The New York herald., 1875-12-08
Tammany ON Its Knees.

many lodge on Fourteenth street, which con-
trolls the democratic party and Of which
William M. Tweed, John Kelly, Harry
Genet, Warden Dunham, Tom Dunlap and
other democratic Statesmen, more or less IN
authority, are sachems and members. has
had meeting. That lifelong Tammany
saint, Henry L. Clinton, who little while
ago was writing resolutions against Tam
many as q ''secret conclave," offered
preamble and resolution setting forth the
necessity OF q reform of Tammany so as
TO eliminate its secret feature According to
this recitation Tammany was founded at a
time when it was necessary to prevent the
spread of monarchical sentiments in the
new Republic. "The leading democrats of
that time, says the veracious and consistent
Clinton, ''believed that the liberties Of the
nation were or might be imperilled by reason
of the secret hostility of many powerful foes
to our republican form Of government then
in its infancy" In order to make this sure
it was deemed expedient to 'keep the pro-
ceedings secret" Furthermore, says the ac-
curate Clinton, the society has 'for years
past taken no action whatever in regard to
political affairs, local, State or national, ex-
cept to hold public celebrations on the
Fourth of July in this building which prop
erty it owns" But, to prevent the scandal
of secrecy, it is proposed that the delibera-
tions shall be open hereafter
So far as this is the expression of a desire
to open the deliberations of the dark lantern
Know Nothing lodge it will do no harm.
The outside world may be amused at the
spectacle of John Kelly, Andy Garvey, Au-
gustus Schell, Tom Dunlap, Matt Brennan
and the others marching around room and
calling themselves Indians" and talking
about the seasons of hunting" and ''fow-
ers," and smoking 'calumets : but the in
terest will not last long. There is no reason
why these people should not enjoy their
tomfoolery if they are SO minded But Mr.
Clinton is in error in many respects. He
speaks of Tammany as in the old times
bulwark Of the constitution and defence
of the new Republic against the growth of
monarchical sentiments. But Tammany
seventy years ago was the agent of the dis
honest and unholy ambition of Aaron Burr
when he intrigued against Jefferson and
aimed to throw the country into war and to
divide the Union for his own selfish ambi-
ton Its career from the time of Burr to
that of Tweed has been in keeping. When
Mr. Clinton tells rs that all the society does
in politics is to celebrate the Fourth Of July
he makes q misstatement surprising in a man
-. fo Mr
Clinton never heard of the fight of the Young
Democracy against Tweed, and how, when
Tweed was beaten fairly in the councils Of
the democracy, he was enabled to obtain
power again by the aid of this very society
Of Sachems and Sagamores, this Know
Nothing dark lantern crowd which Mr.
Clinton would have us believe never had
any other aim than to save the Union from
the monarchists He must know, too, that it
was because of the victory vouchsafed to
Tweed by the secret lodge that he was enabled
to perpetrate his gross frauds upon the city.
We do not know any one more familiar with
these facts than Mr.. Clinton, unless it may be
Mr.. Wickham, for they were both at the time
bowling themselves hoarse about the in
famies of Tammany to delighted multitudes
in Apollo Hall.
This whole business is a pretence, and if
Mr. Clinton were man whose moral sense
had not been deadened by association with
his dark lantern companions he would
boldly say so. 1t is only step in the right
direction. Tammany, open or secret, is Tam
many all the same. Its name has become
infamous in the eyes of the people without
distinction of party. 1t represents the trea-
son of Burr, the rascality of Tweed, the i'm
becility of Wickham. We do not care to
have anything more to do with it, open or
shut We want the democratic masses to
meet in general convention and select their
own rulers. Let US have a party not based
on the wishes of Kelly or Tweed or the men
who come after them, but party for the peo-
pie and by the people, its deliberations
as open as the day.
CORPORATION COUNSEL WHITNEY, in his ex<