The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-08-19

would depose Tilden from the State Com
mittee, but was warned by prominent
Democrats not to attempt it, and thought
better it. The charter passed with the
vote of every Republican Senator save one,
and received large Republican vote in the
Assembly. Judge Noah Davis, a leading
Republican Judge. was the authority gwen
for the statement, subsequently, that six of
these Republican Senators-the leaders
received $4,000 each for the charter, S..
600 each for similar bills that year, and
$4,000 for like service the following yea1.
The Ne,o York Times pronounced the
passage Of this infamous bill
against which Horace Greeley, Jack
son s. Schults, William M. Evarts,
aud other Republicans, protested, with Mr..
Tilden, and which put the City of New
York absolutely at the mercy of the most
powerful and most INSCRIPTIONS of Rings
"a most important and salutary" work,
and two DAYS after said of another project
that Senator Tweed was (is) in fair way
to distinguish himself as a reformer," and
added: I'VE trust that Senator Tweed
will manifest the same energy in the advo-
cacy of this last reform which marked his
action in regard to the charter" The fol-
lowing day, April 9, 1870, Mayor Hall
appointed Tweed, Sweeney and Fields to
the most important offices under this char
and the Times said thai the appointments
''are far above the average in point of
personal fitness, and will be satisfactory -
Within less than month the great rob-
berry of the Tammany Ring was committed
under this charter, passed over Mr., Tllden s
opposition, aided by Republican votes, and
approved by Republican papers like The
-Neto York Times. The Board of Special
Audit, consisting of Hall, Tweed and Con
molly, held the only meeting it ever held,
and audited bills amounting to Sc, SO, 900,
of which about 60 per cent, l0dS 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 aggregra tie of
fraudulent bills was $12,25O.0OO, and in
1871, $3,400,0OO. Of this $l4,O0O,OO0
was sheer plumber, The Ring had now
gained what seemed absolute control, and
every one FASTENED to make relations with
it. Even Senator Conkling and George
VIM. Curtis, addressing the Republican
Convention, had nothing to say against it,
They could not in the face of the action of
their party associates. Mr.. Tilden stood
alone.
The Ring had now 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 it was obtained-its hold on the
Legislature must be destroyed. The Ring
feared his attacks, and distinctly proposed
to allow Mr.. Tilden to name the delegates
from New York to the State Convention
OF 1871, so as to have no contest. He
refused, and made the objective point of
the campaign of 1871 the capture of the
New York City delegation in the Legisla-
ture. He sought the aid of distinguished
Democrats like Charles OConor, Horatio
Seymour, Francis Herman, and Oswald OF
dorfer. With Mr.. O'Conor was arranged
the plan for suits against the Ring, which
was afterward carried out. This was ali
done before the Committee of Seventy, the
association Of citizens, was formed. Early
in September Mr. Tilden issued letter tC
10000 Democrats throughout the State,
calling on them to take a knife and cut
the cancer out by the roots" Comptroller
Connolly was now alarmed, and was anx
ious to betray his associates of the Ring
If he could receive immunity. Mr.. Tilder
by study of the law, found that the Comp
troller could appoint deputy and confer
, upon him for definite period all his powers:
} Andrew II. Green, Mr.. Tilden's lifelong
, friend, who has since been Comptroller Of
New York, was made Connollys deputy:
and thus the key of the whole position
passed into the hands of the
Refcrmers. The Comptroller could re-
fuse to pass bills. and could make
public oil expenditures. By this
master-stroke of Mr.. Tllden's not only was
an end put to the thefts of the Ring, but
the means was provided for the collection
of the proofs on which Tweed and others
were afterwards tried. The Ring now
tried to force Connolly to resign, so that
the powers of the deputy might cease,
and then assumed to remove him. Mr..
Tilden checked this last attempt with a
legal opinion which he obtained from
Charles O'Conor. Mr.. Tllden was watch
ing the Ring increasingly, and carriage
stood at his door night and day, ready to
take him to an honest and fearless Judge
who would yacate fraudulent orders by
Ring judges as fast as they were granted,
In the State Convention that month Mr..
Tilden did not have the success lie had
hoped for, but he did not relax his efforts
for moment. He worked hard during
the whole of this campaign, made an
agreement with Charles O'Conor 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 even
ing of the election Mr.. Tildeu furnished
$4,000, for booths and ballots to the Re
form organization. ard raised as much