Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-17

Interesting comparison Is being made in
New York city between the organization Of
good citizens bent on overthrow:ng Tam
many and similar committee which, TWEEN
ty-thres years ago, inflicted upon that most
corrupt Of political bodies punishment from
which II has never wholly recovered. The
reform committee of today has seventy
members. and so had the committee which
came into existence on September 4. 1871.
The conditions prevalent in municipal af-
fairs in New York then and now resemble
each other remarkably. with the exception,
perhaps, that the general public knows
more Of Tammany's recent offending than
the general public did of what Tweed and
his associates were doing prior to their ex-
posure and downfall. Charges of wholesale
dishonesty had been freely made for some
time before the first Committee OF Seventy
proceeded TO investigate. but not even the
most ardent anti-Tammany worker sup
posed that things were anything like as
bad as they afterward proved to be. Much
difficulty was experienced In getting down
to definite details and incontrovertible facts.
Tweed was a tremendous power, and he
was surrounded by men who would not hest
tate at any crime II its commission was
necessary to the maintenance of Tweed rule
To those W no were once familiar with the
exposures made by the old Committee Of
Seventy. 1t will be interesting to recall
some of the more bare-faced steals that
were engineered by Tweed; younger folks
will also be benefited by the reprinting Of
history. More than three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars were paid for carpets for
the county court house-carpets that an ex-
pert declared to be worth only S13, 400; in
two years one f-r.I of ring contractors
was alleged to have received 1904, 71G for
furniture" for the court house, while
another firm receipted for s916, 1249s, also
for furniture" "Plastering'' and repair
Ing" and additional plumbing resulted in
four bills that footed up S6.O4S, 2s117. The
furnishing Of safes for the court house re-
suited In bill of S4O4. 2iS. ~, while a purely
bogus bill for carpets, curtains and
shades took out of the city treasury the
sum of SIij.9i2.01. Thermometers were ex-
pensive articles IN those days, for the sup
ply alleged to have been furnished the court
house cost $500. On bill that read for
articles furnished for the court house, a
friend OF Tweed's drew sl2.S723O while
other suprosititious friends got $1,000. 900 for
water meters for the building and 81 SOL
0O654 for stationery fo- two years. These
Committee of Sev,.lty showed the source of
Tweeds vast wealth and resulted In the
exile. imprisonment and death, while a
prisoner, of the man who made the name
OF Tammany insufferably odious. What the
new Committee of Seventy will uncover
cannot. at this time, be safely predicted, but
In view of the many extraordinary and dis
graceful happenings brought to light through
Dr- Parkhurst and the Lexow investigating
committee, 1t is not unreasonable to imagine
that the Tammany of today is quite as
vicious and every whit as criminal as was
Iammany when Cornelius Bliss and Robert
Hoe and William NJ. Evarts and Henry
Clews and Theodore Steinway and Robert
b. Roosevelt and General John A. Dix, with
a host Of other good citizens, combined to
overthrow the monarchy which Boss
Tweed had set up In the commercial me-
tropols of the new world.