The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-31

city, has taken up his quarters at the State CAPT
tai, to lobby his police bill through the Legisaa-
ture. We have no announcement Of Mr.. Halls
resignation Of the Office he now holds, but does
not fill. We presume, however, that he intends
to resign-frst, because it is inconsistent with
his official position that he should be member
of the Albany lobby, and second, because his
bill gives new powers to the District Attorney !;
and Mr.. Hall has several times acknowledged
that the labors Of his Office were too onerous for
any one man to perform
1t is possible, however, that Mr.. Halls finer
feelings have been blunted by his political ex-
perience, which has ben far greater than his
success at the bar that he intends to hold his
Office, and if possible make it pay better than it
does at present. But it is not so much with Mr.,
Hall as with his bill that we have to deal just
now. The bill proposes that the departments of
the Police and of Public Health shall be placed
in the hands Of three commissioners, to be ap-
pointed by the Governor. This commission
shall also have control over the Police Courts and
Courts of Special Sessions, and shall appoint the
inspectors of elections. The act abolishes the
Office of City Judge and City Inspector. The
place of the former is supplied by Police Justices
to be detailed by the commission, and new
officer is to be appointed by the same power, to
be called the Inspector of Public Health, and to
be a physician of five years standing. The Dis
trict Attorney is to meet with the commissioners
on certain occasions The commission has con-
troll over the funds of the city appropriated for
the purposes above specified amounting to about
million and a half and further sums may be
expended, with or without the consent of the
Common Council.
These are the material features Of Mr.. Halls
bill, which combines three or four schemes more
important to the interests Of several small
cliques than TO those of the public In the first
place, the District Attorney has provided himself
with a seat at the Board of Commissioners; an'
next, he has lent himself to a scheme Of some of
the physicians who want subjects for dissection,
and find some difficulty in getting them as the
City Inspectors Department is now constituted.
If physician was at the head of this depart
ment, they think there would be no trouble in
getting the bodies of strangers who die in the city
Further, the District Attorney purposes to abo-
lsh the Office of the City Judge, at time when
it is occupied by a magistrate who is acknow-
lodged on all hands to be upright, able, faithful
and fearless, which is much more than can be said
of the District Attorney. We have already alluded
to the fact that the District Attorney has not pro-
perly performed the duties of his own Office, and
we again point out the absurdity of his position
When Mayor Wood came into Office he caused in
dictments to re found against several hundred
gamblers and other pests of the city. There the
Mayors power ceased. II then became the duty
of the District Attorney TO prosecute these in
dictments to an Issue. The matter was entirely
in his hands. But he had too much political bu-
siness on hand, and what became of the indict-
ments nobody knows. Everybody knows that
gambling and gamblers flourish as bravely as
ever. The Mayor laid the axe at the root OF the
tree but the prosecuting officer for the people
feared to strike the blow. Every man
at the bar knows that the duties OF
the District Attorney are such as to
demand every moment Of the time of a
first rate practitioner We shall not enter into a
criticism here upon Mr. Halls personal charac-
ter, but We simply state facts when we say that
be has devoted the time which belongs to the
people to the interests of small political cliQGe
and that he is now at Albany laborng to faston
q dozen or more hungry leeches from the rural
districts on the city treasury
The amended Charter, the City Hall bill The
Central Park bill are all parts Of the grand spoils
scheme initiated by TIE District Attorney. They
all seek to remove the government of the city
from the hands of the people of the city, AMI to
distribute the powers which properly belong to
the Mayor and Commonalty Of the city among
half dozen Boards of Commissioners, in the Sc
lection Of which boards the people have no voice
II does not appear that these boards are TO be re-
sponsibe to any power. Their powers are ALSO
lutte, and they are accountable to no one. We
have perused all these bills carefully, and we
ian find no feature in them which would tend 10
improve the present condition Of affairs in this
,iiy of official irrcsponsibiliiy and misrule. On
he contrary we find much that is positively
dangerous and subversive Of the foundation upon
which our governmental institutions rest, which
foundation Is that all power must spring directly
rom the people. We call upon the Legislature
to take notice tina: what the city really needs is
4 charter which shall give the executive power
to the Mayor, and the legislative power 10 the
Common Council This il a simple, straightfor-
ward proposition that every one understands
All business to be conducted successfully must
save one executive head and this rule holds good
in the business of government as well as in any
other; and We warn the Legislature not to make
our condition worse, in order to provide for a few
hungry members of the lobby.
With reference TO the District Attorney,
L appears to us that he will find II more
10 bis future interest TO discharge the duties
of his Office with all diligence, and with as
much ability as he has been gifted. His busi-
ness is in New York not at Albany. Let him act
In accordance with this fact or resign his Office.