The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-08


expensive circuit; the immigrant, who cannot
find his way to his destined home; the city
broker and the western storekeeper, who can i.
not reach their respective places of business as
they expected. are all equal sufferers by this
| last trait of Erie vandalism. Where it is to
| end the wisest cannot tell. We have seen
| enough to know that the spirit ofnarrowminded
selfishness which prompts the exaction of toll
on all passengers on certain railroads through
| New Jersey, is SO firmly implanted in the
| breast of the Erie folks, and their aders and
abettors at Philadelphia that we must prepare
| for the worst. If Congress do not interfere,
Erie will stand in the way of the progress of the
| Union
| THE CHIEF OF PoLICE-ELECTIvE CRY Or
rcEs.-We see that proposition has been in
troduced into the Assembly to make the Office
| ofChef of Police, of this city. an elective one,
and providing that that officer shall be chosen
every year by the suffrages of the people
| Now, we have had too much of this. There has
been SO much political demagoguism in the
man gene MT of our city affairs that the people
| are overwhelmed with elections, and our
! polling places seem like miniature post Offices.
1 Now we are to have the Chief OF Police elected
by the people. Bye-and-bye we shall have Mr..
John Smith, who desires to be policemen of his
district running to the people and proclaiming
his qualifications in very large posters, setting
| forth his domestic affairs in q card" published
in oil the daily papers.
Look at the present state of our local govern
ment. 1t is alleged and with truth, we do not get
any thing for the large amount of money which we
pay every year to support the city government.
The reason is plain to every sagacious mind.
| The people desire clean and well lighted
streets. They elect person who fills the Office
of Commissioner of Streets and Lamps. He
has the entire charge of all matters pertaining
! to them. He is the head of a department.
responsible to nobody, and he cannot be re-
moved until his term of Office expires. Then,
| if he can bring fighting influence enough, he
may control each election, and be continually
elected by the people, and go on con-
| tinually to abuse them and steal their money.
| And this is equally true of every depart
| ment of the city government. The Aims House
! and the prisons on BlackwelFs Island are COM
mitted to the exclusive care of ten persons, all
elected by the people. The police justices are
| elected by the people and it has but too often
| been said that rowdes and rogues can easily
| escape their deserts if they can persuade the
| occupant Of the bench that they can control
| two or three hundred votes. The Commits
sioner Of Repairs and Supplies, the Sheriff Of
the County, the Surrogate, the prosecuting
| officer of the city, the Corporation Counsel and
| Comptroller, are all elected by the people, and
all exercise their powers under the city charter
| without any responsibility to any person what
soever.
Now this is wrong as well in logic as in fact.
II is ridiculous for the people to put trust
in the hands of any man, and then to take out
of his hands all the powers which he, and he
alone, should exercise. The Mayor of the city
should be its chief executive officer. Every
department. should be under his personal SUPER
vision. Our form of city government was taken
from the Dutch; and as the city charter was first
constructed, it could hardly be improved.
Since that time, however, it has suffered con-
siderably from the amendments which have
been made to it, and we find that this machine,
once admirable, is now distinguished only as a
disconnected series Of fragments, which works
inharmoniousy, if. indeed, it can be said to
work at all.
We have thus stated what we believe to be
the true cause of all the evils from which the
city has been suffering for the past few years.
The people will never have clean streets, an
efficient police, well lighted thoroughiares until
they shall have made some change in the man
ner of choosing persons to preside over the de-
partments to which these matters properly be- |
long.
The plan proposed 10 this: The Mayor Of the |
city must always be elected by the people. We |
have generally had very good Mayors, and |
the incumbents of the office have had the con-
fdence of the people. Notwithstanding this |
TACT, we find fictitious politicians constantly
running up to Albany. and occupying the time
OF the State Legislature with special legisla-
ton for what they call the good of the city,
but which is really only for their individual
benefit, and for the furtherance of their own
base ends or those Of political hacks Of their
order. Now, city government is altogether
different thing from that Of State. 1t 10
necessary that there should be but one head.
that head to be clothed with power similar to
that of the Roman Centurion, who says to .
man Do this, and he doeth it," That person
should be the Mayor OF the city; to him should
be given the power Of appointing the Street
Commissioner, the Chief Of Police the Go
vernors ofthe Aims II oase, the Commissioner Of
Repairs and Supplies. the Comptroller, and oil
other component parts Of the great govern
mental machine, the direction Of which the
people have placed in HE hands. The subordi-
mates of the Offices above named should be
nominated by the chiefs Of departments and
by them sent to the Mayor for confirmation.
The chiefs ahould BE- appointed by the Mayor,
subject to the confirmation Of the Board Of
Aldermen, and they should hold their Offices