Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-07-08

lad such limited means of comprehend
ng the rapidity with which the war spirit
nee lighted, will spread among people,
hat it was not competent to appreciate
he wisdom of this advice, which, if
Idopted, would probaly have prevented
he necessity of any further increase OF
military force.
70 Secretary Chase and his friends
Mr.. Tilden insisted that the war ought
% be carried on under system of sound
inance, which he did not doubt the peo-
pie would cheerfully sustain if the goy-
would have the courage to pro-
pose it. At a later period of the war he
was invited by the government at Wash
ngton to give his advice as to the best
methods for its further conduct. He said
to the secretary Of war:
''You have no right to expect great
military genius to come to your assist
ance. They only appear once in two or
three centuries. You will probably
have to depend upon the average mill
tary talent Of the country. Under such |
your only course is to avail
yourself of your numerical strength and
your superior military resources result |
ing from your greater progress in indus |
trial arts and your greater producing
capacities. You must have reserves
and concentrate your Iorces On decisive
points, and overwhelm your adverse
ries by disproportionate numbers and
reserves" ..".''' '.'
: His advice was not taken, but he had
the satisfaction. within a year after it
was given, of hearing the secretary of
war acknowledge its wisdom and la
ment his inability to secure its adoption.
With the peace came to Mr.. Tilden
the most important political labor of his
life. With the assistance Of Charles
.O'Conor, who followed the members Of
that band of conspirators with all his
usual vigor and adroitness until it was not
only broken up, but its leading mem
bers scattered to the four quarters of the
globe, he assailed and overthrow the
combined republican and democratic
ring which ruled and ruined New York.
This .'ring" had its origin in an act
passed by the legislature of the state of
New York In 1857, in connection with
the charter of that year, which provided
that but six persons should be voted for
by each elector and twelve chosen. In
other words, the nominees OF the repub-
lican and democratic party caucuses
should be elected. At the succeeding ses-
sion of the legislature their terms ofoffice
was extended to six years. This gave
a Board of Supervisors, consisting of
six republicans and six democrats, to
change a majority of which it was nee
essary to have control of the primary
meetings of both of the great national
and state parties for years in succession
"a series of condolences which rarely
happens in generation.
This was doubly ring 1t was a
ring between the six republicans and
the six democratic supervisors. 1t soon
grew to be ring between the republi-
can majority in the legislature and the
half-and-half supervisors and few dem
ocratic officials of the city. 1t embraced
just enough influential men in the organ.
ization of each party to control the ac.
ton OF both party organizations-men
who, in public life. pushed to extreme:
the abstract ideas OF their respective
parties, while secretly they joined hands
in common schemes for personal power
and property. 1t gradually transferred
It's seat of operations to Albany. Th,
lucrative city offices, subordinate appoint
ments, which each head of department
could create at pleasure, with salaries il
his discretion, distributed among tn,
friends. of the legislators; contracts
money contributed by city officials, as
|sessed on their subordinates, raised b,
jobs s,,,lsr tho departments, aud sulnc
times taken from the city treasury, wer
the corrupting agencies which shaped ant
controlled all Legislation. Year by yea
the system grew worse as governmen
tai nstitutiOn-more powerful and NOR
audacious. The executive department
swallowed up all the local powers, whicl
gradually became mere deputies of leg
islators at Albany, on whom they wer
dependent. 1t became completely OF
ganized on the 1st of January, 1856!
But its power was enormously extende'
by an act passed ON the 5t6 of April i
the following year, giving the power G
local government to few individuals q
the ring for long periods, and freed fror
all accountability.
: Within month after the passage {
this Tweed charter, the board OF specis
audit-one of the fruits of this legisla
J tion-were making an order for the pay
ment of over six millions of money, {
which it is now known that scarcely
per cent. in value was realized by tn
7 city. Tweed got "a per cent, and hi
, agent, Woodward, Z; the brother {
Sweeny 10; Watson, deputy collector Z
} 33 per cent. went to mechanics who ful
l nished the bills, though their share ha
to suffer many statements; and 20 wer
r to other parties. Over $250.000 wei
3 sent to Albany to be distributed anon
the members of the legislature.
: The per centage of theft, comparative
: ly moderate in 1869, reached 66 p,
S cent. in 1870, and later. 85 per cent.
, The senators who voted on the 9th {
S April, 1870, with but two dissentin
b voices, to deprive our great commerce.
j metropolis. with it's million of peopl
of all power of self-government, rs if
n were q conquered province, to conf
l. upon Tweed, Connolly, Sweeny al
e Hall for series of years the eXclusi\
n power of fappropriatlng all moneys raj
e ed by taxes or by loans and an indie
e mite power to borrow-who swayed :
y the institutions Of local government, Il
Il local judiciary and the whole machinel
n of elections-did not come again with
a reach of the people until the election
y the 9TH of November, 1871, when the
e successors were to be chosen. All ho]
le of rescuing the city from the hands
e the freebooters depended upon recove
e ing the legislative power OF the stat
ID in securing majority Of the senate a
8, assembly. To this end Mr. Tilden .
!. rected all his efforts. In speech at t
Of Cooper Union In New York, he stat
Y, Mr.. Tweed's plan, which was to car
ic the senatorial representation from tn
al city, and then re-elect eight, and
possible, twelve of the republican SCI
d. tors from the rural districts whom
th had bought and paid for the previo
n year, and thus control all the legislati
I'd that might be presented there which
IN volved his freebooting dynasty.
ee A party in power is naturally dispos
le to risk the continuance of abuses ratt
e. than hazard tn. extreme remedy
IN "cutting them out by the roofs" L
I'D executive power of the state and all
+, recently enlarged official patronage W.
1t. exertcd against the latter policy. A
he since the contest OF 1869 the Ring" b
he studied to extend its influence i'll
n, rural districts, and had showered leg
e. lative tavors as if they were ordin;
or patronage. But fortune favors
at brave. Without an office or dolla
Id worth Of patronage in city or state
confer, Mr.. Tilden planted himself
en- the traditions of the elders, on the mo
1, | = l,,> Il