Year: 1874

4


one, while New York, which fills in the
modern world the sphere of both those ancient
cities, oscillates between the examples and
inclines at one time to the autocracy Of
Tweed and at another to the oligarchical OK
pansion of Committee of Seventy. Just
now our tyrants are few as to numbers but
tyranny was never more oppressive than they
manage to make it. because it was never
more comprehensive and never more thor
oughly covered the field open to the opera
tions of extravagant authority. Comptroller
Green, Mr. Van Mort, Mayor Havemeyer, Mr.
Foley and Commissioner Gardner have us at
their mercy for the time In their existence
and operations we see the repetition OF all
political history. Tweed, the personal auto
crat, who had turned all the streams OF
municipal revenue into one pocket, so that the
mass Of minor politicians could scarcely steal
an honest living for themselves, was therefore
put down, thanks to Sheriff o. Brien. He was,
of course, put down in the name OF virtue, and
like the gentleman in the Tempest, ''of his
bones was coral made" Purity arose as
naturally from the ruins of his authority as
honey came out OF the dead lion. From the
eater came forth meat" But naturally there
was not meat enough for seventy, and the
number worked down inevitably, as revolving
oligarchies always work down to organized
tyrannies of half dozen. this being about the
number that practically gives q separate
sphere of tyranny to each person and makes
control SO thorough that resistance is i'm
possible


Green is the financial tyrant. The famous
monarch who sat in the parlor and counted
out his money was constitutional sovereign,
mild, inoffensive and reasonable, by compari-
son with him. He is o financial King
Canute- only that he has the power, and his
word is obeyed he says that the tide shall
not rise, and sure enough it continues low
water. If he declares there shall not be any
light there is no light He says there shall be
no improvements, and controversy ceases !;
that ends it. And this is an intellectual
supremacy. No one but Green is competent
to form an opinion He is the only person
who even knows the amount of our public
debt Journalists sometimes have ventured
to discuss public financial topics but they
have been properly informed that such con-
duct is impertinent, that it is an
intrusion and an interference for
them to even pretend knowledge on
such Subjects that only Green has the requi-
site knowledge and capacity. Green is
useful as an exhibition of the fallacy of reform
Tammany robbed us badly, and the Tammany
thieves are all in retirement some in retire
ment, more or less elegant, beyond the seas
and others in retirement, not elegant at oil,
and not the consequence Of their vohtion
But even in full remembrance Of their careers
the people may well pray that Heaven will
save us from reformers Other angles Of the
financial triangle are Foley and Van Mort
Mr.. Van Mort is Commissioner of Public
Works, and the most important public work
that he can find to attend to, apparently, is
what is done at Albany in the Legislature.
He is laying some sort Of pipe in the lobby
there Will it be an intrusion to suggest that
lobbying at Albany is not strictly within the
sphere of Mr.. Van Norts official duties, and
that a regard to the public sense of propriety
should restrain official persons from any en-
deavor to influence legislation in their
favor? Are we so utterly drifted away from
political morality that this cannot be per-
ceived by the public or by persons in Office !?
Two years ago Foley also "was an Arcadian. "
Foley was the friend of Green and Green was
the friend Of Foley. They had bond of union
stronger and broader than that of the Siamese
Twins in their mutual probity and resolution
to get into Office and stand by one another.
They were terrifcally upright persons. But
that WAS in the hard and hungry times. Green
is now in Office, which changes him, and
Foley is not which certainly changes him-as
to his opinion of Green. They make out
papers against one another which are formu.
lated and signed, and are altogether so much
like the certificates made up to show the
honesty and usefulness of fashionable
charity that it is impossible to believe WORD
of them


Havemeyer is altogether the least aggressive
of the tyrants. He is worthy, respectable
old gentleman, and was tolerable Mayor o.
the city in the days when life was so quiet anG
| tuc oPciduouo Va ouA poiAoiooh oyotcHl oo CVoL
and easy that well polished old pump-handlt
with cravat on might have been depended
upon for the discharge of all the duties of tht
Office; but now he is tumbled about hithel
and thither in the whirlpool Of our politics
and remains only to prove Shakespeare's erro
in saying that 'when the brains were out ths
man would die" His principal occupation o.
pastime is to walk about in the evening will
his dear friend Matsell with whom he hold
sweet conference on the excellence of the city
pavements. They are respectively th'
good Haroun. al Raschid and Giaffar a
Barmeki of Dur metropolis, and woe t
any unfortunate creature whom they il
their romantic trips shall catch expressing
disrespectful opinions as to the condition o
the streets. Mr.. Gardner is the tyrant o
| phvsical force All the others are tvrants h,