Year: 1875

From the New York Times, November 20.


Loudly as some persons may talk about reformed
Tammany"it il is very well known to all who are be-
hind THE in political life that II remains pretty
much what has been for years pasta source OF cor
ruption and bad government and menace 70 the wei
fare and progress of the community We are not sur
prised learn that number of influential gentlemen
in tho city have decided to form COMMITTEE Of
Safety" in the hope of preventing those outrages
private citizens and those attacks on property which
are inseparabls from Tammany rule. 1t must be re-
membered that although great reforms have been
red in the judiciary by the people, large part Of
the machinery justice is still in improper and dan
gerous hands Even under the Tweed rule the Commis
sioner of Jurors for instance man Who as we sin
cerey believe, did his duty faithfully When suits OF
ali kinds threatened against us, we never sus-
pected Mr. Douglas Taylor Of intending to pack Jurcs
But Mr. Taylor was not a sufficiently ductile nstru-
ment Tor the new Ring, ana he was replaced oy a MT
Dunlap who threatened long before election TO get the
Times indicted the election over-a
fact which 1t may be important for our fellow members
of the press and the general public 10 bear carefully in
mind.


1t IS an outrage upon the people of this city that
government should practically be under the control of
q secret society. No associate any good work
with the name and history OF Tammany Hall When
IL has not been engaged in the endeayor TO punder the
taxpayers it has ceaselessy endeavored to prevent
the will Of the people from finding fair expression at
the polls II has degraded the suffrage and turned the
forms of democratic government into mere ourlesque.
Immense burdens have been upon property and 1t
would be great delusion 10 suppose that the rich
have been the only. even the chief, sufferers
by this Injurious policy. Workingmen have found
IL harder and harder every year 10 find comfortable
homes for their families High taxes have made high


rents and all classes have been oppressed in that
secret political society might acquire unbounded in
1uence Even the democrats no longer derive any
advantage from the continued existence OF Tammany.
There was u time when Tammany nomination
equivalent TO an election and when, consequently IL
eagerly sought after The elections just held
proved conclusiyely that for Tammany TO nominate
man for Office is to ruin his chances and injure his
character. Mr. Smyth, who was put up for Recorder,
was AN honorable man, and consequently not word
said against him in these columns throughout the
acrimonious contest which preceded the election. But
he sank under the support of Tammany Hall In an
honest and straightforward struggle between thelwo
parties he would enter into the field OF politics under
circumstances more worthy Of his abilities one swal
low cannot make summer, and one honest man can
not redeem Tammany Hall from the utter disrepute
into which 1t has now fallen.


Nor is it within the bounds of probability that the
organization can ever be reformed house which is
built on rotten foundations cannot be made by
putting new door here and there and mendng the
broken windows The principle on which Tammany
exists and is managed IS thoroughly bad, and the sub
stitution of another ''Boss Tor John Kelly would be
an idle form. The only means by which it can be pre-
vented from doing further harm is to abolish IL alto
gether 1t cumbers the ground and II ought to be cut
down The Legislature has the power to revoke its
charter, and as the public are heartily tired Of itand
even its friends sec that its days OF power gone
there would probably be formidable resistance in
any quarter TO this step. The election Of another
Mayor in the spring would coupled with the
measure just referred to- at least give
fair chance OF securing genuine reform in local
government. Mr. Wickham has been a little OF
everything by turns and nothing long weak man,
entirely destitute OF the rmness and ability which
have right TO look for in the head OF our municipal
government. At the bidding Of Tammany he tried to
revoutonize oil the city departments and made a
special war on the one which perhaps served the city
best, namely-the Fire Department He succeeded,
we have already said, in placing his own Commissioner
OF Jurors in office, with results yet to be ascertaned
He may have meant mo harm, . but he has done
great DEAL and 1t difficult to believe that any election
could give a less fitted for his post So far as
the republicans concerned they have party rea-
sons for wishing any change to be made. They have
OF late, found Tammany not very dangerous antagon
isL For Mayor Wickham they in any way re-
sponsibe. But grounds Of public interest they
ought to take advantage of the present opportunity
tear up Tammany by the roots and thus relieve the peo
pie OF organization which has brought any
thing but disgrace and scandal on the city.