New-York tribune., 1879-03-13

Warren Counties snd in a victory for temperance
at Asbury Park. There was hard fight in all of
these places. The correspondents of The TRIBUNE
! relate interesting particulars.
THE SUSSEX RING A WRECK.
HOW THE RING WAS EVOLVED FROM CHAOS BY THE
LOYALTY OF THE OLD LINEIs-ITs wANroS
WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY AND PETTY STEAL
INGs-TTs COMPLETE DEFEAT.
lFRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUNE.i
NEWTON, n. j., March 12.-Sussex is the
northernmos county in New-Jersey. snd it lies. unfor
tunatey for its present repute alongside Of Warren.
which, by the way, sliced OFF from 1t rather
more than fifty years ago The two counties
lie IN the between the mountain
In the picturesque and fertile Kitatnny Valley
and they have produced population OF like passions.
pursuits and potcs-stury farmers. wit. who have
inherited fromrhcir grandathers ample supplies OF De-
mocracy OF the perverse and refractory type From
about the days OF Jackson down sussex could be
trusted for 1000 Democratic majority, and IL
this figure reduced to 1000 1t
only certificate that one Democrat had died.
for no genuine Old liner was ever guilty of the
sacrileee Of boiling tho regular ticket. In more
times, sIee free schools have been established
and railroads have introduced the county TO
less hide-bound forms Of civilization, the ma
Iority has run lower. has been less stubbornly
irrcducibe, and there have been rare occasions
when a wide-avake opposition has avaed to
administer "a wholesome 10 the descendants
OF the original settlers But, after all, Chinese conser-
vatism has held the pretty steadily to the
ship of ia prmeyal idols, and nomination the
lar Democratic ticket has always been recognized
policy Of insurance against all loss or accident at the
polls
| Out of these conditions there developed,
matter OF course by natural selection knot of self
pcrp 'tIatng managers just IA boss reptiles were
evolved from the original slime who cufed and clawed
Z litf1I npu,i-
mating and controlling ring were not always
| plrttcular TO select tho best and wiscst. 1t
| would often harpon that the Chosen Free
holders were found incompetent 70 make out their
bills aud again they would prove themselves highly
comuctent to make out a good many more
| ana good deal bigger bills than were
! legally due them. At last the good Democrats.
outside Of the Ring, having little else TO
do but vote the ticket lost all wachfu interest in the
administration of local affairs and then taxes began to
grow and grind the nucleus Of debt gathered in the
annual Deficiencies and finally the county mortgaged
! Itself to its creditors by the issue of bonds.
There f. only one end to such OF misrulc;
| but the upheayal which has assured an efficient
and economical government 10 the county was pre-
ciptated by two influences; ) 1t only short time
since the tax-burdens hive been aggravated
To tle point OF actual distress; and that not
because recent increase OF their burdens but be-
cause Of the crippled of the men who bore
th.m Long after the cruel pres Of hard times was
felt in the manufacturing districts, the far
mers prosperity was at high tide. His turn has
come at last. Sussex is county whose wealth con-
sgts I'm dairy products and milk sells at the depot
at only from to 2l2 cents quart. This is barely
living rate in Summer the cows are feeding on the
,uicv pasturage for which the region Ia famous;
and ip the Winter, the season OF feedlng with
Grain either bOusht raised ut great expense, the
price is Farm property has deprecated fully
one-alf value. There is many an acre here which
10
en- ativns reveal the fact that for two or
three years past the entire production OF the
county viii, not paw the taxes and the interest on
mortgage debts. IL has come TO be matter of life and
DEATH Taxation must be- llghtened with other curail-
mepts or the farmers future is black with certain
bankruptcy.
Then came (2 the explosion in Warren County, so near
ot hand that It made things rattle all over Sussex
People here grew induistiye. They found their
tax rate quite high as In Warren. Their
debt was as large in proportion 10 their wealth. Ihey
had less TO show for II than their plurdered neghbors
had And when it was demonstrated that the entiro
debt OF Warren represented steangs. they naturally
wondered what was the basis OF their own.
They becan 10 murmur. The murmur swClled into
chorus OF denunciatiOn until finally the fight against
the Ring assumed the proportions and dignity OF a
" popular movement" No doubt the people, CALLED by
their burdens and niamed by the smell OF blood over
the border have not always been over temperate and
the result has been healthy.
Yesterday the annual town election was held. and the
excitement blazed out at furious rate No Preslden-
tal or State election contested so bitterly ana
stubborny. The Regular Democracy virtually gave up
the fight before 1t began. and for the frst time IN us
history it dropped its distinctive coors, picEed up
Rcpnblicans and others on the Citizens ticket ana
dot few NJ their own men, 10 gain the Board OF Free
boders But even ia this disguise they were generally
slaughtered throughout the county, ana the RiDgls
total wreck Tue tickets were so crossed ana mXed 'at
the count was only concluded here at daylight thls
| morning, and as the returns from out townships
came III there was a pretty general abandonment OF
business much burning Of gunpowder, loud cheering
for pretty much everybody aud everything; and this
afternoon 1t must be confessed large numbers OF cit
zcps can be seen ndscreety treating each other 10 stn
ulating drinks
Andnow as TO the recent investigation here While
the air was full OF charges certain Of the Freehod"rs
called meeting OF the Board and II was decided 10 race
the matter at once. An Investigation wac ordered; (;
| though whether it eIpedient to undertake
| this the close of , thelr unc ol 80 81
| vice was a question worth discussing. some or thc
| ,ncrn imnacahie retormers could IN II only new
device of the Ring. Thc Board was under khS conlo,
IL was urged and how could the Ring crawi IN me Oh
itself and do any far and successful searehins rue
committee would fud nOiHihS as " ia n'''tvi e, ,n VI
| course. Indeed. they would cover up Rather
than uncover Now perhaps II was vel I" Dt Vghnt'
| f. not suspicious. But the character OF tLt collnIet
ought have a guarantee OF thcr caInestneSs'
They were men character, caracliy ana e1rerfnGe
! selected from both parties. No one VINO knows lhe
| stainless repntc OF Judge Mcdonald. To mention no
other Republicans. the Transparent charicter OF
ue.ron I,Venn0rt among the Democrats. would accuse
them OF an stfempt smother lnlultE lhuet preep
OF bringing it Ia igt. They sat lor '""i'S % wv ~
and exam ned patiently every account ana VOcucI loF
years, nd doubt they havc disc verea Az t DILL
winch appears on the ''iaceol tHe ~
| ia auy fraud behind there ptncrt, OF which other
citzrTIs have knowledge, II NAV De dIscIosed "Hen @
the witnesses choose TO come ior "In % ,at ,by hod
IL is hurliy the fault of the cOi'Dee tat Ihcy htu
no personal knowledge OF the tf'nsactiohs Anela t
report Is not yet made, Dut my Eysrd arc -, nun
~ say that there has been no organized otnu oi pu
InlnIE. bnALl ADuheS