Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-08-09

the credit of the destruction of tbs
gigantic conspiracy. Its claim
false and impudent. The over
throw Of Tweed and the TweeI
ring is due to Samuel j. Tildel
and Charles 0'Conor.
The Tweed ring originated il
the Board Of Supervisors create,
in 1857 bya Republican Legislator
and Governor, but it did not reacl
its full organization and growtl
until 1869, when Oakley Hall be
came Mayor. The New York Time.
published two years and a half late
accounts argelyfraudulen amount
ing to Sll,000,O00, of which one.
third were passed in 1869, nearl,
two-thirds IN 1870, and the remain.
der in 1871. In 1869 the open at.
tacks of Mr.. Tilden upon the ring
and its return blows at him began
long before the New York Times
ceased to be its ally, for at that
time many seemingly respectable
papers and men succumbed to its
corrupt and dreaded influence. So
far from Mr.. Tilden's being hand
and glove with these men, as Re-
publican newspapers charge, the
hostility between them began as
soon as the ring began to form.
Mr.. Tilden opposed one of their
schemes of plumber as early as
1868, years before he was made
Chairman of the State Committee.
and they became bitterly hostile to
him in consequence. He sought
the aid of distinguished Democrats
like Charles 0'COnor, Horatio Sew
mour, Francis Herman, and Oswald
0ttendorfer. With Mr.. 0'Conor
was arranged the plan for the suits
against the ring, which was after
ward carried out. This was all done
before the Committee Of Seventy,
the association of citizens, was
formed. Early in September Mr..
Tilden issued a letter to 10000
Democrats throughout the State,
calling on them 9 to take a knife
and cut the cancer out by the
roots"
1t now only remained to obtain
judicial proofs of the frauds. These
Mr.. Tilden got by a laborious ex-
animation of the books of the
Broadway Bank, which occupied
ten days, and absorbed all the
energies of himself and five assis-
tants. Mr.. Tilden himself analyzed
the results and discovered from a
skillful and intelligent study of the
great mass of figures, that but one
third of the amount of the fraudu-
lent bills had reached the persons
in whose names they had been made
out, and hat two-thirds had been
divided among the public officers
and others composing the ring.
Mr.. Tilden also traced some OF
these dividends directly into the
hands Of some of the thieves. This
examination furnished judicial
proof, and was the only one which
did so. On this evidence and on
Mr.. Tilden's afiidayits, the action
brought by Mr.. 0'Conor, acting for
the Attorney General Of the State.
was founded. The New York
Times said, October 2S, 1871.
in referring to the Broadway
Bank investigation: I" Here we
have, thanks to the labors Of
Mr.. Samuel J. Tildcn, full and COM
plete evidence that VIM. NJ. Tweed
from a common thief only in
having stolen tens of Thousands in
stead of tens of dollars" The Times
had now published its figures. and
was fiercely assailing the ring whose
charter it had the year before ap-
proved. Some notion Of the skill
with which these thefts were com
United, and the difficulty Of detee-
ton, may be had when it is learned
that Sweeny's share, and the devious
ways by which it reached him. were
only discovered after an ~inYesHga-
ton Of six months, made BY an ex-
pert under Mr. Tilden's direction.
Even when the Tweed ring had
passed into the hands OF the Courts.
Mr. Tilden did not relax his efforts
to aid the prosecution, and when he
became Governor his first work was
70 carry through the Legislature
bills facilitating the prosecution Of
unfaithful public officers, under
which successful suits were brought
against the ring. in one action
against Tweed, brought under these
Laws, 100000 was recovered. He
also pardoned Ingersoll, by whose
testimony an important suit against
Tweed was won. This plain state
ment Of facts which cannot be dis
puted, and which could be fortified
by countless details if it we're nee
essary, shows:
First-That Mr.. Tilden began
the attack on the Tweed ring.
Second-Tbat he began the at
tack when the ring was at the hight
OF Its power, and was in complete
control Of every branch Of the CITY
and State governments.
Third--That, while ENJOYING one
OF the largest and most lucrative
legal practices in the country. he
uaye up sixteen months Of bie t;n,o