The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-09-28
Tweed,s Revelations.

The revelations of Tweed are positive
ly startling. The. Senate of the
State was composed of veteran states
men, able, experienced and educated
men, selected for their capacity, and pre-
sumably for their integrity. Tweed re-
quired for his personal profit and the
protection Of all his schemes of public
plumber a new charter for the city of
New York. 1t was essential that the
powers of the municipality should be
arranged and distributed so that he, con-
centrating supreme authority in his own
hands, could rule as he pleased, pro-
tected against interference or investiga-
ton by others, and able to pocket the
public funds at will. The charter in
vested Hall, Connolly and Tweed with
absolute powers of expenditure, and
made them auditors of their own ac-
counts. To secure the passage of that
charter he expended over 100000 for
votes in the Legislature.
He explains his course of action. He
held personal conferences with large
number of Senators The Republicans
he purchased direct with brides averag-
ing $40, 900 each. The Democrats he
purchased with money, and with NOM
inal offices in which they had nothing to
do and drew large pay. Having con-
cluded his terms of purchase of the
Senators, a caucus of the Republican
Senators was held, at which it was de-
cided to vote for Tweed's charter; and in
the Senate every Republican Senator
except one voted for the charter. In the
same way he got all the Democratic
votes with one or two exceptions. Sena-
tor Winslow was paid $500, 900, and out
OF that paid the other Senators the
prices agreed on for their votes, which
for the principal Senators was $40, 900
each. The Democrats were also paid
and large number of them and their
friends were quartered on the public
Others were regularly in the pay of
Tweed. Oakley Halls completely in all
the frauds, and in the distribution of the
plumber, is now openly proclaimed by
Tweed, who does not hesitate to avow
what he denied in the earlier days of his
troubles, that he bribed members of the
Legislature for their votes. The names
of the Senators given as those to whom
money was paid directly are Winslow,
Woodin, Bowen, Miner, Wood, Frost,
Norton, Elwood, Brand, Hall, Brodin,
Brown, Maurice, Dreamer, Baldwin,
Graham; others were paid indirectly.
His agents in making the arrangements
with members were Hugh Hastings,
editor OF the New York Commercial
AdUertiser, to whom he paid $40, 900,
and E. d. Barber, who more particularly
managed the House.
The revelations exhibit an extent OF
official dishonesty unequaled in the his
tory of Legislative corruption. The per-
sonal dishonesty of the members throws
the disclosures in the Credit Mobiliel
case and in the Pacific Mail case wholly
in the shade. 1t would seem that, with
two exceptions, every member of the
Senate voted for Tweed's charter, and
voted for it for consideration. Never
before, we suppose, was there such al
unanimous sale of Legislative votes as
this one thus divulged by the man who
personally bought and paid for them. II
was this charter which vested Tweed,
Connolly and Hall with the legal power
which enabled them to carry out the
wholesale frauds and robberies which
have, because OF their magnitude and
their character, become historical. Chi.
cage Tribune.