Year: 1874




picture is different. All the combination Of
the pretty bits of painted glass that made
up the picture of reform is dislocated In the
new picture the Immaculate men of reform are
themselves presented as culprits. Scarcely
has the public had fair opportunity to rejoice
| sufficiently over the moral revolution that
consigned the autocrat of Tammany corrup-
tons to the retirement of the Penitentary,
and scattered his numerous henchmen as fugi-
tives from justice scarcely have we fairly
conceived the whole effect of the introduction
of virtue and purity and high purpose in
municipal politics, when, behold we find
that the standard bearers of the campaign to
be waged on these principles are laid low by
the verdict of a jury that disqualifes them
from further usefulness in saving this devoted
community.


1t is true that the respective positions of the
culprits of the reform party and the culprits
of the Tammany party are not the same. MIR.
Gardner says that his colleague and himself
were technically guilty" which is nice
phrase. Far be it from us to say that eth er
of these honorable gentlemen could ever be





even the technicalities of the law have some
times awkward results. II these gentlemen
are technically" guilty Of having disregarded
their oaths of office in full consciousness of
the immunities with which virtuous purpose
covers men possessed of power which they do
their utmost to make Irresponsible, then their
offence is a misdemeanor, and they might





also was found guilty of msdemeanor, and
be also had disregarded his oath of Office.
Unfortunately for the Police Commissioners,
the laws seem to look upon the offence of cor
ruption in Office, with regard to the public
money, as not greatly more heinous than cor
ruption in Office with regard to the ma
chinery of elections. They cover the public
purse with the protection that Furnishes
people who p,under it. and they cover the
right of the people to be safe from official
interference at the polls with protection of
precisely the same sort And who is wise
enough to say what may happen with these
gentlemen, these honorable men," and
products of great reform, rudely tumbled
out of Office? 1t unfortunately makes great
| difference in our public processes whether a
man on trial is in or out Of Office; whether
hosts Of people, with favors to beg, are waiting
to catch his eye or whether there are none so
poor to do him reverence. If such investiga-
cleaning speculatons should be revived with
the gentlemen under the odium of sentence,
the result might scarcely be covered with the
phrase, technically guilty" In like manner
acts OF very questionable legality in the pur-
chase Of supplies and the bestowal of con-
tracts, which might have been regarded as
technical irregularities on the part of Police
| Commissioners in Office may assume q far
more serious character after the official life Of
such Commissioners has been brought to
disastrous close.


By events like this the light is let in for the
benefit OF the people upon the games of the
political sharpers, and the sham, the fraud
and mockery of the pretences they put forth
in the name of honesty and reform are ex-
hlbite9. In Tammany overthrown by Shrek
ers for reform, who merely want to secure for
themselves the plunder they clamor over, and
in the so-called reformers tripped up by the
Vaccinations of still other politicians, whose
pretexts are the same and whose motives are
no better, there is for the people the same
lesson. There is equally little hope for
honesty and the interest of the public which
ever side is momentarily uppermost and who
ever happens to prevail Law is used to
secure eviction from Office, and then the
party that seizes power simply continues the
offences of those over whose misdoings they
had rallied The tin whistle of reform is
vigorously blown, and before the echoes of
the notes die away it is discovered that
Little Johnny Horner, who plays the
tune. is silly engaged in an attempt
to pull o bigger plum out of the
political pie, while all the nimble patriots,
who dance to the tune are endeavoring to skip
into lucrative Offices. In the end the people
find that they have only exchanged one ring
for another or for one of those curious COM
plcations of rings which can be twisted into
all manner of shapes, divided, subdivided
and joined together again in o manner
marvellous to behold. Old Tammany disap-
pears, dissolved into thin air, but in its place
spring up the Custom House ring, the liberal
republican ring, the Havemeyer ring the
Green ring, the general family connection and
brother-in-law ring, and all the other rings
that together make up the hybrid concern
known as the reform municipal government.
The only difference is that while the old Tam
many ring, standing solidly together to the
exclusion of all outsiders, robbed the people
with the boldness of brigands, the little
independent rings of reformers, by whatever
title they may be designated, are all engaged
in acts of petty larceny on their own account.
In the end the people may find themselves
more out Of pocket by the aggregate opera
t;opr of the croo 11ar raccolc than bv fbn ora nd