The morning call., 1891-10-04
HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF.

When Tweed was overthrown the Eastern
press abounded with histories of his rise
aud fall. Some Of those histories might
serve as an acc unit of the occurrences which
are transporting around us. Substitute Chute
or Buckley for Tweed, Murphy for Bar
nard, and the friends of the San Francisco
boodlers for the cohorts of Tanmany Hail,
and the tale might pass for chronicle OF
current events.
The first difficulty with which Tweed's
assailants had to contend was the difficulty
of securing evidence against the great
booder. There were plenty of people who
knew the facts, but they were either mixed
up with Tweed's schemes to such an extent
that the revelation would have eliminated
themselves, or they were friends of men,
bers Of the ring, and were 10th to help send
their friends to States prison. Hence they
kept out Of tie way, took trips to Canada
Europe, or when caught and hidden to
speak experienced total loss of memory.
Numbers of people, who in their secret
souls ragged at the robbery which was going
on around them, we're afraid to come out
openly and take sides against the Chief
Saehem of Tammany Hall. Tweed was
almost omnipotent He held the LeEisla-
Of his hard. Either would pass any meas
ure which he demanded. To throw down
the gauntlet 10 sucE a power required no
common degree of courage.
Thus il came about that the Times news
paper was left to conduct the fight almost
alone. Those who sympathized with it suf-
fc.enty to give it counsel aid so in secret
in the night Tine, with extreme precautions
I,a IF ba
tile community wished it well in its enter
prise, but none Of the merchants stood ready
to risk ANYTHING by openly backing its efforts
The impeachment trial of Barnard and Car
doza nearly fell through for lack of fuuds-in
the wealthy city OF New ! OTk few were will
ing to subscribe money to abate nuisance
which every one privately admitted to be III
tolerable. The names Of Tweed ard Bar
nard inspired universal terror. They were
known to be capable Of anything, from
throwing a merchant into bankruptcy to
hiring a bravo to sandbsg him.
Among the newspapers the efforts of the
Times were regarded with cold jealousy.
None of the great dailies actually espOused
the cause of the bOodlers, but they either
damned their assailants with faint praise or
questioned the discretion of their methods.
1 lNbAtlS JUL udllSLS dulliAtCu tlldL L hGCu
deserved hanging. but they were unwilling
to interfere with 1.-THE Times job" Thus
the intrepid journal which had undertaken
to uproot boodeism was deprived Of tile
comfort which it should have received. from
encouragement in the press and from public
meetings. 1t had to fight single handed, and
there were not a few among those whose
battle it was fighting who privately sneered
tI., g.,fl.
In New York as here, rooted influence was
a terrible thing TO antag0nlze.
But in these conflicts the truth always
prevails at last. These strongest king is
overthrown in the end if he persists in mis-
governing. There is no combine so COM
pact, no ring so firmly welded that it will
not go 10 pieces sooner or later. II its origin
is vicious. The lawyers and judges and
politicians fancy that their ramifcations are
so wide and their influence so vast that
they will make wrong forever appear right,
and compel the public to aCquesce in
bribery and corruption. When. through
the subserviency Of a plant judge, they
throw an impeachment in the way of the ad-
miniStratiOn of justice, they delude them
selves with the notion that the cause of
honesty is defeated. and will never trouble
lUtl again, they dIt utCElFfus LIE dS Id
ton now started will 90 on. 1t will not be
arrested by temporary mischances. 1t will
derive strength from every setback which
can be traced to the influence Of the
boodlers. Every time the knaves steal a
march on the honest men a few more adj
herents will be gained for the movement.
The people If San Francisco have made
up their minds to put an end to the rotten
rascality which has prevailed so long at the
capital and in the City Hall. They are sick
of sending Senators aud Representatives to
Sacramento to sell their votes to the highest
bidder, and of choosing Supervisors and
city officials who prey like bandits on the
city They are firmly and inexorably set on
breaking up rings and solid mines, and on
enforcing the laws against corruption. In
the movement they have undertaken all
viii not be smooth sailing. 1t must be ex-
pected that the boodlers will fight, as Tweed
did. But in the end it is as certain that the
right will prevail as it is that the sun shines
in an unclouded sky, and the friends
and abattors of the boodlers had better,
while tits time, be looking to their lines of