The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-21

under hin sdministratiol Aavs been weu caIcu- \
lated = win for him the res ect Of the people |
Of Canada; to his COVE nment Canada owes the !
rank she " occupies in the financial world
abroad Under his . ministrat on, the angry !
feelings created by the constitution Of lS4l
has been dispelled, and all parties are now
content to con- EIDE political RICH to their
neighbors. He was Governor when the
Great Trunk Rsihoad wa fret Ser ously pro-
jected and he sat in the Il ct train that travers.
ed the first portion completed Of hat great en-
terprise. He gave his assent 20 the great re-
form and democratic measures now In progress,
for the abolition of feudal rights, for the estab-
lishment of the voluntary principle in church
matters, and for the destruc ion of the last rem
nant of oligarchy, the old Legislative Council
appointed by TIE crown. His last act-the ne
gotiation of tn. reciprocity treaty-is fitting
termination to so useful career.
That important msasure-with which Lord
Elgin's name win always be honorably con-
nected-is fraught with far more i'm
portant results to Canada than the Improve
ment of its agricultural resources and CONNER
cial prospects, It is certainly no mean boon
| to the farmer and the lumbermaD, as it opens to
| them free Of duty new market twice as large
ss the one they have hitherto had: nor can it
| fail 10 give an impetus to the production Of
| Canadian staples that will be both energetic
| ard healthy But these benefits will hereafter
seem trivial in comparison with the far greater
advantage to he derived from the close union
with the United States which must follow the
operation Of the reciprocity treaty. Hence
forth, the Canadian producer Of grain or pine
deals will look to our markets for consumers,
not to those of Great Britain. We shall be-
come his customers and for nineteen years out
of twenty, it will be more to his interest to trade
with us, who are close at hand than with Brit
| ish merchants, who live at a distance of seve-
raj thousand miles. So, in ike manner, while
he sells to US, he will buy from us what he
| needs from abroad: and-the custom houses
7 being practically abolished for nine-tenths of
the articles that will be sent across the lines
the Canadian will cease to feel that he is going
into foreign country when he enters Michi-
gan, New York, or Vermont. To him there
will be no more difference between Canada and
New York than we experience on crossing from
teal purposes, Canada will be annexed to the
United States, in everything save the federal
| tie: and if we allow due influence to the effect
Of constant intercourse, immediate proximity,
identity Of Interests, analogy of institutions,
and homogeneity of race, it will not seem un-
likely that that distinction itself will soon dis
| appear. At all events, the inevitable effect Of
the reciprocity treaty must be to weaken the
connection by scvering the bond of interest
between England and her colony: whether the
latter will find her purpose best served after
ward by incorporation with this republic OF by
! maintaining separate independent existence
| time alone will show.
Duty OF THE New MAYoR.-There ia one
way in which Mr.. Fernando Wood may furnish
practical REPUTATION of the abuse with whic,
| he has been assailed The constitution Of 1880,
| as well as the one which recently emanated
| from the brains of the Reform Committee, ordain
that the Mayor shall be an integral part Of the
executive Of the city. 1t is the greatest error
| Of these laws thatthey render the heads Of de.
partments irresponsible to the Mayor, and in
| vest them with q semblance of uncontrolled
authority over their respective Offices: but,
whether from inadvertence on the part Of their
trainers, or from real desire to counterfeit this
dangerous license given to subordinates and to
provide check against their maladministra-
ton, the power OF the Mayor, as part and parcel
Of the executive conformity with the heads of
departments is distinctly preserved. Now,
what is the meaning Of this clause! Former
Mayors have interpreted it to mean nothing:
that is to say, they have regarded the indepen-
dent election of heads OF departments as divest.
ing them Of all right to interfere in the con-
Germs Of these subordinates, and have allowed
them to manage the affairs Of their Offices just
as they pleased. Mr.. Westervelt was SO welded
to this doctrine that he would not for the world
have asked a question of subordinate who had
received his authority from the people he con
sidercd that he had no business to interfere
with any Of them, aud regarded his position as
a member of the executive as purely orna-
mental. Yet it is quite possible to place to-
tally different construction on the words of the
law. If the Mayor is one of the executive,
whose other members are the heads Of depart
ments surely he ought to have a say in the
acts Of that executive. aud assume q share Of
responsibility therefor. If the department to
which the cleaning If the streets belongs, for
instance, fails to perform its duty, why should
the May or, who is er-o6icio part and parcel Of
the executive, which alone is authorized to do
any act On behalf of the Corporation, be held
excused, and The Commissioner alone assaited
Has The former no authority in the executive
We commend the passage to the study of Mr..
Wood. If he can by any enlightened reading
OF the law infer that he is Invested, as mem.
Der Ct the executive with any right of super
intendence over the departments let him ex-
ercise it, and he is made man. If be can
translate the section of the charter as Golfer
ring upon him the right Of saying to this com