CORRUPTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11764, 31 July 1916, Page 1

CORRUPTION.

GREATEST POUTICAL RING. A BIT OF NEW YORK HISTORY. "When General Grant was inaugurated President of tho United States in 1869, New York city was under as despotic rule as Paris. One despot was the Emperor Napoleon 111., the other was Boss Tweed. The Empire in France and tho Republic in America had led to similar results in the chief city of each country, but the advantage lay with the Empire. Paris looked like a well-governed city. Good order prevailed, and its streets were clean, while in New York was to be seen an metropolis, dirty streets, slow and crowded cars, a largo part of the money that was appropriated in New York going into- the hands of the Tweed ring of beodlers. Tho head and front of this ring was William Marcy Tweed, who had risen gradually in politics until he hac£ heI oomo an invincible power. New York eitv was governed by four men—A. Oakley Hall, tlio Mayor; Peter B. Sweeny, the Treasurer; Richard B. Connolly; tho Controller, and "William Marcy Tweed, the president of tho Board of Supervisors. In 1869 tho New York taxpayers knew that they were being plundered, but they were apparently helpless. With Tweedatthe head of the Tammany organisation -with wires out everywhere connecting him with, many experienced workers, the operations of the gang were made easy of execution. They first bribed to their side certain of tho New York Judges, and gained control of several of the New York edi- j tors. . j The corruption of the gang was ab- j and extended to all of tho de- j partmenfts of the. city government. ; The New York City, Courthouse, which j was limited in cost" in tho original, contract to £50.000, was expanded to an : expense of more than £2,800,000. Fully half of tho amount found «ts way j into the pockets of the Tweed ring. At tho beginning of IS7I Tweed and his ring were at the height of their power. So strongly was this ring entrenched and so carefully had they guarded all tho avenues to exposure that it seemed a well-nigh impossible task to make the attempt. The day of retribution, however, was nr hand. Mr Watson, the County Auditor, was injured in an accident and shortly afterward died. . Then the enemies of the ring got possession of the New" York city accounts and large sums of money were offered to keep thern from being published. This failed in its result, and, on July S, 1871, the "New York Tribune" began the publication bf the accounts. Tho storm now begun steadily gathered force, and on September 4, 1871, a great uiass , meeting was held In Cooper Institute, and a committee cf seventy we'ro appointed. The chief conspirators were removed from office.- Connolly. Sweeny and many of their 1 associates fled 1 to Europe, while Tweed remained and was arrested en October 27, and lodged in Ludlow Street Gaol." The election of the following November completed tho overthrow cf the ring. Tweed was indicted on February 10, 1872, for forgery and grand larceny, but tho jury disagreed. On tho second trial. November 5, 1873, he was found guilty of all the fifty-one counts of tha indictment, and on November 22 he was sentenced to twelve years in the penitentiary, and.to pay a fine of £2430 for each of twelve counts of tho indictment, and £SO for each of tho oilier thirty-nine counts. He remained on Blackwell's Island while his case was under appeal until June 13, 1575, when a decision was made that • the Court erred, in sentencing Tweed r-n so many counts for the same offence, aud ordering his release. Ho was taken to court on June bail for £360 on tha remaining criminal indictments, but on his release under the bond ho was arrested again on a civil suit for the recovery of £1,200,000 and he was hold to bail in the sum or £600,003, which ho was unable to give. Ho was locked.up in the. Lndlow Street Gaol, and' while there arranged _ with some of his friends to make his escape. Tweefl passed through many hardships in getting away, he reached Spain, where he lived in concealment at Vigo until 187G, when he was discovered, and brought back again to the Ludlo.v Street Gaol. He was couveyed to this country on an American man-of-war. Apparently ho had little money left, ! and could no longer escape tho clutches of the law. On April 12, IS7S, he died' in tho Ludlow Street Gaol. He was fif ty-nve years old' at his death. Tho operations of the Tweed ring during the five vears of its domination, added over £20,000,000 to tho bonded debt of New York City, doubling its annual expenditures, and costing the taxpayers the sum of £32,000,000.