The Portland daily press., 1877-09-11
Our New York Letter.
Tweed E3fore the Aldermen-The New
York Banditti-J udge Bradley, the
Fraud" HuIlaballoo, and the Great
Journalistic Jesfer-Mr. Cornell and the
Administration.
NEW YORK. September Sth. 1877

NEW YORK, September Sth., 1877.
We have been having this week one of the
periodical Temperatures of Tweed which pre-
vents nis being forgotten. For some reason or
other the aldermen conceived the idea of inter-
rogating him in respect to his past career as a
municipal functionary. 1t is not easy to divine
the purpose of this fresh inquisition. If it was
to ascertain the names of his confederates in
peculation they could have been got at with
quite fs much accuracy by reference to the
records Of the Board of Supervisors as by an
examination of the ringleader. If Tweed
really meant to make full confession there
was no occasion to put him to the question.
1t was the simplest thing imaginable for him
to narrate in detail the monstrous story of
crime in which he was the principal character.
The banditti of which he was the chief was
formed in 1861. Their main sources of plumber
were the county court house building and the
printing company. The stealings accomplished
through these two agencies amour. ed to from
half million to a million dollars annually for
nine consecutive years. Everybody knew all
the while that they weresgoing on. The money
was openly appropriated and profigately spent.
The newspapers were all conversant with the
facts and their long silence in respect to them
is unaccountable on any other hypothesis than
that it was requited by patronage. The sums
paid by the gang for advertising, especially in
the later years of. their ignoble ascendency,
were in themselves trumpet-tongued witnesses
of the disreputable methods by which they sue
ceeded in ayerting the anathemas of the press.
AS for the citizens they seemed absolutely i'm
pervious to warning, entreaty or demonstration.
High and low, rich and poor, educated and ig-
norant were, with few honorable exceptions,
alike Indifferent, insensble and stolid. There
never was in the worlds history a more help
less, feeble, idiotic community. They were
robbed without remonstrance and made prey
without murmur of dissent,
There is no use now of recalling that epoch
of humiliation and shame unless it be to ex-
pose the men who were dishonesty enriched
by it. IfTweed will divulge the names of all
who shared in the booty, inculpatirg none who
are innocent, sparing none who are guilty, he
will make the only atonement now in his
power for the offences he is expiating. But
this doling out of little scraps of information
smirching the reputation of somebody who is
either dead or SO hopelessly involved already as
to be past further tarnish, is pitiable sort of
business that ought not to be encouraged.
Everybody who held seat in the Board of
Supervisors from 1861 to 1870 is under the ban
of suspicion unless the archives show that dur
ing their torn of office they steadily and sedu-
lously opposed the Ring. Mayor Ely's hostility
to the majority in all their acts was unwayer.
ing. His position was never doubtful. Con-
sequently no breath of suspicion has ever
fallen upon him. Andreas Wilhelm, a re-
spectacle German, was less pronounced in his
antagonism, but still ne always voted right,
and he too escapedIwithout stain. All the
rest are on the defensive, and the presump-
lions are against them if they cannot prove