The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-11-17

The Charter EIcction-The Real Issue.
number of politicians and merchants are
busying themselves in an energetic If not an
effective manner with the approaching charter
election. A meeting was held in Wall street
on Saturday, and committees are meeting three
or four times day for the laudable purpose of
debating to the public whom we shall elect for
Mayor The great argument of these mer-
chants and politicians and meetings and COM
mittees against Mayor Wood is that the ex-
penses Of the city are rapidly increasing, and
that we ought to have Mayor who can put
them down. It is tacitly assumed in all the
anti-Wood documents and manifestoes that the
steady increase in our municipal expenditure is
the fruit of the prodigality or the corruptness
of the Mayor, and that were an honest man
put in the place of Fernando Wood lavish ex-
penditures would cease economy would be en-
throned in the municipal world and new era
would dawn for the taxed public.
We have no desire to quarrel with one part
of these views. We think-as who does mott
that the chief, the only important issue involved
in the coming charter election is the financial
policy of the city government. Whether or no
our money shall continue to be flched whether
the taxes shall continue to be increased at the
rate of million or two year; whether the
proceeds of our enormous taxes shall continue
to be stolen from the public treasury by any
and every knave who gets the ear of the Com
mon Council; these are, in reality, the only
questions of consequence which the December
election will be required to solve. Thus far all
parties are agreed.
But when the merchants and politicians go
further and convulse themselves in their agony
to elect Mr.. This Or Mr. That Mayor in order to
curtail expenditures, check taxation, and pro-
mote economy, no man can sustain them unless
he be clearly satisfied both that the extrava-
gance of which all complain emanates from the
Mayors Office, and also that it is in the power
of the Mayor to check it. Neither, in point of
fact, will be found to be the case. No expen-
executive department of the city government;
and though the Mayor may-and occasionally
has latterly-veto dishonest contract, it is
but rarely that this veto power can be exer-
cised to stop leak, and even when it is. it may
be over ridden by two-thrd vote In reality
the Mayor has very little to do with the expen-
diture of the city moneys. Beyond few trifing
expenses connected with his executive bureau
he has no more authority over the city finances
than the Corporation Council or the City Cham
berlain. His connection with the municipal
funds is for the most part merely formal and is
confined to signing his name on documents pre-
pared by the Common Council.
1t is from that body--tbe Common Council
and not the Mayoralty department, that the
corrupt and wasteful expenditures of which
every one complains have always sprung. Az a
general rule, Of late years, both branches of
the Common Council have been composed of
persons without character, principle or standing
in the community Respectable men have so
often refused either to hold the Office of Alder
the post has naturally fallen to the rogues; and
they, finding themselves in command of a city
with public expenditure Of eight millions,
have used the money as their knavery prompt
cd and robbed Us persistently.
If the merchants who met, in Wall street, and
their friends among the politicians, want to rem
der real service to the city at this crisis, let
them overhaul the nominations for Aldermen
and Councilmen. They will find it possible to
do some good in this way; people may be loath
to vote for this or that rogue who has obtained
a nomination for Alderman or Councilman and
a little timely advice may not only save the
city from disgrace, but may really tend to check
the extravaganza which is the leading feature
of our city government. Otherwise they will
only waste their time and get laughed at.
The Theatre Last Night.