The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-04
ing place which commercial necessities have

L
| left them.
| Every measure will be resorted to by inte-
rested parties to have the City Hall built in Ma
olson square and the Post Office in the Park;
but the public should take care that all their
schemes shall be defeated. The Five Points is
the cheapest and most suitable location for all
the projected public buildings Let us, with one
now swelters there, All convert it into healthy
and ornamental quarter of the city
Our New Corporasion-Mesting Of the Conn
mon Council-City Reforms.
The members of the new Corporation under
the amended charter passed by the last Legisla-
ture, take Office this day. As our readers are
| quite well aware, this charter makes some i'm
portant changes in the form Of the city govern
ment, without, however, doing away with any
| of its radical abuses. The old many headed
| system introduced by the humbug reform
charter is perpetusted, the most important de-
| partments- finance and law-being placed alto
| gether apart from and irresponsible to the
| Mayor and Common Council. The Aldermen
have been elected upon the district system, in
| order to counieract the malign influence of
ward politicians Whether or not this has been
done, time will show. AT present we notice no
| particular improvement in the Board, except
| that it is somewhat smaller than before Under
| the new law the Aldermen are no longer Super
visors but twelve gentlemen have been selected
| to perform the duties. The old Council Board
has been swept away, and its place supplied by
a smaller body, elected from the Senatorial
districts.
| Thus we commence the new year with a new
corporate regime, which, like the season. brings
with it new hopes and, it may safely be pre-
dicted, new disappointments Those who have
| visited on individuals instead of on the system
the blame of the shortcomings of the past
twelve months, will not, we fear, have a much
better balance sheet to show at the end of the
next. The good intentions that periodically
pave the avenues of the City Hall, as well as
those of the neither world, do not usually stand
much wear and tear; and we confess we do not
see any fresh features in the prospect before us
which hold out the hope of marked improve
ment in the administration of our city affairs.
| 1t is to measures not men, that we must look
for effectual reforms in that quarter; and those
who expect that the shifting of the responsible
ty from one set of shoulders to another will alter
| the character of the evils under which we
| are suffering, will find themselves, we fear,
| greatly mistaken.
The new Mayor, Mr.. Tiemann, has the repu-
| tation of being an upright and worthy citizen,
and we doubt not enters upon his duties with
the determination of discharging them con-
scientiously. But in what shall we be benefited
by this integrity of purpose on his part? Be
tween the intrigues Of the spoilsmen and Office
seekers who have contributed to his election and
the restrictions imposed upon him by the new
Charter, he will find himself tied hand and foot
and exposed, like his predecessors, to the odium
of other mems acts. II he possesses energy and
frmness, he may succeed in making his own
conduct stand out in relief from the atmosphere
of corruption by which be will be surrounded
but he will not be the less powerless to work out
the views with which he is said to enter Office
His administration may rebound to his own
credit, but it will benefit but little bis fellow
citizens. Should be- on the other hand, allow
| himself to be made blind instrument in the
hands of those who have taken him up
he will become one of the most unpopular
Mayors we have ever had. Weakness in chief
| magistrate is a much more dangerous quality
than even venality, for it makes him an easy
tool in the hands of the corrupt. The really
dishonest man is content TO secure his own in
terests, whilst the weak man is made to subserve
the interests of every rogue that approaches
him. Ii is this very easness of character that
the new Mayor will have to guard against as
one of the greatest dangers of his administra-
| tion.
Had the principle OF centering the controlling
powers over the departments in the hands Of the
Mayor been fully carried out in the new charter,
Mr.. Tiemann would probably have been as good a
man as any other to WELD it, His uprightness of
purpose would not then be thwarted by counter
influences, or his amablity vexed by deter
mined opposition to his will. With machinery
to which be alone would possess the key, all
would 90 smoothly and well, and the city be
| benefited by his administration but with the
m,periuu in imperIo created by the new charter,
in the independent powers granted to the
Comptroller and the Corporation Counsel, it is
evident that the present system must work I'M
satisfactorily both for the public and the Mayor
| and that the latter will in the end be as much
| damaged by 1t in reputation as any Of his pre-
| decessors. II is pity thus to throw cold
water on the hopes expressed of the results of
the new Mayoralty. The experience of the
past, however, should warn people how they in
dulge in such rose colored anticipations.
If il be desired to give Mr.. Tiemann a chance
Of exhibiting the influence of the qualities
claimed for him by his supporters and of
making his official career one of I'M
questionable utility to the public, the
opportunity has yet to be created.
With the charter as at present framed, IL is