Year: 1871

City Hall steps dressed from head t,
foot in a suit of green to review a st
Patrick's procession. He is a harlequin
with the literary ambition of a Richie
lieu. He effects an intimacy with thu
stage, and has done something in the
way of producing plays. He can write
clearly and concisely when he will, bu
prefers to provoke with odd quips and
far.fetched conceits. He patronizes
journalists and magazine writers with E
sort of grotesque familiarity, and readi
1y makes himself at home among the
Bohemians of literature. Without depth
without conviction, without noble pur-
pose, without much of moral conscience
he has been the ready coadjutor if no,
the equal participant of the corrup,
Ring; and when he passes from the
stage of action he will leave nothing bu,
! ill-gotten wealth, and a name in which
no descendant can have pride or pleas.
! ure.


PETER b. SWEENY.


The brains of the Ring are said to be
| ip the head Of this individual, who is
now President of the Department OF
Public Parks. He is the son of an Irish
immigrant who kept drinking saloon
in Park Row, near the Park Theatre of
| former times. This saloon in its day
was a famous and favOrita resort Of the
lower order of ward politicians, and it
was here that the boy Sweeny took his
first lessons in the political chicanery
which has since made him strong and
notorious. He began career for him
self as an errand boy in a city law office,
subsequently became student, and in
due time was admitted to the bar He
never obtained, and perhaps never
sought, much business in his profession;
but very soon after reaching manhood
turned his attention to politics. The
first office he held was that of Counsel
to the Corporation, to which position he
was elected by a handsome majority
This station did not SO much require in
its occupant legal skill and legal ability,
as an apt faculty for political manipula
| ton and in the work he had TO do, Mr..
| sweeny was eminently successful.
From the Corporation office he went in
to the District Attorneyship, obtained
| leave of absence for some time, treated
/ himself to Il term of European travel,
came home and resigned the post to
which he had been chosen, and soon be-
came City Chamberlain by the Mayors
appointment.


1t was in this Office tlat he did what
| gave hIin natlonal standing, and led
many people into the notion that some
good had come from The TauIlnany
Nazareth. The Chamberlain was Gus
todian, under The Old charter, of all city
moneys. Such portions of these funds
as were not required for immediate use
this official deposited in some of the
banks, aud the banks allowed interest.
| as Is customary, on the weekly or
monthly balance to his credit. Previ-
"us TO S"ten!'s time the Chamberlain
had put this Interest money into his own
pocket and very handsome thing MIR.
DeVnn and his predecessors made out Of
the transaction. But Sw eney Startled
his political world, aud caused great
sensation, by announcing that he should
turn these Interest receipts into the city
treasury. Iummany made notable
parade Of his honesty and public spirit.
and the capital he gained in this way
has been his chief stock in trade for the
last two or three years.


But in the light of recent develop
ments, Mr.. Sweeny's course does not
seem so purely disinterested As it once
did. He was in full control OF the city
funds on the memorable Black Friday of
two years ago last summer, and sworn
testimony taken 10y a committee Of Con
gress shows that he had share in the
d0ings of that eventual day. To what
extent the money in his official charge
was put at the service of the Wall
street Ring, the country probably never
will know; but the common belief of
New York is that Mr. Sweeney made q
good deal of money out Of his specula-
tions on the occasion. That he has been
more or less concerned with Fisk and
Gould in various Erie Railway stock OPP
eratiOns, is matter of general uOtoriety;
as it il also that most of the lately~ex-
posed fraudulent transactions in con-
nection with the SO called new Court
House and other public building occurred
during his incumbency Of the Chamber
lain's office. The greater part Of those
transactions yet brought into daylight
refer to county affairs, it is true; but
city and county are one except ia name,
and we have only just begun to get at
what are designated the city accounts.


AS has been already stated, he values
himself on his brains, and the Ring al
herents take him at that valuation.
they believe him capable of finding a
way out OF the closest corner, and we
suppose it is not to be doubted that he il
a man OF considerable ability. He has
not many of the qualities of a popular
politician years ago he cut loose from
his early engine company associations
he IL reserved and reticent at all times.
and rarely seeks contact with the Dem
ocratic masses he covets seclusion and
respectability, and has recently given
his wife her righlful name in legal
manner; apparently he has sought to
be Warwick rather than King, and his
followers credit him with mastery per-
formance of the part. One of his earli
est acts as President of thu Park Cons
mission was to oust Fred. Law OImstead
and shelve Andrew II. Green, the ac
tual creators of Central Park; but the
whirligig Of time has now put him into
| such q nOsitinn that he cannnt not n aol