The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-26
City Matters In the Observation-Disclosures
OF tho Lobby to Albany.

NOS 'cne up, SO far as their value to the lobby is
( concerned md it has been considered necessary
! Do s.rlo ont son new plan by which the poIti-
( cob eaGr could satisfy their cravings.
nor ae i'rthela0ce Of this des' = four bills
, have been introduced into TIE State legislature
ostens.by ros the benefit 81 .bo city e New
York, but really FOR .le aggraudizement Of some
of the wirepullers !. .he niger worshipping
party. During the next two y lree years there
are to be expended in this city some Tenty or
thirty millions of dollars, for various public pr
| poses. Some four or five millions are to be ex-
| pended upon the Central Park; an equal perhaps
greater sum, is to be devoted to the building of
new City Hall; and changes in the police system
will undoubtedly increase the expenditures to
million and half or two millions. Some extra
expenses for the Croton aqueduct will use up
million or twO-perhaps more-while the regular
expenses Of the city government will not fall
short of eight or nine millions, and will perhaps
exceed that sum.
This splendid prospect for the spoils has not
been lost sight of, and the lobby members driven
from Washington have cooked up these bills in
the AstOr House parlors, and are now forcing
them upon the Legislature. The first is an act
to create in the city of New York Metropoli-
tan Police Department. We have already pub
Gshed this bill, which places the entire control of
the police, the City Inspectors department, the
elections, and the administration Of criminal JUS
tice in the lower court in the hands Of three
Commissioners, who are to be appointed by the
Governor of the State, the Senate eoncurring.
These Commissioners have fat salaries and al
most entire control over several of the most i'm
portant departments in the city govern
ment They have almost unlimited con-
troll over the city treasury, and splendid
opportunity to deplete it. The next is an act
for the improvement and regulation Of the Gen.
trail Park. 1t provides that the park shall be un
der the exclusive control and management "of
Board of three Commissioners, to be appointed
by the Governor, and to hold Office during six
years" Next we have an act for the erection and
location of a new City Hall; this is also to be
done by Board of three Commissioners, to be
appointed by the Governor, and they are to have
two millions TO start with. So much for the spe-
cial laws. To complete the catalogue, there is an
act to amend the charter of the city of New York,
which is in reality new charter, and one entire
ly different from any that we have ever seen. 1t
provides for the election of sixteen Al
dermen by districts, to be hereafter ar
ranged-giyes the Mayor the power of ap-
pointing the heads of departments, with
one exception-the Department of Finance-and
places in the Board of Aldermen the power 10
remove the persons appointed by the Mayor, with
out his consent. The Comptroller is the head Of
the Department of Finance; he is to be elected
by the people, and to be entirely independent Of
the Mayor and every one else.
The radical fault of this charter must be ap.
parent 70 every man of common sense 1t makes
q triple-headed government. The Mayor is one
head, the Comptroller another, the Board of Al
dcrmon another. There would be continual
closhing Of these powers, and the city would be
In worse condition than il IL at present; and
that is bad enough. What we want is
plain, simple charter which shall put the
executive power in the hands OF the Mayor,
and the legislative power in those OF
the Board of Aldermen. The people
will then take care TO elect man like Wood, or
such magistrate as Judge Russell has shown
himself TO be, and we can have Mayor who IL
perfectly awake to the responsibility of his posi-
ton, and entirely able TO discharge its duties with
credit TO himself and the city. That government
which is the plainest and the simplest, Is always
the best. The radical fault about the present
charter is that il is too complicated and that it 20
far carves up the responsibility that there is
none Of II visible. The Mayor should have all
the executive power, and then the people can
bold him strictly accountable for the manner in
which he uses ii.
With regard to the schemes of the lobby in re-
lation 10 the police, the Central Park and
the City Hail. we have yet to be convinced
that the Legislature will allow itself to be
made the tool OF few political hacks who
desire TO quarter their friends upon this long
suffering city. The taxpayers Of New York
have right to protest against the creation Of
these three Boards that are to have absolute
power and unlimited control over the city trea.
smy, and we trust that that protest will be loud
enough TO be heard az Albany We suffer sufi-
GENTLY from plunderers here, without being
obliged 10 support horde Of hungry country
politicians. We do not want the leecbes who
have been found too voracious even for that cor
treasury. We do not want any charters or spe-
cial laws cooked up by cliques Of niger wor-
shippers al The Aston House and driven through
the Legislature under the whip of the majority
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND rrs ANNUAL Ex-
rrNsEs.-It Is now about fifteen years since the