Year: 1875




upon New York politics. and especially in
connection with the political attitude and
ambition Of Governor Tilden. The S,m
says -


If your horse is TO run in a sharply contested race
the less deadweght he has to carry the better Old
Sammy Laird, the famous trainer OF Fashion, used to
say that If you could suppose such thing as two
horses precisely evenly matched, single pound Of
deadweght placed upon one would enable the other TO
win every time


Present appearances seem to indicate that neither
side will have much odds TO spare in the next for
tho White House Under these circumstances one of
the nrs things to be avoided Is the carrying Of any un
necessary deadweight


We regard Identification with secret political organ
ization deadweight We believe it vii! prove very
serious obstacle-drst In the way ora nomination by
national convention, and secondly in the way OF an
election by the people.


Tammany Hall is such secret organization, grasp
ing only at the government Of this city and OF this
State but seeking control the politics Of the nation


Is IL safe for Governor Tilden to have 1t understood
that ne Is intimately connected WIN such nodyf


We think not. We think II loads him with dead
weight likely 10 prove fatal TO any aspiran for the office
OF President He can hardly act too promptly in cutting
loose from Tammany Hall.


We are glad to have the assistance of the
SIN in the contest which we are waging
against the Know Nothing, dark-lanterned,
secret society of Tammany Hall. The Sun
gives weighty reasons for this course when it
says that Identification with a secret political
organization will to Governor Tilden ''prove
a very serious obstacle-frst, in the way of a
nomination by national convention, and,
secondly in the way of an election by the
people," AS we have shown on many occa-
sions in discussing the relations of Tammany
Hall to New York politics, there was no bur-
den more difficult for Mr. Greeley to bear
when he ran against General Grant than the
support of Tammany Hail. Governor Tilden
will feel the same oppressive influence if he
becomes candidate for the Presidency with
Tammany Hall as his principal supporter.


1t is gratifying to journalists to find that
in this war upon Tammany the press is
unit. The S,us, which did such good service
in behalf of the independence of the Bench as
represented by Recorder Hackett, and in OPP
position to the one-man power as represented
by John Kelly continues its opposition to
an influence which has become as despotic
and irresponsible as that of the Know
Nothing organization when it claimed to
prescribe from citizenship all who were not
Protestant in faith and American in birth. We
have no doubt the New York Times, which
also made a noble campaign against Tam
many, although from the standpoint of the
republican party, of which it is the able inde-
pendent organ, will no doubt at the proper
time be glad to take part in the war upon
secret societies in politics There is
no chapter in the history of the
Times to which it's editor can look
back with more pride than that which tells
Of its attack upon the Tammany Ring and
the part it bore in destroying it. Nothing is
more natural than that the hero in the cam
paign against Tweedism and corruption
should be anxious to lead in the campaign
against Kellyism and secret societies in
politics. We might allude also to the valu-
able help given by the Evening Post. What
we miss in this war is the assistance of the
World and the Tribune. 1t is perhaps too
much to expect that the World, which is the
organ Of the democracy, should welcome
disruption of the party organization such
as would inevitably result from the war
upon Tammany Hall. But we are not without
hopes that even the editor of the World will
see that the glorious principle of popular
sovereignty, as laid down by Douglas for the
guidance Of the democratic party years ago,
and now advocated by men like Tilden and
Herman and Seymour, is Of more Importance
to the success of the democracy than the
strengthening Of the power of an irresponsi-
BILE political despot. The editor of the World
is too astute man not to feel that the de
mocracy of New York can only win power


"a 4
principles, not by following blindly in the
vassalage Of one-man power, of committees
of discipline Of dark-lanterned, Know
Nothing lodge like Tammany Hail.


AS for the Tribune, an able, sprightly, am
bilious and scholarly journal, strong in its
news as well as in its editorial department,
its place as the former champion of radi ical
thought is in the van of the movement
against secret societies in politics and against
one-man power and bosom friendship in the
governing Of New York city. The Tribune,
for reasons which we do not care to question,
has found its duty in the support of Tam
many Hall but we are confident that before
this campaign develops the editor Of that
journal, who has perhaps been as persistent
in his support of the independence Of
the press as any journalist in the
country, will be proud to take his
place beside the HERALD and its colleagues
in this war upon the most debasing
influence that we have seen in our political
life since the time Of Aaron Burr for nothing
is clearer than that Tammany Hall is doomed.
Public opinion has pronounced against it.
Even its own democratic party is in mutiny.
Those who look forward to higher stations in
the party feel crippled by its support. Those
who were nominated as its candidates dur
ing the last canvass were defeated in spite of
their merit and the desire Of the party to
honor them, because they were members of
Tammany Hall. The time has come for this