The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-11-01


naval forces in the Nicaraguan waters by send
ing every gun which can be spared to protect
OR citizens there
ELECTION EvE.-The eve of All Saints Day
and the eve Of election day, in which the saints
have precious little interest or concern, happen
to occur about the same time. Very different,
however, are the accomplishments of each The
one is celebrated with religious services in some
OF the churches. and with the observance of those
quaint and peculiar customs that have descended
marks of the other are large banners suspended
across the streets, with the names of the various
candidates for Office inscribed upon them; open
air meetings, at which politicians spout non
sense in unstinted measure; torchlight pro-
cessons; tar barrels burning in the streets; coec-
tons of ragged boys and rowdy politicians march
ing to the music of brass bands, carrying colored
lanterns and transparencies, burning blue lights
and Roman candles, and disturbing the quiet of
respectable neighborhoods.
When the election is over and these nuisances
are abated, the decent people of the city will
have cause to rejoice. In the meantime, election
eve must be celebrated as well as Hallow Fen.
The one is more to the taste of Young America
than he other, and here every one has right to
consult his own taste. So, on the eve of election
day we must not grumble at the devices of hepoli
ticians to get up enthusiasm. We must only laugh
at the banners and the professions and the bon
fires and the music, and the spouting, knowing too
that all this is not without its corresponding adj
vantages in the shape of q large expenditure
and circulation of money.
We give to-day some account of the appear
ance of the city so far as these political banners
are concerned. One cannot walk half dozen
blocks in any of the leading thoroughfares with
out passing under huge piece of canvass, with
the universal device of the spread eagle, and
learning that Jones or Smith, or Brown or Ro-
binson are the anti-Lecompton or democratic
aspirants for public Office. Large posters cover
the dead walls of the metropolis with similar
announcements. They are lettered on the side
walks, and even on the walls of houses and a
stranger to the city might imagine that New
York was singularly blessed with a plethora of
yirtuous, honest, unselfish public men, anxious to
serve her for her, not their own, good. How far
such supposition tallies with the reality our
citizens know to their cost.
The outlay which these candidates for public
Office have to make in the course of cam
paign would form very curious study, and
its results would be quite suggestive First,
the nomination has to be paid for, and paid
for literally. The price, of course, depends
upon the salary Of the Office, or the estimate of
$4,000 has been paid for nomination to the
Mayoralty, and like sum for that to the Street
Commissionership. Some people might possibly
fail to see the great advantage 10 be derived
from paying $4,000 for an Office the salary of
which for the whole term did not exceed 50 900;
but Office holders and Office seekers have knack
of reconciling this little anomaly in q mode
profitable to themselves but not so profitable to
the community. The nomination being secured,
ii then becomes necessary to pay for the banners,
for the music, for the torchlight professions, for
the speakers and the platforms on which they
stand, for the artillery discharges. for the sky
rockets and Roman candles, for the notices in
generally. 1t costs about $4,000 to be elected
to the Office Of Coroner like sum to be mem
Der of the Common Council, So, 900 to get to
Congress, $751; 900 to be elected Street Commits
sioner or Sheriff, $4,000 to be elected Mayor.
and so on in proportion to the estimated value
of the post, or Of what may be made out Of it.
Independently of the candidates for State
Offices and for Congress we have in New York
sixty-four candidates for county Offices, whose
aggregate outlay in the effort to get elected can
not fall far short of quarter million of dollars.
With the expenditure for the State and Congress
sional tickets, including the prices paid for no
mination, the whole sum spent in this city on
the election may be fairly set down at half
million Of dollars How public spirited. gener-
GUS and munfcent must be our politicians, or
else how corrupt must be the conduct Of our
Office holders. The records of the Grand Jury
room and of the criminal courts indicate pretty
conclusiyely how the matter stands.
Worn FOR TAXPAYERS To-MoRRow.-The con-
test for the election Of county officers and Assem-
blymen tomorrow will be Of somewhat novel
three or four tickets will be presented. Regular,
irregular and Independent democrats, as well as
republicans, Americans and fusionists, are on
these different tickets; party lines seem broken,
and the parties themselves, in a measure, disin-
tegrated. SO much the better; the people will
have better chance Of making good selection,
and they should look well to one thing namely,
that the delegation which this city sends to AL
bany will exercise a most important influence on
our city affairs, and it IL, therefore, matter Of
great moment that honest, faithful and capable
men should be elected. A word of counsel to
the voters of all parties-to the taxpaying por-