New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-26

Tie perd ne municipal election in this city, great
| n, its immediate and local interests are involves
also ouestion Of general aud permanent interest
| ard that Of the most serious character II il not
merely the question whether there is to be any
limit 10 The increase Of our taxes whether there IL
to be any let up TO e1trav ,gant municipal expen1
lures, whether q stop is to be put to perpetual
series of jobs for the benefit Of certsn municipal
favorites whether streets to be cleaned the
public health 10 be looked after an efficient police
TO be msptsipsd and the citizens to walk the
streets ard sl'ep in their beds with soie'ao
sense Of scurity. These are indeed mattsr' which
nav well tpesge the sericus attention OF every
voter; but behind all these lies more alarming
question stlI, aud that is whether our d'mocratlc
form Ct government il adequ.te TO our existing con-
] dition spd can continue to be msints'ned.
II is in vain 70 hope that things can long remain
in the condition in which they now are. There
must be change for the better or for the worse.
1t is serious fact, which We ought not to wink
cut Of sight or attempt to sbut our eyes to. thai
The history of the world affords no instalcs of the
lopg.contnOed existence of any democratic form
| Gf government and it is not lees serious fact,
that with the il crease alike Of wealth and poverty,
and with the concentration of our people 10 towns
IBID cities, we are now beginning for the first time
in our history to encounter those stumbling blocks
| to democracy which bsye everywhere else brought
| about it's failure.
For the last two or three years an unprinciped
nan without character, and in whom the great
body of the intelligent citizens have no confidence
has contrised, through his influence with that con-
siderable body of persons among US who live by
deprt da'ions on others, to get himself elected
Mayor; and the question is now brought to direct
point Are the great body of the industrious aud
moral citizens to have any control over our munic'
pal elections, or 10 the government of the city to be
SUIT rendered up 70 set fpersons who are Indebted
for their Offices to their success in securing the
votes ard favor Of depraved, vicious and Ignorant
minority
1t is precisely this state of things which has led
everywhere and at all times to the downfall OF
demo cratic governments. And generally it has
been the very demagogues who have elevated then
telves by the means just described who have bean
the immediate agents in changing the form Of the
government They assure the citizens, just as Wood
has often assured the citizens OF York, that the
Only security for q wholesome administration of
affairs is in the one. man power, an unlimited and
Discretionary authority vested in their ha'ds. Do
mocracy is thus succeeded by tyranny, and if that
il oyerthrowp, it seld )m leads to the reestablsh
mel of moderate and we'll ordered democracy.
TIE history of such communities becomes series
If revolutions and broils, confusion and disorder,
daring which all the better part of the community
are more and more excluded or withdraw more
and more from any part in public affairs, while the
government is commended for by desperate and
bloody factions, between the merits of which it is
off u difficult to decide.
The good citizens of New. York owe it not merely
to Themselves they owe it to the Stats, to the coun
Try, to the world at large, to afford nov decided
and uuque stionab,e proof that the principles upon
which republican government rests are not yet ex-
tin ct among us-nay, that they exist in full visor
The chief of those principles is general interest
on II part of every voter in the affairs OF the pub
lie not less than in bis own. We have left the man.
spement of our municipal concerns 80 long to few
professional politicians, as to be already scornfaly
told that politics is trade and an art by itself with
which the unintiated will do well net to NEEDLE,
being sure if they d. to exhibit only their unskill
flu ne.s and helples,ness. We trust the approaching
munict al election will give the lie direct to all
these assertions about the ncapacity Of the citizens
of New.YoIk to stand alone, and the absolute ne
cessty they are under Of accepting all nominations
for flee at the hands of party organizations, which
too often, under public pretenses, are only organ
izations for private objects. Nor ought this spirit
of independence, this exhibition of self reliance,
this resolution, in the true split of democracy, to
take the management Of our public affairs, and
especially the selection Of our agents, into our own
hands to be restricted to the case of Mayor. Let
it be thoroughly carried out as to every elective
Office. The Mayor to be elected, in order to ac-
compIish what we expect of him, must be duly
sustained and supported, which can only be by
having as his assistants in the management of our
affairs men equally trustworthy with hm'elf. The
char &c TO be effected must be thorough twill be
q proud day for New YOrk-it will be proud day
for republican insttutiOns-to see our city admin
istrstion thoroughly purified and reformed.