The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-03
Civic Corruption-The Meeting on Saturday

Civic Corruption-The Meeting ON Saturday.
We were not mistaken when we gave the peo-
pie of this city credit for sufficient vigor to
avert the catastrophe to which official corrup-
ton cannot fail to lead. There is we know.
vitality enough in New York to Withstand. I'M
harmed, perils of far more formidable nature.
Individual occupations, and the engrossing cares
of business, may, for a while, prevent people
from taking lively concern in the public veal.
Merchants may be content, at first, to smile at
the tales Of municipal corruption SO long as the
cotton market is firm, and professional men
may, for time, make merry at the expense of
the Aldermen, without rejecting seriously on
the ultimate results of the system which affords
them food for mirth. But this apathy cannot
last long. A day must come when every citi.
zen feels his personal honor and interest staked
on the issue Of the struggle for reform. A few
timely words must at last force on the minds of
the people at large, the wholesome conviction
that iniquities are practised in broad daylight
in this community, which. if not checked. must
eliminate in the decline and fall Of the State
This day has arrived. The necessary appeal
has been made. The response is the call for
public meeting which we published yesterday.
And first we will notice that the memo
randum appended to the advertisement, specify
ing that the names annexed are q mere selec-
ton from those affixed to the original document
and that by Saturday the number of signers of
the requisition will amount to ten thousand,
was wholly unnecessary We should think very
i'll of this city if no more than ten thousand ad-
vocates of municipal reform could be found in
the twenty odd wards. Our confidence in the
abatement Of the nuisance would be severely
shaken if we were induced to limit our estimate
Of the reform forces at this figure Ten thousand
honest men is very small proportion out of a
population of some seven hundred thousand or
thereabouts The city has great reason to be
thankful to the inditer Of the memorandum
aforesaid, for the compliment paid to its inhabi-
tants. To our mind, New York contains no
citizen worthy the name-except, perhaps. the
few poor fellows who have been caught in the
trap-who would decline to incur whatever per-
ssnal responsibility is involved in signing the
requisition One hundred thousand signatures
could be obtained as easily as ten.
But this is a trifing matter. The main thing
at present is, that every man who can speak, or
think. or vote. on such subject as this, should
attend the meeting on Saturday next and that
the action taken by that assembly should be
iudicious, prompt and thorough.
1t must be clearly and generally understood
ny the leaders of the movement, that the intro
duction of acrimonious censure of individuals
will weaken instead of strengthen the cause
What alderman this or alderman that may have
done is not worth five minutes attention it is
not vengeance, but reform that the city requires
And in this connection, we will take leave to
question the policy which dictated the appeal
to citizens to uphold the Grand Jury and the
Courts in their recent action against the mi
quities Of the Common Council" in the adver-
tisement calling the meeting. Surely the
Courts arc strong enough to protect themselves,
without the somewhat equivocal support which
popular assembly could offer; and it is paying
a poor compliment to the constitution and laws
under which we live, to suppose that Grand
Juries require to be upheld" by mass meet
ing, IN order to discharge their functions with
vigor and rectitude. The action which The
city expects Of the meeting on Saturday. is
prospective not Retrospective; directed against
a system. not against individuals. IF any-and
we will not affect to doubt that there are such
have betrayed their trust and violated the
laws, our Courts are there to avenge society
outraged II is their province. not that Of Mr..
Westervelt and his co-signers of the reouisition
to deal with past iniquities. The meeting will
become as liable to censure as the aldermen, if
they presume to anticipate or encroach upon
the functions of the judiciary They will be
equally blemable, Is they waste time in sense
less vituperation, which can only result in ex-
citing feeling Of sympathy for It's victims
Their duty IL. first, to place on record an EN-
phatic Admission of the existence Of the oriev