The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-27

found out their error since and they are not
likely to be surprised second time
1t is cles.r, therefore, that the only accident
in the reSult of the late election, was that the
and administration party by far greater ma
jority than they did, and an accident, moreover,
that their ticket was not elected by considera-
BILE majority over the party of William H. Sew
ard The mistake will be rectified next election,
and the accident cannot occur again. What i'm
mediate influence this official result which so
clearly prognosticates the future, may have
upon the course of General Pierce in relation to
his Cabinet, we are not prepared to say at the
present moment for the President has been very
slow in discerning 1.-The signs of the times" and it
is very hard to determine what amount Of evi
dence would be sufficient to convince him that he
has committed an error in the construction OF his
Cabinet and that the feeling OF the country is
decidedly opposed to it. We are not without
hope, however, that we shall yet succeed in
throwing so much light upon the subject that
it will be impossible for him any longer to re
main in the dark, or to fail in seeing the path
which his duty to the people who elected him,
on one side, and regard for his own character
on the other, point out as distinctly as if they
were two Gngerposts, inscribed with letters SO
large and plain that i" he who runs may read"
THE REFORM COMMITTEE AND THE CRY
GovERNMENT.-On Friday evening caucus
meeting was held at the New York University,
,:,%:x. .ocat
and those members elect. of the new Common
Council. who, in the confusion Of parties in the
late election, were borne into Office partly by
the soi-disant reform clique taking advantage
of the circumstances of the time, and throwing
the preponderance Of their votes and influence,
and money, into the scale, on the principle Of
throwing a sprat to catch a salmon" and part
" by the fact that the people were heartily
sick of the old Common Council and its corrup-
ton and misgovernment, and were glad to lay
hold ofany change which gave the slightest
hope of improvement. This clique had been
meeting at their own private houses for the last
eighteen months cutting and carving, each man,
the slice he wanted for himself in the new ar
rangement so cunningly devised to get hold Of
the corporation and it's funds. But as additional
members were admitted into the secret, the meet
ings became rather large and inconvenient for a
private parlor; and accordingly they fixed the
place Of assembly at the New York University
On Friday evening we sent reporter there to
give an account OF the proceedings He was
not admitted, though next morning we found
in the Journal Of Commerce what purported
to be sketch of the affair, but which carefully
kept from the public eye the details OF those
secret doings. 1t is worthy of note that while
the reform clique condemn the politicians
for holding caucus meetings, they hold
hole and corner caucus meetings themselves,
from which they exclude the press. lest the
people should see what they are about. If
they are honest reformers-if their designs are
unselish, and they do not want to thrust their
fingers into the treasury-what is the necessity
for concealment? What are they afraid Of in
this free community? II their intentions are
upright, and they really desire retrenchment,
economy, and good government, would not the
people Of all shades of politics, and of no poll
tiUs, stuuu W n..0l. ....a ---.-. -.
carry out every just measure Of reform? Their
conscious weakness. and Of a want Of confidence
in the sincerity of their own professions.
The spectators who are embarked in this
business may get advantages Of wharfage, and
may get contracts for themselves, or for friends
with whom they are silent partners-they may,
by intrigue. succeed in controlling the votes of
the majority of the Common Council which is
to come into operation on the first of January
next. But the question is will the reform" men,
bers of the new body tighten taxation on the
city? VIII they keep the streets clean? Will
they free them from distractions, and not rem
der them impossible for vehicles or pedes-
trians? VIII they give us a little more
light? In a word. will they fulfil the fine pro
misses made for them by the reform clique? Not
a bit Of it. On the contrary. the expenses will be
new jobs, Of more enormous kind
than ever, will be perpetrated, and " confusion
worse COMPOUNDED" will prevail in the city gov
in the streets, and everywhere. It
will then be seen that it was not for nothing
that the reform clique took SO active part in
the late election. The people will then find
out, if they do not know already, that these very
patriots have been throwing dust
in their eyes.
But the worst Of the matter is that it will be
rendered more difficult than ever to fasten upon
the guilty parties the responsibility Of misgov-
eminent and population By the complicated
contrivance which we have got in the name Of
reform, and which instead Of twenty members
in one branch of the legislative power has in
troduced sixty, the responsibility will be so
diflused everywhere that it can be found no
where, and the veto Of the Mayor will be socir-
cumscribed that, as far as regards being check
upon rapacity and plumber, that official might
as well have no existence at all. We shall keep
a sharp look out for the Vaccinations of these
operators. and from time to time advise our
readers of their movements. As for expecting
q. Al.