The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-01-01


upon us.
Progress of Decay I'm Municipal Politics.
New Charter Needed from the state
Legislature.
Thirty years ago the city of New York was
governed by Common Council composed Of
q Board of Aldermen and a Board of Assistant
Aldermen. The Mayor was, invariably, the
creature of their choice although, as an inde-
pendent executive officer, he was enabled to
maintain the dignity of his position. The con-
stabulary of the metropolis was, proportion
ably, more effective than the police Of the pre-
sent day, and there was no talk among the
people Of want of security to life and pro-
perty. The party distinctions of wing and
democrat, impaired sufficient life to rivalry
at the polls; but Aldermen were elected on q
general ticket, and it was generally under
stood that the broadcast distinction which could
be drawn was between good and better, not,
as it is now, between bad and worse. De-
partmental interest was under one control, and
petty corruptions excited no alarm, because,
when discovered, they could be SO easily
remedied. There were no Almshouse Gov
ornors or petty Justices to let loose organized
hordes of criminals from Blackwell's Island
to prey upon the community; nor was there a
taxation Of from ten to twelve millions Of dol
lars annually, to support greedy pothouse
loafers and perpetuate misrule.
By small degrees, the denizens of
some of the most indispensable of our local in
stitutions succeeded in accomplishing the great
81 he. fho Har IF
criminal, pauper, and judicial control to
the arbitration OF q popular VOTE The ne
ccssary consequence was, downward progress
of municipal decentralization, continued until
the present day, and which has resulted in the
terrific state of Generalization at which we
have now arrived Petty ward wirepullers
have succeeded in becoming the arbiters Of our
destinies, and there is no swindle so abomina-
bic, no usurpation so utterly monstrous, no po-
litical brutality 50 hideous and revolving. that
il is not submitted to by the people. Packed
primaries, bribed inspectors, silky, smooth
tongued Tammany, Mozart or republican asses
sors, under the lead of unprincpled schemers,
have inaugurated despotism of barefaced
roguery and thimble-riggcry, to which the
better class OF citizens have heretofore by far
too patiently submitted. The feudal sove-
reignty Of shoulder-hitting regime, has become
the acknowledged background, the impregna-
BILE defence, of municipal robbery, SO gross and
execrable that the possibility of its existence
would have been disbelieved less than quar-
ter Of century ago. And, bad as the present
state of things is, we have seen as yet, unless
remedy is speedily applied, only the begin
ming, comparatively, Of the trouble.
II might reasonably be supposed that, in
city containing an accumulated wealth of near
" two thousand millions of dollars, property
and those who possess 1t would have some in
fluence. Such has ceased to be the case. The
aristocracy here is not one of wealth, but the
hard iron hand Of rowdy, corrupt, grogshop,
Blackwell's Island despotism over those whose
accumuations subject them TO the necessity of
taxpaying. Good men, actuated by high and
exalted political motives, seldom dare TO aspire
to Office. If they are bold enough TO do so,
vitupcration and falsehood, bowls and Kisses,
every conceivable SANDER, and the certainty Of
disappointment and defeat, are sure 10 terrify
them from the pursuit of any patriotic ends
they may have had in view. Industrious,
wealthy merchants. manufacturers, bankers,
upright mechanics, clerks workmen in ship
yards, stores and foundries, professional men
lawyers, physicians and students-look on
| aghast at distractions to good government
which their own energy might remove; but the
habit Of submission has become so strong that
they seem practically unable to overcome them
Mea, res of reform have from time to time
! been initiated, but so feebly, aud embarrassed