The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-07-24


tions-men who in public life pushedt to
extremes the abstract ideas OF their re-
spectivo parties, while secretly they
joined hands in common schemes for
personal power and property.
1t gradually transferred its seat OF
operations 10 Albany, The lucrative
city oilices-subordinate appointments,
which each head OF depai itment could
create Mt pleasure, with salaries Ill his
discretion, distributed among the friends
Of the legislators; contracts, money con-
ttrihutei by city officials, assessed on
~ 3 suhorliuaLes, raised by jobs under
thE departments, and SometiIIrs taken
from the city treasury, werath' corrupt
ing agencies which shaped md CONTROL.
ed all legislation. Yeartby year the
syRtom grow worse MS o governmental
institution-more powerful and more
audacioua. The executive department
sw1.llowed up all the local powers, which
gradually became mere deputies OF legis-
iators Mt Albany, on whom they were de-
pendent. It became completely or
ganizod On tho first Of January, 1869.
But its power was enormously extended
by IN net passed on tho fifth Of April in
the following year, giving tho power OF
local government to few individuals Of
the "riug" 70; long periods, and freed
from all accountability.
Within month after the passage Of
this Tweed charter The bbard OF special
audit-ouo OF tho lruiEs:ot this Lcgisla-
turc-were making M order for the pay
ment Of over six millions Of money, OF
which it is now known that scarcely ten
per cont. in value WA realized by the
city. Tweed got twerty-fOur per cent,
and his agent, woodward, seven; tho
brother Of Sweeny, ten; Watson, deputy
collector, seven; thiry.three per cent.
went to mechanics WAC furnished tho
bills, though their shire had to suffer
many abatoments; auG twenty went to
other parties. Over $3.50, 900 wero sent
to Albany 10 bo distributed among the
members OF tho Legislature.
Tic percentages Of theft, comparative
II moderate in 1860, reached sixty.six
per cent. in 1870, and later, eighty. five
per cent. r
The senators who voted on tho sixth
OF April, 1870, with but two dissenting
voices, to deprive our great commercial
metropolis, with its million Of people, of
all power OF sClt-govcrnment, aS if it
were a conquered province, to confer
upon Tweed, Connolly, 'Syeeny and
Hall for series Of years the exclusive
power Of appropriating all moneys raised
by taxes or by loanl and IN indefinite
power To borIow-who swaycl all the
Institutions of local government, the
local Judiciary and the whole machinery
Of clectioas-lid not come again within
reach OF the people uutil the election Of
the seventh OF November, 1871, when
their successors were to be chosen. All
hope Vi rcscuing the city from the hands
Of the ireebooters depended upon re-
covering the Legislative power Of the
State, IN securing a majority Of the
Senate nul Assembly. To thisend Mr..
Tildsu directed all his efforts. In
speech Mt tho Cooper Union in New
York, he stated Mr.. Tweed's plan, which
waa tocarry the MISREPRESENTATION
from that city, aud then re.elccs eight,
ard, il possible, twelveoSthe Republican
senators from the rural districts whom
he hld bought and paid III the previous
year, ard thus control alf5he legislation
that might be presentctRt efo-#hich iu-
yolvcd his freebooting dNiesty. -
A party III power is naidfnlly diSpoged
to risk the continuance of hbuses Atlteri
than hazard tho extreme remedy Of
"cuiting them out by tha koots." The
executive power Of the Std i aud all its
recently enlarged official pitronngO were
cxerted against the latter policy. And
since tho contest Of 1869, tho "ring"
had studied to extend it's influence i'll
the rural districts, and had showered
legislative favorJ as il they were ordi.
nary patronage. But fo;tlihkiaSors the
brave. Without MI Office 3Nk dollars
worth Of patronage in cit of'StNto to
confer, MIR. Tildcn plahte himself on
tue traditions Of the sAi Soa sha,rnor.
nj sanGn aud forces bkD. godIiey, and
upon the iuyiucibility OF truth and right.
That uudauutGi fefthip tho harmony OF
truth ard itsirrtc3Hciispility with error,
which VT have found srlhiuing him at
the bar aud carrying hin from victory
to victory against more desperate odds,
Sustained him here. As always happens
to those who battle for tho right, Provi-
dence came 10 his aid. The thieves fell
out, and one OF their number betrayed
them. \ clerk in tho comptrollcr's Of.
tico copied n series OF entrics-aftcr-
wards known ~ "sccret accounts -
and haudea them to the press for publ.
cation. They showed tho dates aud
amounts Of certain payments madc by
the comptroller, the enormous amounts
of which, compared with the times and
purposes of tho payments mud the re-
currnnco OF tho enmG Names, awakened
suspicious that they were the memorials
OF the grOsscst frauds. Mr.. Fildcn soon
became satisfied Of this, from the tutil.
ity Of the answers received from the city
officers when questioned nbOut them and
from other sources, and reached th9
conclusion that tho city had been the
victim OF frauds fur tnluscendiug my
thing ever suspected. He Immediately
formed his plan, for the execution Of
which-aS it.iNvolved the control Of the
approaching State convention-tho CO.
operation OF several leading Democrats
wnS iirst secured. lie accepted IN ar.
npgeueut by which he was to be sent
to tho convention from his native dis.
triet, Columbia county, which had nj.
why's during tho "ring" ascendancy
afforded him that opportunity Of being
heard.
EmIy in September ho issued n letter
to some seventy,six thousand DOmo
Gratis, reviewing thosituatiou aud calling
upOn them "tO take knife and cut the
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