The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-04
No Quarter to the Public Enemy.

to political action ana less disposed TO push
agitation to an ex.rsme limit.
--
No Quarter to the Public Enemy.
The tone of the free press OF a great city
is the best index there is the sentiments
of the inhabitants, for public journals are
not only leaders but also refoctors of un-
fettered public opinion. II the press is
unanimous in commencing measure as
conducive to the general welfare or de-
nouncing it as the reverse, and neverthe-
less that measure is defeated or adopted in
defiance of its counsels, the result signifies
the existence OF some secret tyrannical
power which letters the free will OF the
people Whenever such power is mani
tested by such result the public duty of M
mount to every other. Especially in politics
there is no genuine liberty among people
whose free will is liable to be subverted by
the secret mandate of any tyrant, by what
ever name he may be called king, dictator,
head centre or sachem.
With the exception of two nominal news
papers which are owned by Tammany
office-holders and are mere organs ground :
in their greedy personal interest the daily
public press of New York is unanimous in
denouncing the influence of Tammany
Hall upon the politics of the city. the
county, the State and the nation, as dan
ger, a curse and a nuisance We do not re-
fer to journals alone which are printed in
the English language. The Stats Zeituag
and the Courier des Eats Unis are equally
emphatic with journals distinctively Amer
ican The local circulation Of this anti
Tammany press, amounting to at least
two hundred and fifty thousand copies
daily, penetrates into every household in
this city and its neighborhood. 1t reflects
the intelligence and represents the welfare
Of every class in the community. 1t coun-
sells radical and total defeat of the Tam
many State, county and city tickets ut the i.
polls, for the sake of public prosperity, for
the liberty and the security of the people
in their persons and their property and in
the exercise of their political franchises.
We are confident that these counsels will
prevail and that the count of the votes to-
night will show that Tammany is utterly
overthrown as force in New York
politics. But if we are mistaken--what
then? We reply that then it will
be demonstrated that there exists a secret
political power capable Of lettering the
free will of the people of this city repre-
sented by their press, and that the over
throw of this power becomes henceforth
the paramount duty of oil good citizens
without reference to previous partisan con-
nections If the insidious. corrupting
methods of Tammany Hall are potent
enough to secure popular majority to-
day the result will be owing to the coward
ice of some voters and the carelessness of
more, and it will be the first business of
independent men who do not mean to live
under the domination of any tyrant-
whether styled Tammany sachem or by
whatever other name-to inspirit the
towards and spur the needless to activity
for a successful effort to dethrone him.
But we repeat the expression of our con-
fidence that this day will be signalized by
the rout of Tammany. Foreseeing that re-
suit many Of its shrewdest followers have
for several weeks past been DESERVING its
standard. Nothing does or ever did keep
discipline in its ranks except the anticipa-
ton OF public plumber. Let the victory
over Tammany, then, be so thorough and
complete that it never will contest another
election; and for this purpose let every po-.
litical. nominee on its ticket be unsparingly
defeated No quarter to the public enemy.