The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-27
OF expansion. That from our point Of
view is paying much too high a price
for sentiment"
Naw Yorl,a shnma.

We doubt very much II the report Of
the Mazet investigating committee,
which pried into the corrupt practices
Of Tammany in the government Of New
York city's anaIrs, will have any app
probable effect on the people Of that
misgoverned city. or result in the In
stitutlon of any reforms. The citizens
of Americas greatest city appear to be
callous and Indifferent and accept Gro
ker's rule as a matter of course. It Is
sad commentary on the public morals
of Gotham. They do not seem to care
how much the Tammany boss flches
from the public treasury 80 long as he
does not extend his financial opera
tons" by burglarlzlng their houses.
In citing the subservlency of the city
departments to the "boss" the report
says "that Richard Croker was not
placed on the tax list for personal prop
erty in 1896, 1897. 1898. and 1882 In
1895 he was notified Of an assessment
Of $4,000. and on the 18th Of January
he swore as follows: 4 hereby swear
that on the second Monday Of January
last the value Of my personal property,
exclusive Of bank shares. subject to
taxation did not exceed -. Richard
Croker The testimony Of Principal
Tax Deputy Bell shows that Mr.. cro-
ker's house, East seventy-fourth
street, had been reduced in assesSable
value from $4,000 to $4,000. while all
but the Immediately adjoining houses
remained at their original valuation.
and that subsequently $4,000 had been
added, leaving the house still $1,000 less
than It's original valuation. The house
in which district leader and Police
Commissioners Sexton resides, was also
reduced $1,000 in value, and the testi-
mony shows many similar marks Of
favoritIsm to members or friends Of the
organization.
Like master, like man." Will it be
supposed that sub-leaders Of this discl-
plined organization. who have been ap-
pointed by the mayor to commissioner
ships and other important positions at
the suggestion Of Mr.. Croker and his
associates. will disregard the princl-
pies Of their combination so clearly
stated by the leader and his deputy,
and win fail to turn their opportunities
into business advantage for the leader,
themselves, and the adherents Of the or
ganlzation? Did they not hear from
him before we did the epIgrammatlc ex-
presslons that will always be remem-
bered, TO the party belongs the spolls.'
we win ond we expect everyone to
stand by. I want to get living I
am working for my pocket all the time.
That (patronage) is a part Of my
profit we want the whole business
IL we can get It. we are giving pure
organization government That is
my private business"
The only result of this investigation
is to tell the public in an official way
what it already knew to be fact
that Croker was In politics for the
money that was in 1t, and to have the
notifying defiance flung from the wit
ness stand, what are you going to do
about 1T" 1t is a painful subject for
the advocates Of free and honest city
government and we are curious to
know what the people ARE going to do
about ii. At present Croker has the
people of New York by the throat. and
we can't suy that we sympathiz. with
them to any great degree, because it is
their own fault. Tweed was an anna
teur compared to the present Tammany
boss.