The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-05

The MAYoRALrY ErEcroS- PnosrEcrs OF
New CHARTER-The vote for Mayor will be
found to be very close when the canvassers
shall have made out the official returns. But
there is no good reason to believe that tho
result we announced yesterday will be changed.
1t may be safely assumed that Opdyke is elect
ed, though by q minority Of the voters. The
division in the democratic party lost them the
election, as it did the recent State election and
the Presidential election of 1860. Instead Of
only one being put forward, two democratic
candidates are nominated and the consequence
is that the republican candidate is elected.
though the figures show a majority Of twenty
thousand against him. A house divided against
itself cannot stand-a lesson for Tammany and
Mozart.
But even with this division the republican
candidate would not have been successful but
for two circumstances which operated in hin
favor. One was the speech made by Wood to
the Germans, in which he so directly assailed
the administration, and thus drove into the
ranks Of Gunther many conservative democrats
who are in favor Of the war; Had the cleo
ton been two or three days later it b
probable Gunther, from this cause, would have
been elected. The other circumstance which
operated against Wood, and in favor of Opdyke,
was that the latter, two days before the election,
came out in card repudiating abolitionism.
This was the cause Of his polling vote little
higher than that for Gunther, who, without the
aid of any newspapers, was very near being
successful. The whole vote may be regarded
as decidedly Union and conservative
We opposed the election of Mr.. Opdyke be-
of the party who gave him the nomination. But,
as he has repudiated the rabid revolutionary
ideas Of the abolitionists, we must now regard
him as a conservative man. As to his character
for integrity or his capacity for the office, we
never had doubt. He will therefore, there II
every reason to believe, make . good Mayor.
And as the State Legislature will be republican,
we hope they will clothe him with such powers
as are necessary to render his Office efficient,
and not permit him to be a mere cipher, as tho
Mayor of this great empire city now is. The
population, wealth and intelligence Of New
York city place it in rank far above several
States of the Union Its principal ex-
ecutive officer ought to be invested
with degree Of dignity suitable to the position
of the metropolitan city Of the United States.
His power ought to correspond in some degree
with that of the Lord Mayor of London. The
whole executive authority ought to be vested
in him, instead of the responsibility being d.
vided as it is now, and everything consequently
allowed to go wrong. He ought to be elected
for four years. The name Of Mayor ought to
be changed to that of President, and the desig-
nation of Aldermen and Councilmen changed
respectively to Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives, after the model of the federal GO
vernment. An executive mansion, too, ought to
be built for the President in the Park. Let this
be done by new charter at the opening of the
State Legislature, and hereafter we may expect
an efficient executive, who will give us clean
streets, and conduct the government of the city
as it ought to be conducted, instead of the
Earring, clashing machinery which is now
throwing all things into confusion, and does
not permit the responsibility to be brought
home to one head. Let this reform be at once
accomplished, and we shall never hear again.
as we so often do at present, that "nobody ID
to blame," when gross corruption and malad-
minstration offend the nostrils of all decent
men.