| Show 4 I JUST HISTORY II By ALBERT F. F PHILIPS I i There are aze no more political boss boaS es Cs s. s Their day has bas long been gone bone and they will never return The people are now thinking for tor themselves themselves them them- selves solves and the crack of ot the political political cal cat whip Is la no longer heard beard This was the utterance e of ot an old timer a member ember of the old rd guard made a aday aday day or two since when a half haU dozen old timers were discus discussing SIng questions Then he ho went back to the old days in the early seventies when New Y York Tork rk was governed ant ante and controlled by one of the greatest political rings that was ever known in the United States This ring headed by Boss DosA Tweed elected d its mayor its legislators bought Judg judg- es Cs corrupted everything which it touch touched d and finally was vas run rim to the tho earth its Hs leaders tried and con con- The one m man n who ruled with an iron hand finally died in prison This ruled was Boss BosS' Tweed William Wil WU- liam Marcey Tweed who came up UI from the bossing of ot a a. fire engine company to be the biggest political cal cat boss that the United States ever knew His engine company in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York was known as s the Big Six SK and having gained the confidence of ot the members of the company he entered politics In 1853 1852 he was a member of ot the board of ot al aldermen aldermen al- al dermen dennen then he served two terms enns In the house of representatives In Inthe Inthe inthe the Thirty-third Thirty congress congre s as a Democrat Subsequently he was wasa a supervisor of ot the county of N New NewYork NewYork W York in 1858 then he lie was defeated as fig the t Deace candidate for sheriff of ot New York New York county in 1861 He LO LOwas was a school commissioner and la later later la- la ter a deputy street commissioner and from 1967 to 1871 he was a member of the New York state sen sen- ate Then he was a member of ot the Tammany Hall organization and In 1869 1871 was grand sachem of the organization It was was during the time that he was deputy street commissioner that the department of public works of the city was created and Tweed became the thO head of the new department and the co coterie coterie co- co terie which he headed later known I as the Tweed ring diverted to the 1 use of the members of his ring many millions of ot dollars Corruption Corruption Corruption tion was rampant under the regime re regime regime re- re gime of Tweed TIMES EXPOSES G GeUrge Orge rge Jones owner of ot the New Kew NewYork NewYork York TImes at that time obtained evidence of ot the gigantic defalcations of the Tweed ring and Tammany Hall HaU in order to protect itself made thade madean thadean an effort eUort to purchase the newspaper and thus destroy the evidence which had been collected The pa pa- II per however was not lor zor sale anie Tammany made overtures to purchase purchase purchase pur pur- I I chase the thel owner of ot the paper of offering offering offering of- of fering him simply to keep I silent and ignore the matter that he had Replying to the bribe of offer offer ot- ot I fer Mr Jones said I dont don't think that the devil will willever willever ever make a higher bid for tor me than that The publication of the evidence was not delayed for fora a a single day and under the powerful attack of the newspaper aided by the com corn committee committee of ot seventy the gang was finally run rune t to earth TWEED ARRESTED Tweed was arrested in a civil suit and was I on bail Later he was vas arrested on ona a criminal crim crim- inal charge and released on ball balI In the first trial the Jury dis dis- dis I I I agreed In the second trial in November November November No No- vember 1873 he was convicted and sentenced t to twelve years on Blackwell's Blackwells Blackwells Blackwell's Black- Black wells well's Island and nd to pay a fine of Then in 1875 he the was released re reI released re- re leased by the court of appeals on ona ona ona a technicality but was rearrested in a civil suit brought against him him by the people to recover I Unable to furnish the bail ball he was committed to the Ludlow street Jail In New York On December 4 1875 while he was was out of Jail driving with two officers he made his escape workIng working workIng work work- ing his way to Cuba and then to Spain The Spanish authorities re regardless regardless re- re regardless of the f fact ct that there was no extradition treat treaty between the two countries arrested Tweed and and delivered him to the United States and he was was was' brought back to New NewYork York Subsequently he gave many details regarding the manner in which the ring operated manner V So powerful was the ring that it elected mayors governors and controlled controlled con con- trolled legislators It was enabled to obtain a modification of ot the charter of ot New Nosy York City which thus thug Increased the power of ot their ring Gigantic schemes of city Improvement Improvement improVement Im Im- im- im provement were organized and carried out but always with much speculation INDICTED FOR FORGERY S An investigation was wa undertaken by Samuel J. J Tilden who in 1876 was the Democratic candidate for president He was assisted by a committee of seve severity ty citizens and Tweed was indicted for forgery and grand larceny arceny This committee was known as the committee of ot seventy and through the efforts of ot I the committee and Mr Tilden particularly part particularly par par- t the latter the committee secured possession of ot the comptrollers comptroller's lers ler's office exposed th the corruption and saved the people more than of the public funds I Another factor in bringing about tb the downfall of tho the Tweed ring were vere v ere the cartoons and of ot Thomas Nast who drew the money bank head of Tweed and the first Tammany Tiger He lie likewise e excoriated the members of the ring In cartoon It might be said of him I J that he originated d the Republican II elephant and the Democratic don don- key and his cartoons of or r B B. B Gratz Brown who he appended as the thet t tall tail of ot the Greeley kite In the campaign campaign campaign cam cam- of ot 1872 had much crutch ch to do with the tho defeat defeat- of ot the Democratic party in 1872 He was sept sent to England by to tOi draw scenes o of the Heeran and an Sayers fight the first great fight reported for tor the press Tweed died cited in the Ludlow street Jail New York April 12 1878 S |
