling perhaps One-third of the
NOM while on the other long table runs It's whole
L,-=-. Syound this the Canal Board SIT, Lieut.
Gov. Dorsheimer in the middle facing across the
nom. Auditor Thayer with his book OF minutes, at
his right and the other Numbers completing the clr-
.r;t Imagine the Board seated, and the open space
filed with dense mass of discharged engineers and
their friends canal contractors and the like, ana you
have the picture as il presented itself last tuesday
In the whole room there not face that dld hot
belong in the Photographic gallery OF the Cahai
Rinc-so the vote proved-exccpt those Of Mr..
Dorsheimer and Mr.. Willers and the Deputy Attor-
nev.General Tommy" Gale was there, the ltue
pncouth and grizzled millionaire who belongs
to the firm Of Belden q DenisOn; \. l.. Osborn, VII
lard Johnsons partner and others Of lessernotorety
The crowd was quiet and expectant. Judge Yates
appeared for his brother Col Yates, who is believed
10 have erred only from inexperence, and made
temperate speech Mr.. George Miller followed IN an
argument for Babcock, which comprised all the anti
Tlden venom Of the day. He characterized the IN
vestigatmg Commission as a body that nsurped all
the functions Of the Government, directing what
should be paid here and what should be done there
and intimidaiug the heads Of departments. MI falr-
child replied. The Board adjourned Till afternoon
and the audience broke up, poorly satisfied with so
much reform oratory and so few Ring votes. On re-
assembling the FIRST motion was that of Nh Wlllers
for the removal OF BabcOck. For this substitute
was moved, reinstating both suspended engineers
and division of the motion was called for. Yates
was reinsaed, but the question of restoring BAD
cock who is an old offender, AttOrneyGencral Pratt
voted in the negative, and Canal commissioner
Jackson and State Engineer Sweet followed INN,
and the motion was lost. This looked like a voteio
reform, but il was only stratagem. Attorney-Oen-
era Pratt raised the point that they were proceeding
in the wrong ORDER that the charges should be irst
dismissed, ana tnen the engineers Ilpht p"pdoS pc
restored This suggestion was eagerly adopted and
after the motion 10 remove Babcock had been
lost Mcssrs. Pratt Jackson, and Sweet voting ex-
actly contrary to their votes Of a few moments be-
fore the work Of rchabilitatng the RngprOceededin
order Commissioner Stroud appropriately enough,
took the lead. lie moved that the charges be DIS
missed. This carried, seven TO two, Dorshelmei
and viii rs first on the list, voting no, followed by
theunbroken roll of the Ring-HOpins, Raines, Pratt,
Thayer stroud, Jackson, and Sweet Mr.. Sweet,
with timidity which gave him the appearance OF
fearing as much To DO wrong 10 do right lnNarIa-
bly, asked TO be excused from voting and almost
invariably denied Little more remained to be done.
The charges had been dismissed Yates had been re-
stored, and nothing remained to complete the
triumph but TO provide for Babcock. Nh. Stroud
again. bis face broad and luminous with delight,
said: And now | move that Mr.. Babcock be re-
nsated." And the motion was carried.
Then from the watchful crowd of ex-theves and
ex-engineers there arose hOarse murmur OF gratu-
lation Tommy Gale, the slant-eyed contractor who
rings dOggcre verses of his own composition IN the
streets Of Syracuse and whose emotions are as nm
balanced as his own bids threw his arms about the lat
neck OF Babcock-not of Yates-and cried, THANK
God. we've got them fixed now" There was moro
embracing in the crowd with some joyful eXpletves,
and the whole body, keeping up this subdued Babel
OF voices, DuQutu OUT VI AOOi anu INV
the Railways of the State House.
That night there was Tevelry at the Delayan.
There were no fair women" there, but some
"brave men o-men WhOhad had the courage 10 vote
themselves into the Ring. Champagne ran like
water the bar-rOOm scene OF the Widest
haIity and State officers were as candid III Their
joy as any of the less respectable members OF the
Ring. Some one who watched the whole scene OF
the meeting with care said it reminded him. as the
crowd hustled out the BOard-r0Om, some with Their
arms thrown about each other, some with their
bands raised in the air. of G6r6nes painting oil the
assassination of Cesar No doubt there was enough
OF the tragic in the scene TO suggest the other,
udierousy unlike as the subiecto may seem. II was
meant that blood should flow that day, and with all
the fair words of the Canal Board, they had daggers
beneath their clOaks.
The delight that followed this victory was brit
faint reflection of the fierce JOY that swept through
the centers of all the Rings on the night OF election
when it was rumOred that the Democratic State
ticket had been defeated. These rumors were the
offspring of the hopes of the Ring. Both they and
their Republican allies. there is good reason TO be-
leye, felt confident of carrying the election which
they had given mp months before. The day pre-
ceding the election prominent New-York RepuDh-
can telegraphed prominent Republican III Uuca
that they should carry the State by 25,OOO In
various places the Ring people could not keep their
delight indoors, but had to get the help Of brass
band and an orator two to put their thoughts into
noise. Above all, the Democrats, who had been
cuTsng the Reform movement under Their breaths,
now seemed 70 have their tongues loOsened. They
abused Tilden blasphemed the Commission, black
guarded all the new-schoo Democrats, and bcwailed
the wanderngs Of the party from the safe and moi
fensve ways of the fathers. They were going 10
take the management of the party ont OF ITS present