Year: 1871




At Last-Jadse Dedferd's Charge.


At the commencement Of the labors Of the
famous Committee of Seventy, the HERALD
warned its members that by following the
counsels of political wirepullers, and suffering
themselves to be led by the nose by adventur-
ers who used the agitation for city reform to
advance their own personal schemes they
would fail in the main object of the good work
they had undertaken-the punishment OF the
unfaithful public officers who had plundered
the people of millions of dollars. We foresaw
that q crusade against the guilty parties, only
for the sake of ''upsetting Tammany" and
shaving new deal" in the distribution of the
municipal spoils, could not satisfy the ends Of
justice or afford useful lesson to those who
might hereafter bs called to positions
of trust in the city government. The
result justifes our predictions The Commit
tee Of Seventy and all its subdivisions ex-
pended their time in keeping up running ere
of startling disclosures, the whole of which
were only variations of the first developments
that had been made, and ended 10 the one fact
already known to all our citizens-that the city
treasury had been shamefully plundered by
corrupt contractors and conniving officials.
They made no serious attempt to place the
real culprits at the bar of criminal court.
Their organs denounced plenty of public
officers as thieves, and alleged time and again
that proof sufficient to send them to felon's
cell was in the hands Of the committee but
If the Seventy really had such evidence they
certainly never put 1t to its proper use. In
deed, one Of the earliest acts of the Com
mittee-the friendly alliance formed with one
of the principal offenders-fettered tho hands
Of Justice and made an empty farce of the pre-
tence that an earnest prosecution for the sake
Of justice alone was contemplated. One Of
the leading reformers, it is true, performed q
valuable service in tracing into Tweed's pos
session about one-third share Of the stolen
money distributed by the receiver, Woodward;
but he stopped short at that and although the
discovery of the disposition made Of the re-
mainder ofths plunder must have been Just as
easy as was the tracking of Tweed's dividend,
the people have up to this time received no
information on the subject. These half
measures Of retribution, these political expe-
diency evasions and concealments, have
ended, as we foresaw they would, In the
escape Of all the guilty parties, 50 far as the
Committee of Seventy is concerned. The
election is over and the people, by their own
independent and determined action, without
reference to the Committee of Seventy or any
other body, have overthrown the political
ring and the organization by which
official dishonesty was tolerated, if not
endorsed. But absolutely nothing has been
done in the cause of Justice. A civil suit has
been commenced against portion only of the
detected plunderers; but even this is of doubt
full standing in the Courts, and may probably
fall through on legal point. One of the
leading peculators still boldly holds on to
office. Another retires with high-sounding
letter Of resignation, and amid shower of
praise from the political reformers. Others
have gone to Europe to enjoy their Tl-gotten
wealth. One wituess Is dead, another Is abroad,
o third has fed from felon's fate, fourth Is
s'lll and out of town." but although holding
the important position Of Assistant Auditor
in the Comptroller's Department nobody seems
to be able TO discover his whereabouts. And
so ends the chapter of the prosecutions Of
the Committee of Seventy.


Another and o different power is now at
work to bring home to the guilty parties the
crimes of robbery and forgery supposed to
have been committed by somebody, and to
punish them if convicted. Judge Bedford
has charged the Grand Jury on the subject of
the city frauds, and has reminded. them that
it is their sworn duty to institute . rigid
investigation. Independent Of anything that
may have been done by other bodies, and to
present all who may be believed guilty. The
Grand Jury are told by the Judge, ''Your
body is omnipotent, you are responsible
to nobody; you can send for witnesses and
for papers, and can command the strong arm
of the law to compel obedience to your sum-
MONS" This is true, and 1t will be singular
If the present inquest does not succeed in
fixing the criminality where 1t belongs and In
vindicating the cause of justice. Judge
Bedford is independent of all political associa-
tions and personal friendships when he pre-
sides over his Court, and he administers
justice sternly and fearlessly, but with an
even hand. He enters upon this duty I'M
trammelled by bargains and alliances with
any Of the suspected parties, and hence will
not be fettered, as was the Committee Of
Seventy. The Grand Jury have 1t in their
power to call before them ex-Mayor Have
meyer, Samuel J. Tilden, Andrew H.
Green and any others they may please,
In order to ascertain whether any
and what arrangements have been
made to screen any persons implicated
in the city frauds. They can assuredly sue
ceed in discovering the present residence Of
Lynes, the Deputy Auditor, who is said to be
chto 20 a fFord inform fion of a voIuo hla char