New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-11
TWO TAMMANY RINGS.
SOME IMPRESSIONS AND RECoLLEcTloNs'
.rHE GRANT RING OF TO-DAY md THE


Of "The Tweed Ring of twenty years ago ANU . ,,u
been a close observer Of the development .''s i'
made OF The Grant Ring; ana IL i io. q - -
ing TO find people who insist on compaflnS' ~
contracting Them In all things but one 1'es arc
in contrast They alike a. gan. ''u " r'7 ,.
rno. ON ahopt eouaIly audsciOus ana lnpuuei' D"'
n is the andacity of the bulldog l"ecu' ''"ru ~
that of the toy terrier discovered Ill "'a -. :. g.,
their depredations they differ III oesivo' ~. .,.
hecause Tweed had absolute cohnoi "a ' i -
urv through Controller Connolly whIc '"c amman ~
- .odar does not have the Controliership III us
grasp: and principal part OF us ea'ic va nn
the Controllership next fall. Inc lh'esusa' w.,
'I ~, - iii aonbtIess develop frauds in each OF the
ctv dcpartments as the committee taxes 'ioi. up w
ten another but the populations Will be 1o"hu W
49, .r,au ne compared with the wholesale pIniuer vi
the treasury by Tweeds gang: and, moreover "'o'
will be found be indirect imposuoh' Oh ono ,v'
tractors and through other contractors on '"e P"o
purse.
Even in its personnel 1.-The Grant KING Is III
.,o-.,aaart in COMPARISON with the famous one OF
ruaed,s day Peter Il. Sweeney, who was thei '"o
head or leader of Tammany-thc recognize" .'''0' -
the "Big Four" of the organization a. IL ''o" "a,
isted as Richard Croker now Is or ialIcr "'' "
no tool, the advice of a political ehelny ana "ei'
abroad for his alleged health-was man oI lar p
Attachments to those possessed by Croher' h0 -
into the Tammany leadership largely for power anu
politics: no matter what may be ana Is oi'c" d
about the public funds traced to his brother '"o a
refunded by Peter in open court fete' d. 0"o. -
imbued with the idea that he, remaining the po"c'
behind the throne, could make Governor John i
man President of the United States in 1o'2 anu "'''
Oakley Hall Governor Of New-York. Ills e'o'
energy and all his faculties were devoted 10 '''o
In order to convince the people OF the hon0,! g.,
good faith of the Tammany he had made a oso.a,o
NouYor, CITY, Mr.. Sweeney voluntarily snlienu.'0u
.h rr,ncina ncroustes of his Office Of City Chahoer
,,irtbe interest on deposits of city money 40
nhout the same time Tweed gave S'o'ooo Aor .'V p
chase of coal for the poor during the haiu N" .y
1s7o,71 but it afterward shown that We" 'o,o
This money from the city. The aller eHe'' Nov
sweeney's sacrifice appear ridiculous ana SusrIO"9
Cooker unlike sweeney never had the slGhtcst luea Vi
National politics ii is doubtful II MS lhacuNe or
cona comprehend political scheme Of such masn.u0
s Sweency,s plan to control the city, Sta'e anu -'o
Tn conver.a,ion with Mr.. sweeney about two months
before Croker left for Europe 1t was suggested u W
must have found the direction and controi Oh ia'''o'
Hall during the time he was It's leader mus
inc mental labor. "IeS, both mental ana p"H H.''
10 soid No person who has not been forceu' d
Twas or Mr. Kelly has since been, and a. Nr' I'm,
ts now required. 10 listen to compthh's ,, a..
differences check corruption, and enforce u'S' -.
an organization OF so many discordant elements a. ~
NJ Tammany can have any idea OF 'Nc sian ~,
mind and body. 1t broke me down phS S'"" -,
W,,vs health was destroyed and his death h"soie'
hy the same labols ! do not see how MI 'roNcI -
going TO sustain the load" This was INC iu'' ~
dressed BY Mr. Sweeney, though MS Pro''70 -. -
NAV not be given. At the time theic va" Nv
breath Of scandal uttered against " the "id'V ie'
GiIroy in Tweeds place of power is merely d suS'
nicion of the shade of the shadow OF t'c ooN, p''
,icop who handled the patronage OF the Depd'o"Vo
w,rs ,:i,rov in IT, ceds tine private sec
rotary of Prince Harry" Genet at the u'hc wv
of the Harlem Court House were comAl'ca' o".
q, he presumed he never knew anything "Oou'
her, since he never testified regarding them WIN ~
uprince. was convicted. 4. Oakley Ian was '"o
orator Of Tammany when DstrictAuOrley' ~ hou'".
Cochran is now: but while Hall was less eloquent anu
aorid than Mr.. Cochran, he was also moro lnP'0''
i've Halls fippancy as Mayor ueVaC"u -
deal from the dignity of the Office but hooo1S uo"''
g. as they do now that there was man OF
brains in the chair of the Chief Mael'ua'e VI ''0
chief civ Of the Empire state Of the greatest haoh
an earth. bar none, a. the bookmahels Occa'iohai9
say.
hiring the twenty years which have elapsed since
.the Tweed Ring" became absolute IN th!s Guy, lam
MANY Hall has been successful only 'hEouHh o'
ruption or combination. And it Is rcndrhaoic i"'
that corr,ipon even when it Won, oid ho' Save lam
MANY but rather helped overthrow II al 'he heA0
election following And its cOmbinail ms ihNaFiAoy
proved 50 ineffective and their conditions nave Oecl
90 scandal0us as 10 compel the deieaV Oh i"uIN''S
nv popular uprising. This Is equally true OF INC
other rival Democratic factions which nave eAisVo1
uuder various names. And it is equally true thI'
sung IN dominate every thing, has been either Yechtr
ons or impotent i'll every national cecnoh SING"
Tweed's day 1t gave only bhtheartcd support "
Mr. Greeley in 1872, but nobody eAPcc'ed any i'"s
else even then. In 1876, under the IRON manu- VI
rildcn it sury did its share TO carry out sweeheys
tao deve,oncd and improved upon by Tilcen, but It's
efforts were in vain In like manner, In 1850
did not make the state safe for HahcocA' 'nouth
supporting him heartily as it had not supporter LIZ
den. In 1854 1t not very earnest IN support OIL
Cleveland when he won, and IL hhicu mn"
effcctually in loss.
The lttIcness Of the Grant Ring is shown IN INC
,econt dcve,opments of the Investigation sui gong
~ rmogtpc the imbecilty and infancy Of two full
GROWN men employing a two yearold babe ana us
mother the wife of Of the two, rs the Nle"ium
of transferring in bank bills SlO'Ooo III TWO i"''''
ments! No matter for what purpose, honest Oh o'ier
wise Is there any other godfather on e'rh a' o'Oo
20 generous and 50 stupid to put 10000 In DIS
into the hands Of infant OF Two years. ior S""o
other person unnamed 70 invest without that goon
godfathcrs knowledge of how or even by whom III
vestedi If it dishonest TRANSACTION oc'"o0"'
Grant and Croker, why III the world should thcy "V
devised an absurd plan to make at least one she"u
and dominant character in Mrs. Croker "ihess WIN
cond he required testify least against the gVcrf
Fit were not revolving a thought that men shou"
he capable Of thus degrading woman ana her
child this transaction would be 50 ridiculous as 10
surpass belief
Mrs Croker may yet DC a witness before the senate
Committee though she will not be called by eithci
the Mayor or the committee, but probably VIII DC oy
McCann 10 dispute the Mayor as N the amount pa'o
the baby and to corroborac himself ClcCann) IN say
ing the total amount was S21'ooo MIS- 'FoAcr IL
h,oh,v educated woman much superior in general IN
tellgcncc and in refinement 10 her husband she i
a devout Catholic and helped TO educate the man sh'
loved intensely and had married With her stron'
religious sentiment, Mrs. Croker may be expected mo-
only 10 testify right her brothernlaw' but uhde
tho sanctitv of an oath, as she las been taught u
regard IT, she will swear only to the truth And theN
is reason TO think that she Will sustain Mctann bot
AZ TO the amount pad being 10000 ana AZ TO I'M
.boodlebag" being under her care IN CFoNers mousse