The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-15

ons, were presented, all ..np rmentary Of hs OH
cial conduSs, and eongatulastng m on his safe re-
turn to the provinces The Canadian Par lament
was opened yesterday, but we could not, on account
Of the storm last evening" obtain any in diligence of
the Proceedings.
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD ROUTE.
We publish in another part of to-day's paper the
narrative of the recent journey across the continent
Of Col. Fremont. The practcablty Of establishing
q communlcat with the Pacific Ocean by rail
road has been denied on tic ground of the insupera
BILE impediments offered by the accumulations Of
snow during the winter season II was to solve
this problem, and to make more detailed examina-
ton of the sccaled central route, that the recent
afluoas journey 10 mid winter was undertaken by
the interchangeable Fremont.
COMMERCIAL MArrEns.
The Arabias news exercised very little influence
on the market for breadstufrs yesterday. The most
that could be said was that -four was in some bet
ter inquiry and closed frmer, at previous quota
tons. Corn and wheat were unchanged. Cotton
| advanced one eighth of a cent, making the whole
advance since the close Of last week Of about three
/ eighths of a cent per lb.
| A sample of new wheat, of the growth of 1854,
was exhibited yesterday on Change, by Messrs.
| Clarke and Coleman. 1t had been grown in South
| Carolina and consisted of small lot OF about two
hundred bushels red wheat, apparently dry enough
| for grinding or shipping. 1t was said to be the
earliest sample of new grown wheat ever hereto
| fore exhibited in this market.
Freights were dull to Liverpool; but there
| good demand for vessels to proceed to the Chin
| cha Islands for guano, and within few days
less than nine vessels have been taken up including
| one yesterday at this port distributed between
Boston, New York and Philadelphia, to proceed in
| ballast to the Chncha Islands, and return with
guano for the States, at thirty dollars per ton.
Net Product or the Movement for Municipal
Reform.
If there remained on Monday last any people
who were not thoroughly convinced of the
worthlessness and absurdity of our present city
government and the law under which it works,
the report of the Board of Aldermen on the
communication from the new Commissioner OF
Streets, and the rejection of Mr.. Genin's prC-
posal to clean the ward in which he lives must
we think, have induced a thorough persuasion
on the point. The two cases were simultaneous
in point Of time, and quite analogous in charac-
ter. The one-the latter-was a plain matter
of fact remonstrance from u leading citizen
late in his ward was rapidly breeding disease,
and Offering to clean that ward himself rather
than leave il in its present condition. This was
at once rejected by the Board of Councilmen,
to whom it was addressed, on the plea that its
form was not sufficiently respectful, aud that it
ought to have been in the shape of petition
instead of Il communication. In one word, the
Councmen preferred sticking about forms and
words to taking measures to prevent the spread
of pestilence among us by cleaning one of the
most populous wards in the city.
| The other case discloses as radical a flaw in
| the reform system as the former reveals in the
individual character of the reformers. 1t may
he explained in few words. Last spring.
owing, it was said, to temporary in
terregnum between the accession of the
incoming and the demise of the outgoing
| governments, the city was left immersed in
| filth. Fears of disease induced the public to
take energetic steps to abate the nuisance The
| new charter aAording no constitutional remedy,
4 - l. -
| Of the Board of Health, under orders from
which body the whole city was cleaned, at an
expense, we believe, Of some ST., 900 We
were then told that new contracts for cleaning
the streets, under the new charter, would soon
be executed, and bid to wait patiently for that
event. Public patience grew exhausted after
while, and the Commissioner of Streets re-
signed A new one, for whose integrity and
zeal many leading citizens vouched, was APP
pointed; and the public made up its mind to
wait a little longer. May coming, and no
streets being cleaned, the Aldermen began to
look into the matter, and in quiet friendly
way, asked Mr.. Commissioner Glasier why he
didn't clean the streets. ,''Oh," said the Com
missioner, Il have awarded all the contracts
except that for the Seventh district; but rs
think it better they should all bear the sam,
date, am holding back the others till that is
decided" This reasoning, being precisely the
sort of thing the City Council deals in itself.
was satisfactory for while; but after a week
or two the public began to growl afrcsh at
dirty streets and prospects of cholera and the
Aldermen, like Fatima in the nursery tale
turned to the tariy Commissioner and inquired
again -" Glasier, friend Glasicr, secst thou
nothing coming in the shape Of broom or mud
cart :" Glaser scorned to initiate Sister Anne:
for he replied at once that the courts had laid m
injunction on the execution of these contracts,
and that therefore he could not give them oit
Whether Glasier ever had conscience, or
whether an official career of three months has
destroyed the tenderness Of that organ, we
cannot say: but surely he must have know.
that all the world would see The utter a5surdity
OF this excuse. Ii The first place the Injunction
only applied to four districts out of the who'll,
number; and full five weeks ago. the Commits
sioner assured the Board that tie contracts for
these very districts bad been given out. BY
his own showing therefore, all the contracts
except perhaps that for the Seventh district
ought, full month ago, to have been laid be
fore the Council. For reasons best known to