The morning call., 1891-10-03
A HISTORICAL PAEALLEL.

In the outburst of popular Indignation
against the attempt of the boodlers 10 defy
the law the mind naturally reverts to a sim
| liar phase of history which occurred IN an
other city just twenty years ago. On the
| twenty-eighth of this month it will be just
twentyyears since W. NJ. Tweed was arrested
in civil suit, brought by Charles OConor
on behalf of the city of New York, to
recover moneys stolen from the municipal
treasury. lie gave bail in million dollars
and was promptly reelected State Senator.
In New York, as elsewhere, political con-
stituencies often stick to knave after bis
knavery has been exposed.
Tweed's field of operations extended from
the Capitol at Albany to the City Hall at
New York. He was Stlte Senator from
1867 to 1871, and in that Office was recognized
as the head of the ring which, with the aid
of venal legislators from the rural districts
who made their profit by selling their votes
on city questions, managed to control city
affairs. In 1870 he became Commissioner of
Public Works. The new Courthouse was
being built; it was to cost three millions;
Tweed resolved that it should cost six, and
that he and his fellow-cOnsDirators, Sweeny,
Hall. Connolly, and the Others, should pocket
A contractor to whom a thousand dollars
were due was told to put in his bill for two
thousand; the bill WAS duly audited and
certified as correct by the Commissioner and
Controller; it was paid by check, and the
proceeds OF the check were drawn in green
backs, which were divided according 10 Ger
tain understood proportions between the
contractor, Tweed and the other members
of the ring.
The first ssailant of the fraud was Charles
Nordhot. then writer on the Ecening Post,
now resldeutof Southern California; after
Il time Il clerk in the Controllers Office
brought the facts and figures 10 the New
\ ork Times. To publish them required
courage. The Tweed gang had in their pay
the ablest and most INSCRIPTIONS lawyers
in the city. They absolutely owned two
Judges, Barnard and Cardoza, who were
ready TO stretch the law to any lengths in
their service. These Judges openly declared
that they would throw the Tunes into the
hands Of a receiver il it became unduly
troublesome. Tweed had Tammany behind
him with its wealth, its influence, and its
Infinite variety of resources. Yet the Times
resolved TO run all risks, aud the evidences
of the steal began to appear in print day
after day. The whole city was thrown into
CONJUNCTION.
Even with the proofs before them, how
ever, the public hesitatel until two leading
members of the political party to which
Tweed belonged - Charles O'Conor and
Samuel j. Iilden-jOined in the chase of the
thief. O'Con0r conducted q prosecution
against Tweed, and Tilden, by an Ingenious
Investigation of the books of the bank
where the city kept its amount, unearthed
the system by which the plunder was d.
vided. Tie Bar Association of New York,
with its customary intrepiNty, Instituted
Impeachment proceedings against Barnard
and CardOZa; It would have thrown an in
fuentlal lawyer over the bar but for the in
trTcesSion Of William NJ. Evarts. After
this there was 10 division of sentiment
among New Workers. Tweed's most init
mate friends deserted him; Barnard aud
CardoZa were found guilty and removed
from the bench; Tweed was sentenced to
twelve years Imprisonment and 10 nay
S6,0O0,000 to the city; his confedertt ties fed
he.teT-sketer to all parts of the earth. He
himself slipped out of the hands Of a
deputy Sheriff. made his way 20 Cuba and
thence to Spain, where he was caught and
returned to this country 10 die in jail.
One who knew him well AMI took some
little part in the proceedings which her
aided hi, downfall could not keep thinking
on Wednesday. rs he listened TO the twenty
words in which Judge Murphy |
tried to ind excuses for impeding tie ad- |
ministration of justice how curiously his
tory repeats itself and how often misguided |
men neglect the teachings Of experience |
For many years the city of San Francisco |
has been robbed aud its representative in |
the Legislature have pocketed brides, Just |
as was done in New York twenty years |
ago. The crimes have gone UNPUBLISHED |
because the ramifcatUns Of the plot en-
braced almost every department of justice
and almost every center of authority. Our
boodlers have controlled judges, juries. dis
trict attorneys and legislatures, Just as
Tweed did. and, like him, they have seemed
to be so impregnably intrenched that it
seemed futile to attack them. It looks now
to sanguine observer as though the repeti-
ton of history might be pursued to the end
and as though we too might perhaps be able
to point to a local Tweed as a warning to
Pacific Coast toodlers.