The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-01-08
THE DEFEAT or A RING.
Correspondent N. Y. TrIbune.l


the corrupt elements In the Common
Council OK this city to re.elect Mr.. A
Wilson Heuzey as President Of tina
body shows that the determination O
the people to enforce reforms in theil
municipal affairs IL beginning to pro
duce an effect, Il is the most Emporium,
victory gained by the opponents OF rins
rule since they began what appeared d
hopeless struggle two years ago. Mr.
Heuzey received ~ votes, and Mr.
Joseph L. Caven ~.
During the three years which the dc.
feated candidate has held Office, the
floating debt Of the city has Increased
from $I.74s. 400 TO $9,bl2.517. Tho OK.
penses Of all departments Of the city
government have boon enormously aug.
mented. TO great extent Mr. Houzey
was responsible for this frghtfnl OK.
trayagance and tho corruption which
underlaid IT,. He appointed the com
mittees thatreportcd the ordinances mp
propriating money. ntd he always ap-
pointed thenf In the interests Of jobbcrs
and ringsters. He had como TO be uni
versally regarded as the chief of what
was called the Councils Ring, i'm contra
distinction to the other rings, which,
linked with It and with each other, have
long held the taxpayers OF Philadel-
phia bound hand and foot. Under the
dominion or those rings, debt and taxa
ton have run n race with each other.
The discovery that In addition to the
enormous bonded debt, Il floating debt
Of nearly $i0,00O.000 had been contract
cd, appears to have touched the sensi-
tive pocket nerve of Philadelphia at
last. People who have witnessed with
Indifference the degradation OF politics,
the pollution OF the ballot. the elevation
al m an utt hnI1t nJv Ion or 1a &c,
power, the open corruption I'm public
life, and tho Haunting OF newly acquired
wealth by rascals whose only trade was
that Of plundering ut the treasury, have
finally boon aroused to indignation by
the prospect of u heavy tax to pay or
this iloating debt. Once aroused, they
rained blows upon Mr.. Hcuzoy thick and
fast through thencwspapers. The Times
opened tho fight. the Enquirer and the
Erening Telegraph followed close after !;
and In the end every paper of any i'm
portanco except the North american
and the Erening Bulletin took up the
Ledger. which rarely engages In local
political struggles, throw It's great in
tluonce into tho right side OF the scale.
The real secret OF Mr.. Houzcy's over
throw Is. that the rings ere losing their
obedience. Az long rs they held to-
gether they were inyincible. They
owned three-quarters OF the newspa-
pers, controlled the whole machinery
Of the Republican party, had the power
full aid OF it's National and State organi-
zation, and could laugh In tho face of
the. roformers. Now, each little ring is
looking out for itself, and Is suspicious
Of the others. Tho time * not far dis
tant when they will all be ground to
powder by the righteous wrath Of the
people they have robbed.
We regard tho above as result
so agreeable, and US determination
crowned with such ample SUCCESS ut
Philadelphia, as to DO calculated to
strengthen our own resolves when strlg-
Cling with pretty much (only worse) tho
same sort OF enemies, that we tran
scribe it from the Now York Tribune In
the shape of an editorial paragraph.
The Tribune speaks Of IL as 1.-THE old
President OF tho City Council deposed-
u pure man In his place great i'm
portanoe Of this event." and then goes
on with tho contents of the dispatch,
presenting the reasons why tho people
overwhelmed their corrupt tyrant Of u
ring" and the manner and agencies
by which Il was effected. It IL
neither trite subject, nor a
trite event. II bears distinctly upon
the great grievance Of the day OF I'M
Radical assumptions Of au-
thority for purposes 'of public plumber
and private gain, and Touches that the
only way OF dealing with the robbers Is
to drive them from their coveted offices,
and IL possible, to destroy them politi-
cally forever. It shows. too, that the
or so-called Republican party,
is inevitably not in favor OF honest and
limited government,
and that the country everywhere must
keep watch and ward over them.
The tale OF Philadelphia Is precisely
that OF almost oil Southern cities,
except that the spoilers practise more
art and dextority In comprising their
ends, In what they persist,
after more than ten years OF peace. in |
FALLING tho loyal" States in contradic-
ion to our "disloyal'' ones.