The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-10-19

preme Court ticket Indicated that no less
than 95 4SS votes had heen transferred
from the ring 10 ita adye'saries--one OF
the most remarkable revolutions in the
history Of the country. Tweed and some
ofhis henchmen were returned, but the
ring was absolutely routed.
\ n y Those in charge OF the legal
proceedings against the members OF the
ring were, meanwhile, pressing them for
ward as rapidly as was consistent with
the laws prcverbial delay. Sweeny's
case gayethem the most trouble, for he
had so skilfully hidden his tracks that
great difficulty was found in getting sum,
cient evidence upon which to iind 9 Dill
against him. Indeed, IL look MIR, Tllden
not less than six months to explore, with
an experts aid the devious paths through
which his share Of the plumber reached
its destination. Doubtless the members
of the ring hoped to yet tire out their
pursuers; but fortunately there were
few, patient, determined men, whom
they could not weary nor silence nor put
of, steadily hunting them down, Fore
most among these was Charles OConor'
whose great name and unrelenting ener-
gy made him as formidable after the
election as Mr.. Tilden had been before.
The difficulties these men had to over
come were, however, unseen by the gem
eral public, which was gradually settling
down into the exasperating conviction
that, after all, the heaviest peculators
would escape scot-free when suddenly,
on Dec. 10Th, the city was startled by
the announcement of TweedIs arrest
Shortly after the discharge ofTweed, the
sessions of the Legislature began at AL
bany, and the scene ofactive proceedings
was transferred from New York to that
citv. The Rochester failure was partial
ly repeated when the Legislature met
for, though the composition OF that BODY
had been largely changed by the election,
vet il was still impregnated with the old
corrupt leaven. Accordingly, Mr.. Tilden
and his allies soon found that not much
was to be accomplished beyond. check
ing further direct corruption and laying
the foundations Of future action. II 1t
had accomplished nothing else, this Leg.
islature would yet be entitled to grateful
consideration from the fact that 1t i'm
peached the ring judges, taking steps to
wards cleansing that Augean stable, the
New York city bench. The urging for
ward this the most practical and vital OF
all the measures of reform had both nat
urally and by common consent devolved
on the Bar Association. The task was
not devoid of danger to those who un'
dertook it, and involved q prodigious
amount of laborious investigation. 1t
was, however, cheerfully assumed by a
public spirited committee, and so vjgor-
ously prosecuted that in January all was
ready, and on Feb. I'd a memorial was
presented to the Legislature, praying for
an investigation into the practices OF GER
tain members of the city bench, Mr..
Tilden was naturally asked to present it,
but declined in favor of Mr.. Alvord, in
order to conciliate certain section OF
the Legislature. A resolution was at
once adopted empowering the Judiciary
Committee of the Assembly to proceed
to New York and take testimony in the |
matter to which the memorial related.
On May % the Assembly moved the
impeachment Of Judge Barnard, and |
Messrs. Vedder, Prince and Tilden were |
appointed a committee to present charg- |
es at the bar of the Senate. Their hold |
upon the bench was the great safeguard |
of the broken ring, and the actual i'm
parchment of Barnard excited in the |
minds of all those who lived on city
plunder the liveliest possible sense of
alarm. A determined effort was there
fore made to aver. the consequences sure
to ensue rpon his removal. Fortunately
Mr.. Tilden was member of the Legisla-
ture, and his remarkable practical abili-
.y in the management Of men was again
decisive at this most vital point of the
whole struggle. Through his agency it
was arranged that the managers should
select such counsel as would be satisfac-
tory to the Bar Association, and in this
way the case was finally placed in the
hends of Messrs. Van Cott, Pratt, Par
,a.. o,,J GI;ol,pav /