The record-union., 1895-02-09

Hitherto Untold.
fright purchased by the REcoRD-UNIoN from
the Box Syndicate Press, New York.
The Tammany Hall organization Of
1870 and the preceding year was "downed"
(as the slang of local politics puts it, al
most as precipitately as has been the
latest Tammany, both events begettlng
a national and connectedly historical in
terest. But the downing" at the first
named period has never been correctly
narrated, although attempted to be by
many writers. Conspicuously so in the
Bigelow Life of Samuel j. Tilden,"
and in q chapter OF The American Com
monwealth,'' by a member of the present
British Ministry, who, travelling for
few months in the United States, was
compelled 10 adopt hearsay statements.
The alleged narratives OF that downing"
of 1871 have often reminded me OF an cpl
gram by Henry Labouchere, the London
editorial cynic, History is collection
Of misstatements, the work OF prejudiced
commentators, who remodel the false
hoods OF the original liars" Hneas, in
telling, through Virgil, the story OF the
siege of Troy, exclaimed in evidence OF
its authenticity ''pars quorum magma
tui," and with references to the occur
rences of the above hrst-named year l
can re-echo the expression.
The Tammany Hall Democratic organ
iZation, when it reformed on New ears
Day. 1871, was compact and impregnabie.
1t then practically controlled the State
Government ana the municipal admins
Lrations OF New \ ork, Brooklyn, Albany,
Buffalo and several other cities OF the
PINT NnI How of
found that compactness disintegrated,
and that impregnability destroyed by an
installed anu-Iammany State Govern
ment, and by corresponding administra-
tions in all the above named referred to
cities. What produced this result, and
what events meantime occurred i'll con-
nection, it is my province to now mar
rate.
on the first-named New Years Day I
began second full term as Mayor, and
the municipal government continued 10
be in harmonious and popular working
order under Iammany influences anu
support. William Nj. Tweed was then
State Senator at Albany, also mead Of
The Department OF Public Works IN New
York City, a Grand Sachem of the Tam
many Society IA corporation that owned
the building known as Iammany Hall,
in which met the Democratic organiza-
tion OF the city, whereof MIR. Tweed was
also Chairman, and in political slang,
"Boss"). AT the same period Chester
A. Arthur-afterward President was
the BOSS" OF the Republican orgauiZa-
ton.
For some time these two bosses (Mr.
Arthur also held a lucrative municipal
Office under Iammany appointmenL mad
been In general harmonious accord as to
city government. But there mad come at
length parting of the ways to some eX-
tent, and the parting broadened when
slalf ,,ff To
affiliated with the Arthur followers III
species OF coalition opposition against the
power of Iammany. This opposition
early in 1871 received effective newspa
per support from the Daily Times, the
proprietor of which was smarting under
Lhe impolitic refusal of Tammany Off
Gals to allow him share in the lucrative
public printing oil the corporation. Tam
many, however, regarded the assaults of
the boilers, OF the coalition and of the
newspaper as OF ordinary political i'm
portance. let it was the gathering of
clouds preceding tornado. 1t certainly
was fsuch importance only until, in the
summer oil 1871, an expose of some public
officials supervened as suddenly sensa-
tional as any OF the recent developments
OF the Lexow Committee.
During the Republican administration
of Mayor George Opdyke and of the
county government by Board of Super
visors, whose members were equally di-
vided in politics, the latter bouy, under
legislative permission, undertook the
building of huge County Courthouse
at county expense. At that time New
York County administration was divisi
ible from the municipal one, although
county and city held the same bounda-
ries and the same citizens. These are
now senslDiy amalgamated into one sys-
tenn, and Aldermen of the city are ex-
officio Supervisors of the county. AS has
II a lyy oaa
public buildings - National Capitol,
Houses of Parliament and Palais du JUS
tice, etc.-jobbery under contractors
early marked the foundation and con-
struction of TIE County Courthouse.
Politics selected its architects, build
ers, superintendents and contractors, all
OF whom were more or less politically as
sessed at election times. This tempted
them to recoup through speculative job
berry. The first public scandal originated
In payroll that developed sinecures and
shirkers of workmen and fictitious
names. Another scandal soon beca me
added to the extravagant purchase of
marble from quarry company in which
some Supervisors were scheduled as
stock holders. Brick, iron, lum ber
and lime also figured as material through
which officials and contractors Specu-
lated at public expense. But such job
berry during the ten years of the un-
necessarily prolonged erection and at
tempts at completion of the County
Courthouse was comparatively inSignifi-
cant. The Supervisors audited the bills,
and the Comptroller, who acted as tinan-
cial agent of the county as we'll as OF the
city, paid them out of the proceeds OF
bonds issued for long periods of pay
ment.
Public or press suspicion was not
aroused because Republican and Demo-
cratic Supervisors were alike interested
IN not investigating. But during the
year 1870 three clerical employees of the
Board of Supervisors and a County Au-
ditor-all envious of the deals and gains
that were proceeding bethought them
of treasury depicting syndicate TO be
secretly composed of contractors, them
selves and the Chief Clerk and President
was accordingly formed a secret con-
spiracy.
The contractors were to put in bills
piastering, frescoing, painting, furnish
ing-sutficiently aggregated to secure
them profit, which bills the originators
of the syndicate would revamp by in.
creaslng the amounts so as to divide the
increased excess among themselves.
There were then also outstanding large
deficiencies and postponed claims against
the county, not only for County Court.
house construction, but for the building
of armories and furnishing various mi
nor courts. These claims were also taken
into the syndicate plans. The exagger-
ated bills were from time to time
rushed through the auditing mill of the
Supervisors by the confederate employees
and were duly signed by Clerk and
President of the Board of Supervisors
and forwarded to the Comptroller fol
payment by warrant. a few OF the Su
/. l..