New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-01-04
OUR NEW MAYOR.

We know all about new brooms and the Way
people are taken in by their initiatory sweeping;
yet, making all reasonable deduction for the
shriDksee of good resolutions we believe Mr.
Wood will prove an excellent Mayor. 1t ought
not to be high praise to public officer to
say that be does Lis duty fearles,ly and
thoroughly but Isl for he who is better
than The average, is relatively good. 1t Is no
light matter to have a Chief Magistrate who
kners bis duty, for most of our fanctionaries of
that grade have seemed 70 consider tho signing
Of such papers as were handed up to them BY
their Clerks and the quarterly drawing Of their
salaries the chief bufiness for which they had
been elected. Mr. Wood msnifestly knurs his
duty-snd that is half way toward doing it. II
he should refuse or neglect t, 60 the other half,
be will stand the most fearfuly exposed aud self.
condemned dignitary that this country has
known. He has told his subordinates what they
must do to merit and secure bis spprObs-
tiop, and in telling it has shown what he
must DO to reach his own standard of fidelity to
bis engagements. And now, if our citizens gen.
orally will only cooperate with the Mayor as be.
COhto bNCJ VIII iNpoft w iih Guy uCp-
lecs of duty on the part Of the Police Of their
several Wards in winkiDg at the existence of
Duisances, Sunday rum. selling, gaming houses or
dens of ntamy, we shall very soon have this City
decent, orderly and safe, a. it has not been for
many years past. Not0riOdsly, there are sections
Of our City through which young aud uuprot 'cted
women cannot safely pass after Dgh.fall, although
the house in which that woman lives pays tax
of ffty to a hundred dollars per annum for the
protection life and property. We can bear the
abominable weight of the taxes; but to pay such
tums and get no protection after sll-is not tina.
too bad
We have had enough talk 10 disgrace much
larger city about the imposs'baiy OF enforcing
this or that ordinance or statute. We are glad
to find nothing Of this in the Mayors Message or
Instructions. Wfen ia officer becomes con-
WINGED that he cannot enforce the laws within his
stop eating a salary which he is unable to earn.
When the Prohibitory Liquor law shall nave
been passtd and taken effect here, we venture TO
cay that it will either be executed end Obeyed,
or the Mayor will STOP drawing money from the
treasury. And he has only to take hold of the
work in the spirit evinced in his Instructions to
render not only that particular task easy, out all
bis work, and that of the Police, very much
lighter than at present.
If our present Charter is defective OF vicious,
it may easily be amended, and will be. If our
laws are mistaken or conflicting, they too can be
amended. Let us have Mayor and Chief of Pc
lice who honestly and fearlessiy try to enforce the
laws-leaying their modification to the Legisla-
ture and their Interpretation to the Courts-tney
either are snch as can be executed, or thsy will
soon be made so. At all events We rejoice that
the experiment Of thorough enforcement of all
laws, until repealed or adjudeed void, is to be
attempted. Success in i, will make Mr.. Wood
the most popular nan in our State, while failure
will be bis polticL humiliation.