The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-06-15
From the New York Times, J,tRe 13l
OUR SYSTEMS OF CITY GOVERNMENT
BALTIMORE AND NEW XOpK

The city of Baltimore having got over her deyo-
tlon to the Municipal system, has, like ourselves
begun to enjoy at least approach to good order
and good government. The letter of our cores
pondent, published on Monday, informs us that the
regime of the ''Plug Uglies'' and "Owls'' and
"Bood-tubs" has passed away, and that "Balti-
more may now be put down amongst the most
orderly cities in America" To those who remem
ber what Baltimore only year ago, this state
ment will doubtless of exaggeration but if no
greater change has occurred than the acquisition
by the police of share of the government of the
city, the gain is indeed great. A tolerable
chance of protection against robbery and murder
at the hands of rutlans, who not simply surpass in
their vocation nythng to be met with in Christen-
dom, but in Heathendom, must doubt cause
sensation in Baltimorean breasts, novel as it is
agreeable. 1t is only two years ago. at the far
thest, that the constituted authorities exercised
their jurisdiction by the suferance of the climbs of
rowdes A policeman allowed to make an ar
rest, preserve order when none of the "danger-
classes" felt any desire to prevent him. but at
no other time. Those walked the streets in safety
whom no "Plug-ugly" felt impelled tnrob or mur-
der; but nobody else. AS soon as any of the cut
throats singled out anybody for slaughter or plum
der, assault, the police well as society at large
shrunk away from him in dismay, and left him to
his fate If he survived his injuries and he or his
friends had courage enough left to attempt to put
the law in force against his assailants the tribunal
which the state of Maryland furnished him for the
redress OF his wrongs consisted of one drunken and
illiterate person, whose education did not include
grammatical English, and whose habits and antece-
dents led him to bestow all his sympathies upon the
''b'hoys," and generally caused him to
pOoh-pooh the complainant, bestow on
a bibulous admoniton to keep out of the
way, if he did not want his head broken or
his purse stolen. On election days, the legal gov
ernment set aside, and the city was taken pos.
session of early in the morning by the clubs, and
the voting was carried on under the supernten-
dence of bands of drunken brigands, armed to the
teeth, who drove the voters from poll to poll all
day long, with all the tortures and indignties that
inebriated fancy could suggest
This state of things would probably have lasted
as long there throat in Baltimore to be
cut, purse to be stolen, an eector to be in
timdated, for all the chance there was of the city
reforming itself, if the State Legislature had not
followed the example of that of New York and in
terfered with high hand. The police was taken
away from the Municipality and placed in the
hands OF Commisson-the Mayor, as with us,
opposing 1T In the Courts on behalf of "municipal
liberties; and the Court of Appeals having affirm
ed its consttutionality Baltimore is now rejoicing
in the possession of at least decent sembance of
law and order. The police have taken the control
| of the city out of the hands of the rowdy clubs
and for the first time for many years the law under
takes to protect the citizens in walking along the
streets. We have not the slightest doubt that the
| example set by New York and Baltimore, will in
the long run, be followed by all the large cities of
the Union. New Orleans is afflicted by much the
same evils, and has yet made no move in the same
direction-more because the better portion of her
population Is migratory than because she does not
need change. The others, such as Boston and
Philadelphia, have only to be a little larger and
more prosperous, to find the municipal yoke intol-
cradle. The crisis will come in all of them before
very long, which will compel them to throw aside
system which gives the idle and vicious and de-
| graded as potent a voice in the administration as
the honest, industrious and intelligent-a system
which even the harpies who proited most by it in
this city did not venture to defend on any other
ground than its antiquity. The problem which
we, as we'll as they, have still to solve, in the man
agement of great cities, is while adhering to the
democratic theory of government, and giving
! every citizen a voice in the conduct of the NUM-
cipa affairs, to give it in such fashion that nteli
! gence and good character shall have as fair
chance to make themselves heard as the rowdy and
| ignorant and vagabond. The decent people of
| every town and city in the United States are still
vast majority of the population. What we have
to do is to frame such system of government as
shall make their wishes more influential than those
of the blackguards.