Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-12
MANHATrANISMS.
A BACKWARD GLANCE AT TIE TWEED
RING.
The Talk about Poetic Justice all Rosh-
Review of John Brougham's Life
An open-Eanded Irishman.
NEw YoRK. June 4, 1880

the newspapers are again talking of the
poetic justice that has been melted out to
the members OF the Tammany ring. 1t is
very hard to see in what the poetic justice
consists, if the phrase means, as is gener-
ally supposed, that the virtuous are re-
warded and the wicked punished. How,
for example, was Connolly punished ? He
stole from the municipal treasury 81, coo, 600
or s., 600, 600; got away whit to Europe,
and died of an organic disease at 70 years
of age He had lived long and viciously,
and passed away as sound Irish Roman
Catholic should, with the last rites of the
church, and in the full oder of sanetity.
Romanism is religion not to live by, but
to die by. Connollys case proves this.
His faith did not prevent him from
STEALING MILLIONS,
From becoming one of the great malefac-
tors of the time. But, when very difficult
and dangerous operation was to be per-.
formed he received the viaticum the
operation was done, and it proved fatal
He evinced no disposition to make restitu-
tuition OF his iil-go gains. But this was
of small consequence. He received the
last sacrament of the church, and that in
sured his salvation. By such a religion
man can commit any crime and pass, with
out contrition, into the abodes of the
blessed. Most of the ring thieves have
been Romanists, and all of them should
have been, so that they could be assured
in the next world of full pardon for all the
inquities done in this. Peter B. Sweeny,
generally regarded as the original creator of
the Ring, and one of the guiltiest as he
was one of the shrewdest, certainly has
not suffered from the aforementioned
poetic justice. He came back after the
downfall of Tweed, and pretended to
court investigation. Everything that had
been charged upon him he put off on his
brother, James Sweeny, who, having drank
himself to death in Paris, could not offer
any rebutting evidence. Peter B. sailed
quietly back to Europe, and is now en-
ioying the property he gained by fragrant
dishonesty. lie has no desire to return
hither being entirely content with the
present condition of his affairs. Ex-
Mayor Oakley Hall, very prominent in the
firm of Tweed, Sweeny & Co., though not
believed to have been one of the plumber
ers, conscious as he may have been of the
plundering of others, is at present city
editor and assistant manager OF the World,
and appears to be better satisfied than for
a long while. He has always had pen
chant for journalism has always dabbled
in it, and it probably atones to him for
his compulsory
REIMBURSEMENT OF POLITICAL AMBITION.
Charles E. Wilbour, presumed to have
made all his money from the jobs of the
Transcript, instituted for the publication
of legal advertisements, has been abroad
for years with his family, occupied with
study and pleasure. Ii he has been want
ing in integrity, neither his digestion nor
his conscience is disturbing HIM a whit.
James O'Brien, ex-Sherif, generally ranked
as one of the most corrupt men OF the old
ring, Notwithstanding his subsequent quar-
rel with it, has not endured any penalty Of
malfeasance in or out of Office. He has
latterly claimed to be reforner is rich,
insolent, and has large following among
the worst class in the community. Almost
the only eminent villain of the whole
number OF robbers of the municipal treas
ury who may be said to have received
poetical Justice is William NJ. Tweed. He
could easily have got away like the rest if
he had wanted to. But he could not be-
lieve that his reign with the mob, which
still governs New York, was so completely
over. He decided to brave it out, and he
stayed but he stayed too long. He had
no dead brother like Peter B. Sweeny, to
MAKE A scAPEGoAT OF,
And when he escaped from the prison, to
which over. confidence had consigned him,
he had the i'll luck TO be brought back. He
died from aggravat.on by confinement of
serious ailment but, at the very last, he
could not see-such was his moral obtuse-
ness-that he had done anything very
wrong. He was not saint, he admitted /; |
but saints were not the material out of
which Tammany Hall was made. Poetic
Justice is mere bosh as respects Tweed, |
Sweeny & Co. The ramifcations of that !
prodigious corruption went almost every |
where. The Republican press has been
very indiea ant at the Ring and its causes,
ever since their overthrow, But the Re-
publican press itself was one OF those
causes, because it long consented "a re-
ceive the wages of silence in city printing, !
to the extent OF from $50, 600 to $50,
year Had it refused TO touch this yelled
bride, and had it given the news Of the /
Ring as it gave other news, the Ring would !
never have reached its gigantic proper
lions it would have been crippled, indeed, |
in the beginning of its erormities. The
general putridity of the political agencies
Of the CITY alone rendered the stupendous
conceptions possible.
POOR JOHN BRouGHAm
Is near his end, and viii probably have /
reached it ere this letter gets into print.
He is seventy, and had superb constitu- !
ton, which he has undermined by most |
diligent violations of the laws of health |
The govt lies at the base of all his troubles, |
and he has earned the govt by half CEN
fury of unremitting desert Brougham
has not been, in the ordinary sense, dissi-
pated-far from it. he has merely been
a good.liver, and over-eating is de-
clared by physicians to kill nearly
as many men as overwhelming The
veteran comedian has always been an cpl
cure. He knows as well as any man what
constitutes an excellent menu. Few bet
ter judges of turtle soup, Spanish mackerel,
woodcock, venison, pate de foie gras, cap-
vasback duck, terrapin, choice sherry,
Bordeaux, Burgundy or champagne; and