New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-02

Better commentaries on the prOverD tnat y " hoil
| the gods would destroy they first make mad than
are furnished by Mayor Wood from day to day are
| not TO be found in the books Within the last
thirty-six hours be has taken two steps which VIII
60 far to show the respectable merchants who did
so much 10 reflect him that he is utterly unit 10
be trusted with power. On Thursday night the
policemen We're as We understand, convened IN the
several stationbOuses by their respective Captains,
and asked whether they would stand by Mayor
Wood 10 the last, law or no law. Some OF them,
with shame rather than surprise let it be said,
agreed so to do without qualifications others re-
fused to answer; and others still professed their
willingness to obey the Mayor so long as he was
their law ful head All of the two last named classes
have been or are to be suspended, and presently,
doubtless be cut off, root and branch. Ii remains
to be seen whether those who still swear by Mr..
Wood will be willing TO 90 all lengths with him in
contest with the civil power of the State, IT. as
Gems probable, matters come to that pass. The
question for each one to put to himself in that case
will be q plain one: Does my duty to myself, my
family, or my party require me TO run the risk OF
months, if not years imprisonment, for the sake of
ratifying the model Mayors ambition
At the same time that his proxies were sounding
the note Of preparation at the staton.houses, Mayor
Woods counsel, in conjunction with the City
Judge, the Attorney General Of the State and him.
self concOcted a new attempt to override the laws
through the forms of judicial proceeding. Judge
Russell who, as is well known, has with the
model Mayor, constituted the majority of the old
Board of Police Commissioners, in whose name the
latter person has acted now procures suit to be
instituted against himself in the of the people
for the ostensible purpose of compelling him to
take seat in that Board which he has never va
Gated, and in order to procure decision" on
the constitutional question at the earliest practl-
cable moment" In modest letter to the new
Board Of Police Commissioners, Judge Russell
kindly offers them the privilege of defending his
suit for him, they paying their own expenses and
be practically retaining the conduct of the case in
his own bands--an offer which is, of course, de-
clned or the ground that it is an Invitation to aid
Sin colusive litigation to the end Of obtaining
fraudulent Judgment" But in spite Of the pro-
test Of the Commissioners counsel against such
farcical proceedings, issue was joined by Mr..
OConor on behalf Of the people, and hitherto
unknown lawyer on behalf of Judge Russell, be-
fore Judge Roosevelt, and the is to 90 to the
General Term 1t remains to be seen whether
such suit will be entertained in that Court, or if
there, in the Court Of Appeals. If decided on
what cannot but be practically an er parte hearing,
it can have no force as an adjudication upon the
constitutional question, to facilitate Judgment on
which it pretends to be instituted.
But the gods are preparing to destroy this mad
Mayor of ours There is one decision against him
aready-another in prospect, to judge from the
unanswerable arguments against the injunction
upon the quo narraatO-and now it appears that
the City is not to pay the Mayors private bills,
strange to say, absolute injunction having issued,
restraining the payment Of any part of that 10000,
so illegally voted by the Common Council. That
Injunction can never be raised for there is no more
propriety in ro.ing the Mayors lawyers than in
paying bis tailor's bills, which the Common Council
will perhaps be proposing to do before many days.
Early next week we may expect to see the new
Board Of Police Commissioners fairly installed in
Office