Year: 1875

for Action.


The people Of New York have shown on
several occasions their power to defeat the
nominees Of Tammany Hall despite the large
democratic majority in the city. The cases
of Mayor Gunther, Miles O'Reilly, Mayor
Havemeyer and Patrick II. Jones demon
strate the disposition of the citizens to resist
the dictation of Tammany when the leaders
of that organization set public opinion at
defiance. No greater incentive to the union
of all reputable people against Tammany
could be furnished than that supplied by
John Kellys crusade against an upright,
fearless criminal Judge, and his effort to
crowd the Bench and fill the District At
torney's Office with his political favorites 1t
is no doubt true that some Of the gentlemen
nominated on the Tammany ticket for the
Judiciary would be incapable Of wilfully
degrading the Bench they should be elected,
but it is equally true that John Kelly is bold,
exacting and unserupulous; that he would
not hesitate to cast such influences around
the judges who might owe their offices to
him as they would find it difficult
to resist, and that an active asso-
citation with Tammany Hall as now con-
trolled insidiously and surely destroys a
mans independence and reduces him to the
position of an unthinking and unquestioning
partisan. For these reasons the people of
New York have risen in their might against
the Tammany rule, and have resolved to up
hold pure and upright Judiciary and an
honest discharge of the duties of prosecut-
ing officer against the assaults of a political
dictator.


There can be little doubt that Recorder
Hackett and District Attorney Phelps will
be returned to the positions they have filed
SO satisfactorily. The vote on Governor last
year in the city gave Tilden less than forty
a strict party vote, all the democrats sup
porting Governor Tilden. Hackett and
Phelps will this year split the democratic
vote nearly in two, and it would not be sur
prising if their majority should be nearly as
large as that cast for Governor Tilden
with them, and would be successful
on their own merits alone. But they are
aided in a very important degree by that in
dependence and self-respect which rebels
against John Kelly's impudently assumed
dictatorship and by the oppressive manner
in which he. exercises his authority In no
district in the city are the democrats at
liberty to choose their own candidates,
whether for Senate, Assembly or Aldermen.
The states for the whole city are made up by
Kelly, and opposition to his will is visited
by the fate awarded by the Discipline"
Committee Against this dictatorship two
thirds Of the Tammany democracy is at heart
rebellious, and they will take the oppor-
tunity to rebuke it afforded by the popular
uprising in favor Of Hackett and Phelps. 1t
will be necessary, however, for the support
ers of the peoples candidates to be active
and prompt, and to organize vigorous cam
paign. The Bar should meet at once, and
express through its most prominent men,
bers its Endorsement of the popular cam
didates. Charles O'Conor, William NJ
Evarts and others of equal fame should
let the citizens hear their views on Kelly's
attempt to stain the Bench with partisan
ship. Attorney General Pierrepont would
no doubt join in such a demonstration
The merchants and business men in the city
should do their part toward upholding a
pure Judiciary. The laborers should raise
their voices against the men who have
sought to use them as their tools. For the
next two weeks every Independent citizen
should lend his efforts to the good work and
do his best to make the rebuke to John
Kelly as emphatic as was that administered
to the Tammany dictators, Of whom he is the
lineal descendant.