The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-26

mendation.
THE MAYOR AND HIS DUTIEs-THE STREETS
The Mayor is the chief magistrate of the city.
Formerly he was our chief executive officer,
and held the appointment and control of the
heads of the various departments in his hands.
During the last half dozen years. however, the
levelling ideas of the grog-shop politicians
have gained such ascendency that the down
trodden people, Rave been invested with the
election of the heads of departments, under the
management Of the grog-shop conspirators.
The consequence is that most of the powers
and much Of the efficiency of the Mayor, and
Of the corporate authorities, have been FILTERED
away till we are but one remove from state
Of anarchy.
There is still one prerogatiye remaining to
the Mayor, of very considerable practical
utility. He is the head of the police depart
ment, the so-called chief Of that service being
himself subject to the instructions Of the Mayor.
The duties Of his Honor in this view, are of
the highest importance and responsibility, in
view Of the approaching hot weather. The first
branch of the street cleaning-that is, the re-
bage as may obstruct or disfglre the streets
it is the duty Of the police, under the
supervision of the Mayor, to look after.
Where the policemen neglect their duties in
this respect, and where the Chief Of Police
neglects his duty of rigid supervision, it be-
comes the duty Of the Mayor to exercise his
authority as the head of the department
. Whora ;u l.:
will doubtless discharge their trust faithfully :;
but where the laziness of the police is shared
in by the laziness Of their captain, and a lazy
chief and lazy mayor, dirt, rubbish and gar
bage will continue to accumulate in the infect
ed districts, till disease and pestilenee are pro-
duced, or until the citizens interested take the
work into their own hands.
We have had new man appointed to super
intend the sweeping of the streets, and Captain
Glasier has given us to understand that the
work shsll be done; but unless the piles of ruiz
bish and offal are promptly removed through
the vigilance of the police, under the constant
vigilance of the Mayor the mere sweeping of
the streets will be but half the execution Of
the job Of cleaning them. Our Mayor must
begin to stir himself His daily official rou-
tine, according to our information, makes his
office perfect snecue. He comes down to it
at about eleven o'clock in the morning, and re-
mains there till about two o'clock, the most of
this interval being occupied in conversations
with genteel loafers or shipcarpenters and
others in their line Of private business. This
will never do; for if under such a state of
things nuisances of all sorts continue to exist
and accumulate in the streets there will be but
one alternative left for the adoption Of cur fell
low-citizens. We must have another mass meet
ing, and the appointment of committee OF
vigilance of one or two active men for each
ward, under the general control of some COM
petent person, Genin, for example, as provisional
mayor In view of this extra-municipai ar
rangement, we call upon Genin and other eff
cient men to hold themselves in readiness for
the public service. Last summer, with the city
overlooking with filth, we escaped the cholera
and the yellow fever through the mercy of Pro-
violence. During the coming summer let us be
entitled to exemption from our attention to
constant cleaning and publication of the streets
If the Mayor, the police and the Street Depart
ment fail, we must fall back upon provisional
government. That's ALL