Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-06-30
}, ho+xroon the civ RemlblieanS and


and half Supervisors and Il few Demo-
tic officials OF the city. It embraced
just enough influential men in the organi-
cation of each party to control the action
of both party organizations-men who in
public life pushed to extremes the abstract
ideas of their respective parties, while Sc
cretly they Joined hands in common
schemes for personal power and property.
1t gradually transfers ed its seat of OPERA
tions to Albany. The lucrative city offices
subordinate appointments, which each
head of department could create at pleas
ure; with salaries in his discretion, dis
tributed among the friends of the legisla-
tors; contracts, money contributed by
city officials, assessed on their Subordinates
raised by jobs under the departments, and
sometimes taken from the city treasury,
were the corrupting agencies which shaped
and controlled all legislation.
There was no opportunity to get at this
thing until the election in November, 1871.
Early in September he issued letter to
some seventy-six thousand Democrats, re-
viewing the situation and calling upon
them ''to take knife and cut the cancer
out by the roots" But before the meeting
of the Convention an event happened
which could not have been fOreSeen, but
which was pregnant with the most impor-
tant consequences.
Mr.. Tilden was one OF the delegates
chosen to represent the city in the next
Legislature In Difference to the views of
his principal coadjutDrs Mr.. Tiden devot-
ed the six weeks interval between his cleo
tion and the meeting of the Legislature to
the prosecution OF its investigation in the
city departments and in preparing the vast
mass of accurate information which was
the basis of nearly all the judicial proofs
that have since been employed successfully
in bringing the members of the s'Ring'' to
justice or driving them into exile.
Mr.. Tilden gave his chief attention du-
ring the session of the Legislature to the
promotion Of those objects for which he
consented to go there, the reform of the
Judiciary and the impeachment Of the crea-
lures who had acquired the control of it
| under the Tweed dynasty.
ASA GOVERNOR.
After this he rejected seat in the u.
S. Senate, to run for Governor Of New
York to inangurate another reform. He
was nominated and elected, and whatever
lessons or eloquence could be expressed in
big majorities, were not wanting to lend
their eclat to his triumph. MI. Tilden's
plurality over John A. Dix, the Republi-
can candidate, was 53,315. Mr.. Dix had
been elected two years previously by a plu-
rality of 53,451.s
Lie IISG ulSSSdH0 VI UOVoIll0f Ii QGQ
| foreshadoWed with distinctness the con-
trolling features Of his administration.
First-Reform in the Administration.
Second-The restoration of the financial
| principles and policy which triumphed in
| the election of Jackson and Van Buren,,
and which left the country without d dol
lar of Indebtedness in the world and a
credit abroad with which no other nation
could then compete.
In furtherance of his policy of admins
trative reform, he recommended revision
of the laws intended to provide criminal
punishment and civil remedies for frauds
by public officers and by persons acting in
completely With them. These recommen-
| dationS, during the same session carefully
wrought into the legislation of the State,
bore especially upon those forms of admin
iStrative abuse which the exposure and al
rest of VIM. NJ. Tweed had recently re-
vealed, and also upon another and kindred
class OF abuses in the management of our
canals, with which the Governor was al
ready acquainted, but Of which the public
as yet had only an imperfect realization.
| But the feature of the message which
| produced, perhaps, the most profound i'm
! preston, not only upon his own immediate
| constituents, but upon the whole nation,
was that which related TO the financial
| policy OF the Federal Government. A gen
Grafton had grown up who had meyer seen
Or used any other money than printed
promise Of the Government, and it had be-
come widespread conviction among the
aspiring politicians of both the great par
! ties that the current public opinion in favor
| of an inflated and lrTedeemable currency,
would overwhehn and destroy any public
man who would attempt to stem it. No
convention OF either party in any State of
the Union had veDtured the experiment;
the active leaders of both had either avoid
ed OF yielded to the current. Mr. Tilden
deemed it his duty to lose no time in advo-
! eating the only tiancial policy which ever
had insured or can insure substantial and
enduring national prosperity.
On the 10Th Of March, and as soon as he
had secured from the Legislature such ad-
ditional remedies for official delinquencies
us were requisite for his purpose, the Gov
ernor in d special message invited the at
tention Of the Legislature to the misman-
agement Of the canals,
He pointed out in this communication
with considerable detail the fraudulent
processes by which for.an indefinite period
OF years the State had been pluLdered, its
agents debauched, its politics demoralized
and its credit imperilled. The fullness,
boldnesS and directness Of his statements
produced profound impression, not only
throughout the State, but throughout the
country.
THE CANAL JOBBERS SMASHED.
The Legislature, though containing in
both branches many Of the most notorious
canal jobbers, and constituted largely in
that interest, was obliged to yield to the
irresistible public sentiment which the
Governors policy and message had awak-
ened, and granted him the authority to
name such commission. The results of
the Investigations, communicated to him
from time to time during the summer of
1875 and to the succeeding Legislature OF
1876, arrested completely the system Of
fraudulent expenditure on the canals which
he had denounced at the bar OF public
opinion.
LOWERING TAXES.
Through the adoption Of various other
financial measures upon his recommends
ton, and by the discreet but vigorous eX-
ercise of the veto power, the Governor was
fortunate enough to secure a reduction OF
the State taX-the first year of his admin
istration, about II per cent.-and TO inau-
gurate financial policy by which the State
tax, which was y mills on the dollar of
the assessed valuation when he came into
office, viii. be reduced to mills at least at
the expiration of his term of two years,
and at the expiration of the next succeed
ing year to not exceeding mills.
HENDRICKS.
Thomas A. Hendricks is at present Gov
ernor of Indiana He was born in Musk
ingum county, Ohio, in 1884, and IS. there
fore. fifty seven years Of age. He was in
Congress from 1851 to 1855 and was COM
missioner of the General Land Office from
1856 to 1859, when Re was elected Senator
for SIX years. In 1868 he was defeated on
his first trial for the Governorship of Indi-
ana, but was elected in 1874, being carried
through on the great reaotionarY tidal
wave which floated the present Congress
into power. Governor Hendricks is recog-