The Portland daily press., 1876-10-24
Our New York Letter.
Municipal Poliiics-struggling for the
sPoils-The Opposing Cendidafes-The
Struggle for the State.
New YORK Oct. 2f. 1876.

NEW tORK Oct. Il, 1910.
Municipal politics are beginning to evoke
lively animation among the voters of the me-
tropolis. TammaDy Hall, under the leadership
OF John Kelley, after abandoning all hope of an
| alliance with the Democratic faction in revolt
against its power, has been forced to the alter
native of putting forth a straight ticket for the
| important city officers that are to be contended
| for on the 7th OF November The prizes are Of
such value in respect of emolumeut, patronage
and power that they are likely to be struggled
for with desperate tenacity. Ths Mayoralty,
| (salary S12,O00) is coveted post of honor. To
be the chief Magistrate of million people is
no light distinction even if they are a some-
what motley and heterogeneous constituency.
The place of sheriff, with good management
| has been made to yield its incumbent net in
come of 100000 year and more. 1t was the
| source of Mr.. Kelley's own fortune. He held
it for two terms and did well in it all the time.
Since Mr. Green has been comptroller, the per-
| quisites have been cut down remorselessly.
Much of the profit sNerivable from construc-
tive fees, and these the inflexible guardian of
the Treasury has refused to pay. 1t is doubt
| full therefore, whether the post is such desir-
| able one unless the Finance department is in
| facile hands. There are grave responsibilities
attaching to it and personal risks that it re-
quires no little astuteness to escape.
The County Clerkship is a clean place and
carries with it certain income of not less than
$6O,OOO year tor three years. Under our
| unique system of local administration any man
| is eligible to it who can write his name. Even
that qualification is not indispensable, as the
| signature can be. and often has been made by
proxy. But as a concession to popular preiu-
| dice that standard of education has usually
been maintained in the selection of Candidates
| for this clerical situation.
The Democrats ran extremely close to the
line when they elected the present incumbent.
His name is William Walsh, but his compatri-
OTIS of the Fourth and Sixth wards knew him
only and fondly by the more familiar sobriquet
| of "Billy Welsh He has made rather neat
| thing by immigrating to this country aud
turning his attention to politics.
A still more important though less legiti-
mately lucrative office per Sc is that of Surrogate
| corresponding to the position of Judge of Pro-
bate, as it is called in our New England no.
menclature. The salary of this functionary is
| $4,000 per annum. His powers are large, the
| patronage at his disposal immense. He has
| the appointment of numerous referees whose
compensation is of that indefinite and elastic
nature that depends far more on rapacity than
capacity. The reform coalition of last fall cap
tured this Office, choosing thereto Mr.. Van.
Schack a. very estimable and upright gentleman
forthe full term of six years. But he died few
months after he was installed, and his defeated
opponent was appointed to fill the vacancy till
the next election.
The three coroners who are to be chosen are
paid by fees, and the places are estimated to be
worth $4,000 year.
A Judge of the Superior Court and Judge
! of the Marine Court, and four Aldermen-at-
large, make up the rest of the ticket, on which
there are in all thirteen names.
The Tammany nominee for Mayor, Smith
| Ely Jr., is in all respects unexceptonable and
| worthy. He is a well TO do leather mer-
chant, and has filled several offices very credit
| ably. He has been school officer, State Sen
ator, Supervisor, and is now serving his second
| term in Congress-. He was member of the
Board of Supervisors when it was nothing less
than an organized and defiant banditt. For
considerable period himself and Republican
| German member were the only two of the
| plunder acquired by them-which made that
body infamous beyond any precedent in the an
| nails of mankind. The other ten entered into
league and conspiracy to despoil the city.
Tweed was their leader. There never was
more bare faced, i'm pudent and undisguised
| combination of thieves than these fellows.
\ They carried matters with high hand. They
audited bills in the ratio OF nine dollars steal to
| one dollar of value received and divided the
| difference between themselves on scale OF dis
tribution mutually agreed upon. Tweed got more
than any of the others, but all received their
allotted share Mr.. Ely's only honest colleague
was of quiet and taciturnl nature, and rarely
| displayed his opposition except by his votes.
| On Mr.. Ely therefore devolved the unequal
and onerous task of stemming this seething tor
| rent of corruption. He is not of combative
disposition and has very little taste for contro-
versy. But he fought the rascas gallantly and
pelsistently, so much so that they resorted to
the artifce of Withholding from him notices Of
their meetings, in order to evade his scrutiny.
He even had to appeal to the courts for man
| damus to compel them to summon him to their
| councils.
To arrive at just estimate of the courage
and manliness of Mr.. Ely during this eventful
| period, it is necessary to recur to the existing
| decentralization prevalent throughout the whole
| city. All moral sense seemed to have literally
| died out of the people. Tweed had pursued
his gigantic depredations for. several years be-
fore their very eyes and under their very noses
| And yet he was the supreme autocrat of the
Democratic party in the city, and more poten-
| tial than any other one man in their ranks
throughout the state. His principal coadjutor
| called himself Republican, and contrived by
the use of his patronage and his stolen money
to keep somewhat influential standing in that
organization. The citizens looked on, and saw
this vile gang augmenting their taxes and bury
ing them under vast mounds of debt yet they
made no sign. Many of the rich property
owners made terms with the bandits in con-
sideration Of having their own estates placed
at low valuation. 1t required real pluck and
good deal of it TO be reformer in those
days. Whoever did so was sure to be scowled
| at by the rogues he was exposing and sneered
| at by the thankless populace he was endeavor-
| ing to serve. 1t is impossible to conceive of
more idiotic, helpless and abject community
than that which inhabited the city during the
| Tweed decade. No personal nor official viii
lainy, however clearly established, detracted
an atom from any mans chances of election,
or reelection to Office. Not merely the ig-
norant and vicious, but the aged and respecta-
BILE classes, either maintained an attitude OF
stolid indifference to the depravity of their
| local rulers, or actually fawned upon the hands
that smote them. The most startling exposure
| of felones substantiated by specific and ire
fragible evidence failed to produce the slight
est effect upon the torpid creatures who lis
| tened to them.
| 1 remember we'll that full and minute mar
ration was made to a crowded audience in
Cooper Institute one evening in November 1865
of glaring instance in which the treasury had
been robbed of S120,0OOb the payment of
printing bill of $135OOO for work which-sup-
posaing it to have been done precisely Of the
quality and in the quantity epresented-would
have cost on the authority of capable expert