The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-08-31

personal fitness, and will be satisfactory"
Within less than a month the great rob-
berry of the Tammany ring was commit
ted under this charter, passed over Mr.
Tilden's opposition, aided by Republi-
can votes, and approved by Republican
papers like the n. Y. Times, The Board
of Special Audit, consisting of Tweed,
Hall and Connolly, he'd the only meet
ing it ever held, and audited bills
amounting to $6,3l2,O00, Of which 90
per cent was theft. This was only part
of the money stolen under this charter,
opposed by Mr., Tilden and favored by
the Times. From April to December,
1870, the aggregate of fraudulent bills
was $l2, ,250, 600, and in 1871 $9,400,0OO.-
OF this $l4,000,000 was sheer plunder.--
The ring had now gained what seemed
absolute control, and every one fastened
to make relations with it. Even Senator
Conkling and Geo. VIM. Curtis, address
ing the Republican convention, had
nothing to say against it. They could
not in the face of the action of their par
ty associates. Mr.. Tilden stood alone.
The ring now had absolute control OF
all departments, all Courts below the
Court of Appeals and the State Govern
ment. Mr.. Tilden saw that its power
must be broken by the same means by
which il was obtained-its hold on the
Legislature must be destroyed. The
ring feared hisattacks, and distinctly pro
posed to allow Mr., Tildeu to name all
the delegates from New York to the State
convention of 1870, 80 to have no con-
test He refused, and made the objec-
tive point of the campaign of 1871 the
capture of the New York city delegation
to the Legislature. He sought the aid of
distinguished Democrats like Charles
OConnor, Horatio Seymour, Francis
Herman, and Oswald Ottendorfer. With
Mr.. O'Conor was arranged the plan for
suits against the ring, which was after
ward carried out. This was all done be.
fore the Committee Of Seventy, the asso-
citation of citizens was formed, Early in
September Mr.. Tilden issued letter to
10000 Democrats throughout the State,
calling on them ito take knife and cut
the cancer out by the roots" Comptrol-
Ter Connolly was now alarmed, and was
anxious to betray his associates of the
ring, if he could receive immunity. Mr..
Tilden, by study of the law, found that
the Comptroller could appoint deputy,
and confer upon him for definite peri
cd all his powers; Andrew II. Green, Mr.
Tilden's life long friend, who has since
been Comptroller of New York, was ap-
pointed Connolly's deputy; and thus the
key of the whole position passed into
the hands of the Reformers. The Comp
troller could refuse to pass bills, and
could make public all expenditures. By
this master-stroke of Mr.. lilden's, not
only was an end put to the thefts of the
ring, but the means was provided for the
collection ofthe proofs on which Tweed
and others were afterwards tried, The
ring now tried to force Connolly to re-
sign, so that the powers of the deputy
might cease, and then assumed to remove
him. Mr.. Tilden checked this last at
tempt with a legal opinion which he OBJ
tanned from Charles O'Conor. Mr., Til
den was watching the ring increasingly,
and had carriage standing at his door
day and night, ready to take him to an
honest and fearless Judge who would va
cate fraudulent orders by ring judges as
fast as they were granted. In the State
convention that month Mr.. Tilden did
not have the success he had hoped for,
but he boldly announced that he should
oppose the Tammany nomination for the
Legislature from New York city. He
did not relax his efforts for Moment
He worked hard during the whole of
this campaign, made agreement with
Charles 0Coner and William NJ. Evarts
that they should be candidates for the
Legislature to continue the fight there,
and when they abandoned the intention
went alone. On the eve of the election
Mr. Tilden furnished $4,000 for booths
and ballots to the Reform organization,
and raised as much money for the con-
test, including his own contributions, as
the whole Com nittee of Seventy, com
posed Of wealthy men, and representing
all the citizens of New York city without
of party, raised for the same
purpose from community of million
people. This election was Waterloo to
5he ring, and its power was completely
broken.
1t now only remained to obtain judicial |
proofs of the frauds. These Mr.. Tilden
got by laborious examination of the
BOOKS of the Broadway Bank, which oc-
;upied ten days, and absorbed all the en-
ergies of himself and five associates Mr.. |
rilden himself any lyzed the results, and |
discovered from q skillful and intelligent |
study of the great mass Of figures, that
out One-third of the amount of the fraud |
lent bills had reached the persons in
whose names they had been made out,
md that two.thirds had been divided |
lmong the public officers and others of
he ring. Mr.. Tilden also traced some of
hese dividends directly into the hands
If some of the thieves This examina
ion furnished judicial proof, and was
ne only one which did so. On this Ell.
lence and Mr.. THden'8 Gbidavit8, the action
,rougM By Mr.. OCOnor, acting for the At
0rney General of the State, WaS founded.-
rhe N. Y. Times said, Oct. %, 1871, in
'eferring to the Broadway Bank investi
cation: Here we have, thanks to the
abors of Mr.. Samuel j. Tilden, full and
evidence that Wm. NJ. Tweed |
differs only from common thief in hav-
ing stolen tens of thousands instead of
tens of dollars" The Times had now
published its figures, and was fercely as,
sailing the ring whose charter it had the
year before approved. Some notion of
the skill with which these theits were
committed, and the difficulty of detec.
ton, may be had when it is learned that
Sweeny's share, and the devious ways by
which it reached him, were only discov.
cred after an investigation six months,
made by an expert under under Mr.. Til
den's direction.
At the great Reform meeting in Cooper
Institute during this campaign, Mr.. Til
den, although Chairman of the Demo-
cratic State Committee, advised union
of all elements against the ring, without
reference to State or municipal politics.
For this he was bitterly denounced, but
the result was that nearly 10000 Demo-
cratic votes were cast for the Reform
ticket, and under the weight of them the