New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-19
REFORMING OUR CITY.

REFORMING OUR CITY.
There is small crowd Of bills before our Legs
lature whereof the ostensbe object is reform in the
municipal rule of this pundered, misgogerned City.
To that object none will believe opposed or ndif
ferent. II ever q rule needed reforming, that OF
this City needs it from turret to foundation. Bat it
unfortunately happens that most Of the bills in ques
ten appear to have been drafted with sinister
purpose beside that ex pressed on Their faces. Some
one is to be kept in office, oraowed better chance
to make honey, or empowered to do something or
other which will not seem, to any candid, enligtt-
ened mind, essential to that reform which these bills
profess exclusively to contemplate.
Ore object very steadily kept in view BY these
measures is such redistribution of power as to
throw more places, more patronage, into the gilt
either of the State Administration or the Controller
of our City Financesthat is, Into the hands Of the
Republicans Ia behalf Of the nOn-ofice-holding,
non office-seekiDg fouT-ffths of the Republican
party of this City we protest against any legislation
of this Sort Our position is not an enviabe one,
but such measures will render it worse. If no act
had ever been passed at Albany ostensibly in our
behalf, we should have been far stronger to-day
thanwe are. Forwe should have then stood utterly
clear of the iDdeensib,e, abominable disagreement
of our City, and should have largely profted by the
odum which 1t inevitably reflects on its possessors;
whereas, we are now obliged to shoulder consd-
cradle part Of it. 1t is impossible to NEEDLE in such
matter without mourning seIions responsibility.
Our Police is ncontestaby better than it was prior
to 1857 but then it costs decidedly more; and the
additional expense is charged upon the Black
Republicans by Thousands, who deny or forget the
resulting benefit. So If is aud will be In other
cases.
A new bill is now before the Legislature propos-
iDg further changes in our Police system. Our adj
versares say it will increase the cost of the service
by 500, 900 per annum. If that be the case, or
anything Ike it, We enreat the Legislature not to
pass it. We may need some more Policemen,
though We think the present number answers very
well; but should this bill pass, the four hundred ad-
dtional pstrolmen will be mainly Democrats,
drawn from Woods disbanded force; aud, while
our adveIsaIes viii thus pocket the money weshall
have TO pay good share Of it andbe the odum OF
imposing it all. When the metropolitan Police
Act Of 1857 w5s before the Assembly, a Democratic
Member from this City moved an increase of the
yearly pay of patrolmen from $3.50 to $500, and 1t
passed; and We Republicans have had to bear the
consequent odum of increasing the cost OF the SER
vice ever since. Not Democrat of the hundreds
WHO have pocketed the additional $50 per annum
has given us vote OF a thank while many vote
has doubtless been turned against us by the cry of
prodigal and corrupt expenditure thereon raised.
Should we learn nothing from such incidents
OF all the bills in question, we regard that pro.
posing a Health Department for our City much the
best and most essential. That BILL if passed into
law. might be made instrumental in the saving of
thousands of lives annually. We believe that many
provisions of it ought to prevail. But we revolt
against any considerable diversion of power by the
Legislature from our Municipal authorities to the
State Executive. The reasons for it must clear
ly be special, while the principle is obviously
unsound. AnG suppose we should get by State
action an inefficient, prodiga good-for.nothing
Board of Health Commissioners, where then should
we bel In our judgment it would be better to
have them chosen by the Mayor, Controller, and
Board Of Supervisors, voting by ballot, with eight
votes required to elect And then we would say,
Give this Board no patronage but such as is mani
testify essential to the faithful discharge of its
great duty of preserving the Public Health.
AS to the general Charter Reform bill, we have
very vague knowledge of it's provisions, so we will
not attempt any special criticism; but with regard
to this and the batch whereof il is sample, we
NOV Of Iaast ralata an apacdotp.
Protestant History of the crusade by which the
Albigenses were extirpated from southern France,
relates that at the capture by assault of of their
cities-Beziers, if we rightly remember-the Arch
bishop of Toulouse, who was master spirit of the
crusade, was asked how general should be the mag
sacre of the vanquished heretics. "For" suggested
the inquirer, "many of the inhabitants OF the cap
" tured stronghold are good Catholics whom we
" cannot distinguish in the hot blood of triumph
" ant assault, and what shall We do2" "KW au,"
replied the reverend successor of the Apostles "e
Lord uH kno,o his o,cn." The dictum was a
little too sweeping for Bezers, but we think hardly
too much 60 for Albany just at present.
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