The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-07-10
JOHN KELLY.
THE MACHINES MIGHTY MAN.
His Record rs DemoCra,--Iis Fight
Against Tweed'S Old Guard--Uc
TrOts Out TildCn and Makes
Him Win, Etc.

John Kelly, says Il New York Demo
cratic paper, was an original Tammany
chief when William NJ. Tweed was its
Grand Sachem, just after the war. When
Tweed, Connolly, Sweeny, 4. Oakley
Hall and the ring" began their delber-
ate system of robbery of the city and
county of New York Mr.. Kelly refused
to become a partner with them and
withdrew from the society. After the
Tweed ring was overthrOwn and its
guilty members prescribed II Committee
of Seventy was organized to wipe from
I the statute books the Tweed
laws and run public affairs
with honest objects in view. Gen.
the influences Of the Committee of
Seventy. While at the height of it's
power Mr.. Kelly was earnestly solicited
to become member of the committee,
but he declined, because it was associa-
ted with the Union League. He was
born Democrat, he said, and meant to
live and die one. Mr.. Kelly maintained
that the city of New York never could
he successfully and honestly governed
by fusion party. Then it was that
Samuel j. TIldcn, Horatio Seymour, Au-
XuStus Schell, August Belmont, Abram
=. Hewitt, Horace +. Clark, and other
leading Democrats urged him to 20 back
with them into Tamlnany Hall and re-
deem the digraced Democratic party
Of the city, county and State. Mr.
Kelly consented, and then began DO.
litical struggle which perhaps has never
had It's equal in the Union. NOtwith-
standing Tweed, Connolly, GarNcv, and
other members OF the old ring were flu
gitiYcS from Justice; Notwithstanding
the very name of Tammany was n
stencil in the noStrils Of every honest
man, John Kelley and his associates
found the old Tweed conspirators en-
trcnched in the courts, in the tat sine
cures of the city and county. At the
annual election in 1872 August Schcll
was elected Grand Sachem, Samuel j..
lildcn. John Kelley, lIorato Seymour,
Sanford h. Church, Augustus Belmont,
and Abram 5. Hewitt. Sachems. This
regencratcd Tammany Hall, with John
Kelley as leader, nominated and elected
SAMUEL J. Tilden Governor Of New
York in 1874. Mr.. Tilden has frequently
declared that Mr.. Kelly, by the aSrcn-
dcncy of his strong viii, compelled him
to leave his chosen sphere of the private
station, and TO accept the nomination
for Governor in 1874.
No more fierce and stubborn contest
ever occurred in American politics than
the fight Of Tilden, Kelly, Hewitt,
Schell, Belmont and their colleagues to
drive from Tammany Hail the ring of
thieves entrcnched in the ancient insti-
tuition At last that cradle of American
democracy. which in 1919 had been adj
dressed in long patriotic letters bv
Thomas jefferson, John Adams and
James Madison, and in speech in per-
son, by Andrew jackson, was redeemed
from disgrace; at last the ring poll
ticians were driven from its portalS,'and
the leadership OF John Kelly was tri-
umphantly established.
On the retirement of Mr.. Belmont
from the Craftsmanship Of the National
Democratic committee i'm 1872, that no
Stion was rendered to MIR. Kelly at the
Baltimore National convention of that
year. Mr.. Kelly declined the honor,hut
his candidate and lifelong friend, Au-
gustus Schcll, was selected as Chair
man. "Who is John Kelly?' inquired
some of the younger delegates, after
hearing his praises sounding among the
New York delegation. They were in
formed by Mr.. Schell that Kelly was the
lnaster-spirit in New York politics, that
he had been Democrat in harness, had
filled high positions in public life, and
had sat in Congress before many of
those young men were well out Of their
nurses arms.
In 1876 Mr.. Kelly was made Comptrol
Ter Of the City OF New York. The debt.
then, exceeded an hundred million dol
lars, but in four years he reduced it TO
Sl2,0O,0OO.