Year: 1874

A distinguished humorist once remarked


that he never patron;zed temperance hotels.


because he observed that they kept for sale


the worst liquor. When we see an especially


reform ticket we are disposed to regard its


nominees as especially prone to corruption


and folly. The old Tammany Hall had bad


name, and the fact that its once proud and


puissant captain now serves the State in less


ambitious but more useful employ1nents than


when Senator in Albany makes q suggestive.


II uninviting, record for its present leaders


Our advice to the democratic party in the city


has been to show itself worthy of power by


taxing departure SO wide and new that we


should no longer have the suspicion of Tweed


Ism resting upon any of it's nominations We


felt that no one oct would SO thoroughly free


the party from these suspicious as the nomina-


ton OF men like William Butler Duncan or


John n. Hackett for the Mayoralty, or Of such


a man as Chief Justice Church for the Gov


ernorship II there was genuine hope on


the part OF tho democracy that they could Oh


tain control of either the city OF the State We


should see some such movement on the part


OF the leaders. But no such hope exists.


Some years since New York was amused at


the dominance of what was known in the


political phrase as 'the Emerald Ring The
green and fresh glories of that time were soon


dlmmed by the advent of another ring, whose
emblem was the bediamonded tigers head,
and not the modest jewel Of Ireland. But


the Emerald Ring did not die. II lived in
suspended animation. We only hear of the


Emerald attribute OH the election day. When
the spoils are to be divided and honors are to


be awarded the sons OF the green island are
coidly considered but when power is to be
gained, when doubtful canvass imposes new
efforts upon the leaders, when it is necessary


to appeal to sentiment and passion, we have
the invocation of the old spell. The ring of
Emerald rs then believed to possess fairy
power. to summon the sprite from the BOTTLE


TO compel the evil giant to sink into the
stream, or to extend the pavilion SO that a
nation may sit under its folds. The reform
Tammany leaders now invoke this power No
one is 10 reign in the Wigwam who does not
wear the Emerald ring. In all directions
among our local leaders there are strenuous
efforts to ''become eligible Men who have
lived many years in the ostentatious profession
of Knickerbocker kinship and Puritan
ancestry suddenly find that they ale
descendants of Irish kings" Leading
men who do not actually know whether
Strabane is in Connaught or Ulster discover
that they have the gifts of an enticing brogue,
and tell with fearful eye how their ancestors
followed the O'Donnell and the O'Neill. and
deied the murderous, crushing power of
OCromwell. Chief of this combination we
have The Okelly, the head of an illustrious
and royal house, whose ancestors were kings
in the time of Brian Boru. We have The O. Nor
rissey, about whose ancestry we have only
vague traditions, but who has himself made
many striking displays of strength and sci,
ence. OCharlick is not as good all Irishman
as we could wish, but our compensation is the
fact that no one entertains his claims. The
U Fox Is somewhat incongruous name for |
royal house, but if this great chief is pressed
to the wall he may prove himself to be an
OShaughnessy by his mothers side. The
OMacMahon is rising prince whose days
and nights are given to the study OF the Celtic
tongue, that he may blarney himself into the
Registership. We have The OClintou.
the O'Kennedy and the OWickham.
all new names, and not with the an
cestral claim to respect of the O'Kellv and
the OMacMahon, but anxious and ready to
prove their rights to reign over New York by
virtue of their possession of the Emerald Ring.


But the question arises, Can the democrats
in the State permit themselves to be sacrificed
as slaves to the Emerald Ring? This is not
the first time that the democracy in the State
and the nation surrendered themselves to the |
selfish ambition of the metropolitan leaders.
There is little doubt that combinations might |
have been made to elect Mr. Adams OF MIR.
Chase over General Grant in 1872 had it not |
been for the corrupt ambition of the Tammnny |
rulers, who had insisted upon using their power
in the city for purposes of gain. Tweed and his |
associates made any general democratic vic |
tory impossible outside OF New York Even
in New York they finally sank in the mael-
strom OF popular anger. The Americus Ring
is broken. Its fragments may be found in
foreign lands on Coney Island and Black
wells Island, at Auburn and Sing Sing, or
leading precarious existence i'll the back
streets OF New York. The Emerald Ring has
taken its place, and under the resplendent
sheen of the jewel itself, carefully embedded
from view, may be found many Americus
fragments who were not conspicuous enough
to be noticed when the old ring snapped asun-
der, but who hope for a place under the new
when the O'Kelly and the ONIor-
rissey come to their own.


Can the Emerald Ring hold together
more securely than the Amerious Ring? Can
it prevent itself from passing into the hands
Of men who only seek place for pelf--who are