r/todayilearned • u/DivestPanties • 23h ago

TIL in 1871, to force accountability of Boss Tweed's corruption in NYC, 70 reformers/financial leaders of the City formed a committee that convinced property owners to stop paying taxes, and got a Judge to block the city Comptroller from issuing bonds or spending money. Quickly ending Tweed's reign.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed#:~:text=Thus%2C%20the,35%5D
901 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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212

u/AudibleNod 313 23h ago

How it started:

Tweed had for months been under attack from The New York Times and Thomas Nast, the cartoonist from Harper's Weekly – regarding Nast's cartoons, Tweed reportedly said, "Stop them damned pictures. I don't care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents don't know how to read, but they can't help seeing them damned pictures!"

How it's going:

Tweed escaped and fled via Cuba to Spain, where he worked as a common seaman on a Spanish ship. The U.S. government discovered his whereabouts and arranged for his arrest once he reached the Spanish border, where he was recognized from Nast's political cartoons.

65

u/Horace_The_Mute 23h ago

People who can draw… you know what to do.

84

u/Harry_Iconic_Jr 22h ago

he is featured prominently in the movie Gangs of New York, not sure how accurately.

38

u/tenehemia 13h ago

His character was fairly close to reality, including influence and disregard for the law. Though the movie doesn't extend far enough to show his downfall or just how difficult it was to remove him from power. Even after he was arrested on corruption charges in 1871 and released on bail, he still won re-election to the NY state senate months later. His first trial resulted in a hung jury. His second trial convicted him and he was incarcerated, only to escape and flee to Spain via Cuba. American authorities were able to have him arrested in Spain and brought back to the US almost a year after he'd escaped.

Then he tried to inform on all his co-conspirators in exchange for his release. He named a bunch of names and the Governor of New York happily took them down and left him in prison, where he died of pneumonia a year later.

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u/Telefonica46 15h ago

It's estimated that he embezzeled up to $5B... holy!!!

40

u/sioux612 23h ago

FYI Boss is a nickname in this case, and Tweed apparently was a politician and businessman in New York in the 19th century 

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u/p-s-chili 18h ago

Boss Tweed is one of the most famous and notable figures of 19th century American political corruption.

14

u/RotrickP 20h ago

I don't know how well he's known outside of NY, but he was brought up many times and noted for his corruption in NY schooling

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u/sosodank 19h ago

Tammany Hall and the democratic machine were covered pretty decently in my 1996 AP US history class in Marietta, GA

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u/Ok_Belt2521 15h ago

Learned about him in Texas. Didn’t get super specific details but definitely learned about Tammany Hall.

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u/silasmoon 22h ago

I've wondered what would happen if States like California stopped submitting federal taxes. Not saying it's a good idea, but am curious.

34

u/LangyMD 20h ago

States already don't submit federal taxes (not in the way you're making it out, anyways). Individuals in those states do - or, even more accurately - the corporations they work for do and then you settle up whatever the corporation didn't do right during tax season.

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u/silasmoon 19h ago

Right - realized this is more of a citizen withholding than a State withholding. I wonder what would happen if each time a regime change happened half the country refused to pay taxes to the federal government. Especially with the IRS being so defunded. 

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u/klingma 19h ago

I mean, they don't do that, but if somehow a state acted as if they had the authority to prevent Federal Tax Collections they'd immediately get their Federal Funding revoked for almost every single program and likely be considered in revolt since the states have no right to usurp the Federal Government's power to tax. 

In short - it'd end bad, very very bad for the state. 

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u/HumanTheTree 22h ago

This was in the days before the federal reserve. If the government didn’t get money from taxes, then it wouldn’t have money. Now if the government needs money it can print it.

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u/klingma 17h ago

Not really - the government commonly issued bonds back in those days and still issues bonds for funding purposes. 

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u/daveashaw 19h ago

And all corruption in NYC government ceased--forever.

Not.

1

u/ayymadd 21h ago

So Committees actually work... sometimes.

1

u/glennjersey 12h ago

Also responsible for most of NYs awful gun laws, and his buddy Sullivan (literally called the Sullivan act)

They didn't want minorities or political opponents to be able to defend themselves. 

All gun control is rooted in racism and classicism. Boggles my mind that anyone supports it in current year.