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

The idea is confidently advanced in numerous
quarters in relation to the recent acts of the
Legislature for recognizing the government of this
city, and almost with the triumphant air OF utterng
q selfeyident proposition that it is great piece OF
mpertinence on the part of the Legislature to I'M
dertake any supervision or control at all over our
affairs, which ought to be left according to this
school of politicians to the exclusive management
of the majority Of our Re sident voters. Nay this
notion is even carried 40 far as to lead to the sug
gestion that it ought to be left to the same majority
of our city voters 20 determine whether they will
submit or not to general laws, like the License law,
for instance, intended to operate throughout the
whole State. A few considerations will place in
strong light the absurdity of this new application
of the doctrine Of squatter soveregnty-we say
squatter sovereignty because it is well known that
large part of the controlling majority of the city
voters are much in the position of squatters-ligng
in the city, indeed but paying no taxes owning no
property, and only interested i'll the city as place
in which they contrve to get living, too many Of
them, we are sorry to say, in rather questionable
ways.
1t must be obvious at once on the slightest re-
Election, that the city and the country, though
organized for certain purposes into distinct local
municipalities, are yet but parts OF one social
whole. There would be no city without the coun-
try of which the city is in fact but the oshoot and
outgrowth. There are few persons in the country,
and none in active life, who do not find frequent
occasion to visit the city, and to become temporary
residents in it. The grave and serious resort
thither for business and instruction, and the
gay for pleasure and recreation. The young, espe-
cially, crowd thther TO see the world and find en-
frances into lfe New-YOrk, with nobody in it but
New-Yorkers, would be pretty dull and miserable
place, and would soon begin to contract itself into
something like it's ancient limits. Ncw-York is
New-York, not merely by reason of those who live
and vote in ii, but altogether more so BY reason of
those who frequent it from abroad; and those who
frequent from abroad have certainly as strong an
interest in its good government, and as much
right to be heard upon the question as the
baggage -smsshers, emigrant-runners, ticketseers,
mock -auctoneers, and the keepers Of gambling
houses, brothels and grog-shops, who make their
living by setting traps in which to catch unwary
visitors from the country. 1t would be no more
ridiculous to say that nobodys wishes ought to be
consulted in laying out the Central Park except
these of the squatters now or lately settled upon it,
than to pretend that the people Of the State are
guilty Of usurpation in seeking to give the City
government which will enable them and their chill
dren to walk it's streets in safety, neither poisoned
by malaria, knocked down by thieves or DULLES, nor
cheated out of their money or their wits by traps
and temptations set for them at every corner.
We should think that the property holders of
this city might have been convinced by their tax bills,
If nothing else, of the necessity Of some change IN
the administration Of our city affairs; while surely
1t needs but grain or two of common sense TO per-
eeive that no change except for the worse is to be
expected from set Of men whose business il is not
to pay taxes, but to help spend the city's money.
All We have tosay is that those tax payers who en-
Isl under such leaders in crusade against the new
legislation for the city, fully deserve to be sponged
cut Of the last farthing; and were the distnc-
ton which they set up between the city and the
country pOssibs-and the one would be just about
as possible as the other-betwcen them and the