The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-05-24
BROADBRIM'S N. Y. LETTER.

-Four years ago one pleasant May after
noon two men sat in the room of a hotel
on Union Square, whose mission il was to
divide the loot of this great city, which at
that time amounted to nearly a hundred
millions dollars. The tax levy was nearly
forty millions of dollars. The new aque-
duct improvement involved fifty millions
more, and there were beside about ten
millions more involved In outside plumber
For years the County Democracy had been
the representative wing of the Democratic
party, and Tan'many had been brought TO
its knees by the sins of Tweed and his
associates; but when Tweed was struck
down a man took his place, who was a
born leader, and who, born and reared in
the midst of political corruption, preserved
> his integrity unspotted to the last, and
who placed as a ruler over the most corrupt,
degraded and turbulent elements in the
city, where rum and the saloon were all
important factors, refused to be ruled by
them, but held them with grip of iron,
and by the torce of his own personality
won back confidence for his wing cNf Jle
party, and taught the County Democracy
a lesson which it never forgot But John
Keliy-Honest John Kelly was dead and
the man who had stood in front of him in
many fight, Hurbert o. Thompson, was
dead, and the successor of John Kelly was
Richard Croker, or as he was Familiarity
called Dick; and Hubert O. Thompson's s
successor Maurice j. Power; these were
the two men in whom was lodged by
common consent the power TO divide the
plunder. One of the men had been a
police justice, the other was coroner;
the emoluments of the Police Justice for
his ten years of service was one hundred
aud fifty thousand dollars; the loot of the
other for three years service was variously
estimated at from one hundred to hund-
red and fifty thousand dollars; neither had
anY.special qualification for the work for
which he was paid. The Police Justice
had never looked in law book before his
election. and the Coroner knew no more
about medicine 5han he did about astrOno-
my, and could not have told, TO save his
life, the difference between the grip and
Asiatic cholera That made no difference
to TammanY; he had done good service at
the polls; he had carried his ward every
time; he had kept the faithful IN the
straight and narrow path, and when the
hat went around for a little doodle Ito
help de boys tToo," Dick Croker was on
deck every time. With all these distinguish.
ing qualifications for leadership; what
wonder that he rose to place and power,
and that the humble WinowskS eventually
became Grand Sachem of the most power
ful political organization in the land The
two factions had warred till inevitable des.
tructlon threatened them both, and now
ihey had agreed to come together, and
make an equitable division of the plunder
One took the sheriff and the other the
county clerk, then came registers, chamber
lAins, corners, police justices, commission
eTs of the different departments, and so on
through an aggregate of plunder amount
ing TO millions of dollars. But like al
such bargains it fell through OWNING tC
the treachery of the parties, and of nacI
trying 20 oyeTTeach the other, and in
month the hght ragged bitteTer than ever
II was war to the knife and the knife to thu
hllL. When the Doodle Aldermen fed Il
Canada there was one Democrat passed
through that terrible and trying ordea
without the smell of fire upon his garments
none Of the Doodle was traced TO him, Ia
had opposed the ring thieYes every time
he was the one man that saved the reputa
tion Of Tammany Hall from ruin; 81
TammanY felt grateful, and when yea
later a sheriff vas 10 be elected Mr.. Gran
received the nomination, and was electel
by a rOusing majority His constan
friend had been Dick Croker. the Gran
Saehem of Tammany, so when Dicks wifi
presented him with a daughter Hug
Grant stood her godfather, and on he
third birthday presented her with yer
substantial godfathers gift of ten thous
and dollars. One week after, the mortgag
ON Dick Croker's house was paid on, an
some wicked Republicans and disappointe
County Democrats inslnuated that tina
Vas Dicks share OF the plnnder from th
sherlfs Office, but then you know peopl
will talk. But Hugh Grant served hi
term Of sheriff. and came out Of the otiie
with a cool hundred thousand In his pocket
and when a Mayor was 10 be nominated b
led All the other candidates by length
and was elected bY stirring majority
Dick Croker was slill his faithful backe