The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-08-09

advance. Subscriptions for shorter period will
received at the same rate
Already the politicians are beginning to bestir
themsel Is and to make their preDaaifii'ions and
their calculations for the approaching fall elections.
Surely it is high time that The people should begin
to turn their thoughts in the same direction
Upon the result of the Municipal Election which
takes place in this City, next October, depend
interests far more important than those of parties.
The interests of Law and Order, the peace and
prosperity of the City, and the security of Life and
Property in this community, are involved in the
choice of tting person to fill the Office of MAYOR
The experience of the past two years, and the ex-
ample of the present incumbent should admonish
us of the Importance of wise and prudent choice,
and of the necessity of selecting for the place a
who shall acceptthe trust from considerations
of public duty, and not seek the office from motives
of private ambition, and who will be guided in
the discharge of its duties by some higher purpose
than the qualification of his own personal vanity
or tine advancement of his own political fortunes
There are duties occasionally devolving upon the
incumbent of the MAYoRALTY more important even
than those ofreceivng and entertaining distinguish
ed guests, Scientific Western and it will so happen
sometimes, that the greatest possible amount of
zeal in defence of his constitutional sphere will
not absove public officer from the charge of being
habitually remiss in the less necessary, perhaps,
but still not altogether upimportant matter of
enforcing the laws. Were it otherwise, we
should not often have been compelled to find
fault with the present administration of our NUM-
cipal affairs Had the MAYORS speeches been the
only the greatest of his official sins, we should
not have commented upon them, but unfortunately
the errors, to use harsher term, which have sig
nalized his career, have been of character which
cannot be so easily overlooked and will not be so
soon forgotten. We do not allude to those errors
now, for the purposes of magnifying their number,
ofexaggerating their Importance or even of dwell
ing upon their consequences. We simply wish to
illustrate the necessity of choosing good MAYOR,
by pointing to the example of a bad one At no
time in the history of Baltimore has that necessity
been greater than it is now. During the last few
years crime with us has grown bold with impunity,
and lawlessness has achieved organization the
columns of the daily press have Redeemed with the
details of bloodshed and violence and the check of
of the deeds which have been done in our midst. -
We need in the MAYoRALTY IA man who shall take
away this reproach from our city; who shall be
equal to the task of nstituting and perfecting a
great social and moral REFORM and who shall bring
to the exercise of his responsible functions, both
courage and discretion, the wisdom to avoid all
rash counsels and extreme measures, and the indie
pendence to rise superior to all considerations of
political or personal influence and party dctation.
Where may such man be found? Assuredly not
among the politicians, among the candidates
whom the politicians likely to present to u.s.
Even if the choice of political convention were
accidentally to stumble upon such man, it is not
to be presumed that he would suffer himself TO be
drawn from his retirement, and dragged into the
arena of a political contest, by nomination, the
acceptance of which might possibly be held to inn
ply tacit recognition of party obligations. Only
in obedience to an imperative sense of public duty
and in response to popular invitation so general
in its character to be extended by citizens of all
classes and both parties without distinction of pol
lticS, can such man we have described, be in
duced 10 accept office in Baltimore at the present
juncture Thereforei is that weinvoke in this emer-
iticians. We have had sufficient experience of DO
htlcal and partisan Mayors il is time that we should
try one of different character. The evils to be
cured are less political than social in their
nature, and are not to be removed by the ele-
walton of one political party to place and
power, instead of another. Crime is not of
any particular politics, that we are aware.
nor do brutality and violence hold exclusively to
any especial party allegiance, cleave with pecu
liar hdelity to any one political organization The
evil and the remedy alike without the pale of
party and of politics. In view both of the general
powers which annexed by law to the office of
MAYOR, and of the particular duties which the next
incumbent of that office will be called upon to per-
form, we conceive that it is wholly immaterial of
what political complexion may be the sentiments of
the gentleman who shall be selected for that inn
portant trust 1t is only necessary that he should
possess the requisite qualifications of honesty,
capacity and frmness, and these the most ortho-
dox opinions upon the subjects of Kansas. of
Cuba, the Tariff, and the Naturalization Laws. bv
no means imply, while their possession is not in
the smallest degree incompatible with views upon
all these questions which, to our thinking, might
seem positively heretical. Why then should the
people of Baltimore refer q matter of such vital
Importance as the choice of their Municipal Chief
Magistrate, to the uncertain, capricous and inter
ested action of Democratic Convention or of an
American Council-when every consideration of
public duty and of private interest invite to
combination OF good men of all parties, in favor of
an impartial and independent administration of
our Municipal affairs? That such combination is
possible we sincerely believe, that it may be eff
fected we devoutly desire; its necessity the expe
rence of each day more and more clearly demon
strates; and its success if wisely begun and pru-
IDENTIFY conducted, cannot admit of any reasonable
doubt. The vicious and the criminal are not in
such an overwhelming majority in our community
as events might sometimes lead us to imagine, and
II there be any virtue in our institutions or any
truth IN the principles upon which they are based,
union OF all the conservative and respectable peo-
PIE OF the city, in the cause of Social Order and
hunlclpal Reform, can not fail to result in the
complete discontinue of the law-breakers, their
aiders and abettors.
An interesting and ally whit. .