The New York herald., 1877-07-05
The Attorney Generals Reform
Claims Reviewed.
QUEER BARGAINS And COMPROMISES.
What the ReformerS Did for the Ring
Thieves and the Thieves Did
for the ReformerS.
APECULATloN TRIUMPHANT"


with which Attorney General Farchild ought 10 be
familiar; but II he evor knew It, his report to the
Governor makes II quito clear that he has forgotten
the warning It conveys l know nothing about the
negotiations which have led the controversy be-
tween Mr. Townsend aud Mr. Fairchild, and care
nothing about that controversy, except so far ss 1t
may 10 elicit facts which will enable tho public
to form correct judgment to the magnitude Of the
frauds, and the true character OF the ntrgues bar.
gains and compromises by which the thieves have
been enabled 10 escape punishment Circumstances
have made me thoroughly familiar only with tho
history Of the frauds, but with dsgraceiul conduct
Of the ''reormcrs," who assumed act behalf of
the people alter the Ring broken. 1t is not my
purpose in the present article enter any lengih
into description oil those occurrences, but the
port OF the Attorney General s the FIRST authoritative
statement that has bcen published as t indicates
to some extent the tactics that have been pursued
by the clique Tor whom the Attorney General speaks
desire TO direct public attention to pass
ages IN that report ana to invite impartial exam.
ination Of them in the light Of the facts which shall
state. In his Introductory remarks-his summary Of
the immense advantages, both moral and MATERIAL
that have resulted from the abors OF himself and his
friends-Mr Fairchild says:--
Tho authority given to Mr. OConor by Attorney General
n.s asS sS"s'd as s By
.ncscs only to his own discretion he empoyns such AS
onausscdS HIM H.a been psssd %Shns was
M 70 os % dSns 0n. tine eSeetHn Of money and the punish
finally resigned ali CHARGE
SJon had % than to m ~. M
unmsched asvSton aud ability The proceednss planned
and chiefly conducted py him hsye punished broken
ming the year 1871 had absolute both
pie down All THIS h" rom hese
and a. SO little cost hs. the city Of New YORK has already
her than s sHs
,sSSSs yaass ,"s sassay ssss
20 y ss S sus s Of NJ H.
against many OF the wrongdoers to the money
' 1s % Hpps".
n. Sy Of s
e the vgcr and energy OF the prosecution had already
made the pcopls Of Now York foe Ths was the main
to the city and State tho msro getting Of
sum OF money. however large.
THE RINGS WITHIN RING.
Tho foregoing passage Is quite in consonanoo with
The public speeches, pamphlets newspaper and
assertions that havo emanated, for more than five
vears from the clique behind Mr. Fairchid there is
Scaroey word OF truth ci,her expressed or implied in
the entire passage II hc chief object of the prose-
cutons" conducted (nominally) by Mr. O'Copor had
bcer accomplished. and tho band OF men who had
robbed the city had boen broken up, scattered aud
degraded, what did Mr.. O'Conor mean by publishing
large pamphlet entitled Ejaculation Trium plant Yu
And If nothing remained to be doue at tho date of
Mr. O'Conor's retirement from those proceedings but
"the collection OF money and the punishment Of those
iD CUSTODY" why did Mr. Fairchild drive out 10 his
residence (as he says he did), and urgo him take
tho matter IN hand" again? From whom did Peckh ham,
Farohild & Co. expect to collect money? aud how
many were In custody waiting this threatened punish
mentP can readily understand that the moment Mr.
D'Conor had Withdrawn from those proceedings, 'sthe
collection OF money" about the only thing worthy
No serious consideration of the clique that remancd
and as Tweed tho only person In custody his
"punishment must continue In order to divert public
attention from the neiarious schemes were being
prosecuted In other directions But what does Mr.
tsrchild mean by this flourish of trumpets about tho
proceedings that have punished broken up scattered
and degraded the band OF who, at the beginning
Of The ycar 1871. had absolute power in both State
and city, when notorious that they been
punished and that they are to bo found in every
department. OF the city government to-day? Twocd,
sweony and Connolly had formed q combination that
was known as tho ''Ring." But these tho only
mon who robbed the city treasury? II known to
Tildcn, Green, Peckham and other ''roformers that
there 'ring" in every bureau OF the city govern
men and that those 'rings" couspired with thieves
outside to rob the treasury; but whcre arc those
minor ring thieves and their accompiccs today
Pcckham Co may have "collected money! from
BY no means. Under the fostering care of Tildcn,
Wickham, Groen and other "reformcrsr many OF EN-
have been promoted and now hold important posi-
tons, In whicn they can count immunity from pun
ishmcnt and reasonable cunt OF plunder as long as
they remain true IN their allegiance their new mas
ters SO far as the "Rng" proper was concerned, It
was broken before tho legal proceedings growing out OF
the exposure oi the frauds had been commenced. Mr.
OConor does not need the Endorsement OF Mr. Fair
child, nor does he need any fictitious credit lie has
gwen his talents and his time TO his fellow Citizens
i've years without hope Of reward, and II he has
complished less good Than he bad right expect or
thar tho public had right to expect 1t Is because
those upon whom ho has relied for Information and
assistance have withheld important facts from him
and havo entered into bargains and compromises
which they knew would thwart his best Efforts
oFyERs SETTLE QUEER COMPROMISES.
II within the knowledge OF tho writer aud that Of
several other gentlemen IN this CITY, that the Ring
utterly domorazed and broken long before Mr..
OConor's name was mentioned in connection with tho
struggle. During the months OF August and scptcm-
Der ovcrtures were made by the different members Of
the Ring TO those who wero pushing them to tho wall
or those who could, in their OPINION aid IN bringing
about a compromise. Each member OF the Ring was
willing TO make any concession and to sacrifice any or
all OF mis- accomplices, II by doing so no could secure
until September 10, when Samuel j. Tdcn and William
y. Havcmeyer came to the rescue OF Connolly and Sc
cured possession OF the Comrirolers Office after tho
Office had been rendered by Mayor Hall To General
George b Mcclellan. VIII fden or his friends pre-
tcnd that Mcclellan Is thic, or that hc would have
entered into any bargain with the thieves use his
position In their interest suppress the evidence OF
their guts II Tildcn believed Mcclellan to DO nm
honest man. aud II he sincere in his desire to see
au honest man in the Comptroers Office, why did he
bargain with Connolly Tor the appointment OF Andrew
Green who, at the very hour that the bargain was
being made, was the colleague OF Sweeny Fields and
Hilton in tho Department or ParksS The nature OF
this bargain may bednferred from the sworn statement
OF Connoy's attorney, which n as follows:--
Mr.. Tden and Mr.. Havcmeyer Mr. Connolly and
myself at our meeting room at Demonicos The whole
subject OF the discussion VII the
for Connolly 20 do TO yet Of the and be
and hnslly consummated by the resignation Of SIR
Connolly and tho appointment OF Mr. Green IN bis placs
the Legislature drom Connoy's district Several times
Mr. Havemeyer spoke OF the best mode of getting out
the and Connolly that he should be
teced he did AZ they desired. and Mr. Tden as,enied
The whole object Of this meeting ton Connoys part
TO this immunity.
But the inamy OF this proceeding will bc moro APP
parent when IL Is known that Havcmeyer went 10
Connolly's house to urge HIM to mako this arrange.
mont, and on reading false statements and the
quibbcs that Tdcn rcsortcd 10 subsequently IN de-
scribing his connection with the Transaction Tho
World OF September 20, 1871, contained report OF an
Interview with HaTemeyer, from which l take tho