Year: 1871

TANMANY is DEAD; there is no doubt about


that. single vigorous effort was enough TO
strangle that beast Of prey. The victory gives
good cause for rejoicing but it does not end the
war The conditions, which made Tammany
rule possible, still exist, and men as bad and
mischicvous as Tweed are ready to improve
them when the vigilance of the public is re-
laxed. lfit were as impossible as it now seems
for Tweed and his gang ever to have political
resurrection, thar would be no pledge of safety
or excuse for carelessness. They were not the
cause of corruption, but the symptoms and pro-
ducts Of it. The cause lies deeper than the influ-
ence Of any one man or set Of men. 1t is the
indifference and forbearance Of the people.
There may be here and there a narrow district,
like that which elects Tweed to the state senate,
which is careless about the moral character of
its representatives and rulers but there is none
broad enough TO include fair assortment of all
cond ions and opinions, in which a vast ma
jority of the people do not wish to elect honest
and faithful officers, and would not, il the op-
portunity were fairly presented postpone all
other political considerations to this. The
trouble is that honest men are not willing to
cxpend the time and labor for the public good
that men far from honest eagerly employ fer
their own advancement, The preliminary work,
the caUcussing and canvaSsing, is left in the
hands of anybody who is willing TO do it, and
disintercsted and well meaning citizens, when
they get 10 the polls, if their public spirit is
sufficient TO take them there, are helpless for
want Of organization and union.


1t is not sufficient to turn bad men out of
Office, or even put good men in. 1t has happened
before now that men, who seemed to be trust
worthy, when exposed to the temptations OF
Office, proved unable to resist them without the
aid of constant and jealous supervision, and,
if this were not so, demago.ues and corruption
lists will be ever on the watch to suppant and
succeed worthy public servants II the mer-
chants and professional men in New York, who,
in the recent eXi-ency, have freely given their
time TO the work OF exposing and deuouncing
dishonesty, return TO their desks and counting
rooms, now that the struggle is over, leaving
politics to the care Of those who make it their
sole business, it viii not be long before the
thieves, now driven to their denS will be abroad
again and become as nsoleut and powerful as
before Il is necessary that honest and patriotic
tltlHCue oHOulu oldlu up lOl CdCu OtiGI dHd tuG
public welfare at all times and places. So long
as any favor Of disgrace is involved in being
called politician, ana so long as it is the pOpu-
lar belief that a good character is not essential
for public officer and a bad character Is no
hindrance to attaining office, the political ser.
vices of the best citizens in official and non
official capacities cannot be dispensed with
And when the politics of the country, state and
national, are reformed and purified, as nobody
can doubt that they need to be, and no good
citizen ought to regard the task as hopeless,
then equal vigilance will be required to preserve
them from contamination


These suggestions may seem less appropriate
TO the present time than to the period before
election, but we cannot afford to lose the lesson
of New York, and it is more impressive when
it Is new and fresh. 1t is a good time now when
men are looking about for the new issues on
which parties are TO be divided, to organize a
party Of honesty, in which no man of doubtful
character, whatever his talents or apparent SER
vices, shall be admitted to any responsible post,
and no claims TO office shall be recognized ex-
cept integrity and capacity for the performance
of official duties.