The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-15
Free People and Their Governments-
The Uprising in Chicago.


The Uprising Ina Chicago.
The people of Chicago seem to be under
going an experience like our own with the
Tweed-Tammany regime. The latest news
papers from Chicago bristle with reports of
q monster mass meeting held on Tuesday
evening. According to the always accurate
and conservative Chicago Tribune this meet
ing numbered forty thousand persons. 1t
was composed of men Of all parties, or rather
citizens without distinction of party, united
In war upon corruption and misgovern-
ment The republican Tribune and the demo-
to which will make the severest war upon
the rings. Chicago, it seems, has fallen into
the hands of corrupt ring" SO organized
as to perpetuate its power from year to year.
This combination, like the infamous Tweed
Sweeny- Connolly cabal, ignores the pub
lie welfare and barters its votes to
individuals and corporations. Its lead
ers seem to have learned the lesson
Of Tweed for. according to the resolutions
passed at this meeting, they encourage job
bling at the city's expense, share spoils with
contractors, farm out Offices to friends and
favorites, outrage the ballot and make the
government disgraceful and corrupt. To
satisfy the ravenous and ever increasing de-
mands of these rulers taxation has been
increased until it has become "a synonym
for confiscation." Worse than all, they tam
per with the financial credit of the city,
which hitherto has stood high, by issuing
Certificates of Indebtedness of doubtful
severity upon Chicago, as the inhabitants of
that devoted town, ''while struggling to
recover or lessen their losses by the fire and
the panic, have been plundered through the
forms of law" In the presence of this
deplorable condition of affairs the honest
citizens, irrespective of party, nationality
or condition" form league, pledging them
selves to ''bury and forget all party distinc-
tons and to act ms one man for emancipation
from the thraldom Of official corruption and
misrule, and for the restoration of pure
and honest administration of municipal
affairs.
There is nothing SO ennobling, nothing
which shows SO Enthusiastically the value of
freedom in a government, as an uprising
like this in Chicago 1t shows that when
ever the voice OF the people finds expression
it is in favor Of purity and economy. 1t
shows that there can never be in any of our
American communities such deadening Of
the public sense as to permit these crimes
against the Commonwealth to be in the small
est degree condoned. It is the merit Of our
people that they are patient and slow to anger
with their public servants. They do not
hastily accept stories Of universal corrup-
ton. Newspaper license is one thing, pub
lie opinion another, and public opinion can
read between the lines of the press. In
New York our people hesitated long before
they dealt with Tweed and Sweeny as dis
honest men. The people were accustomed
to the torrents of defamation which ran from
every hastings. AS o consequence they were
patient with Tweed-patient to degree
surprising to us now, as we look over the
past seven years. But we must remember
that seven years ago we knew nothing
against the Tammany Ring. We did not
know how deep into the system the pcilut-
ing disease had permeated. We did not
know that justice was bought and sold, that
judges sat on the bench by degrading tenures
and concessions, that even robbery had lost
its caution as we'll as its shame. We did not
know Of Garvey and his thefts, of Ingersoll's
robberies, of the transactions Of the God
fearing Keyser. We did not know that
Tweed was squandering millions upon favor
ties and followers, that Connolly and Sweeny
were putting away millions as prepa-
ration for flight When the truth came in
tangible shape, when the evidence was made
SO clear that nothing remained for the pecu-
lators but confession, defiance or exile,
then New York arose as one man.
Some of us perhaps will carry the recollec-
tions Of the present into the next century,
but no tale of fury or courage or majestic
expression of the peoples will can compare
with the uprising of New York against Tam
many. The courts were against the people
until one intrepid judge joined them. All
the patronage of the government, oil the
power of the party, all the money in the
Treasury and the right to create rs much
money as was needed-all of this, and more,
were arrayed against the people. But they
won, as they will win in Chicago. 1t would
be a sad day for democracy if they failed.
As we have said, we are convinced that
the friends of reform will win in Chicago.
1t is not in the nature of things that they
should lose We read with pain, but we are
sorry to say without establishment, the prop
ositions in some newspapers and in certain
speeches at the meeting to give power to a
mob, to have committees Of vigilance"
and public safety" These are names
of evil omen. Committees of public
safety recall the times Of the French Revolu-
ton, when tho guillotine superseded the
ballot box and when Terror reigned in the
,alace Of Justice. VIGILANCE committees re-