New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-18
THE NECESSITY AND THE MEANS OF
MUNICIPAL REFORM
A LETTER FROM JOHN II. WHITE.
NEw.YoRK, Oct. IA, 1861.

|
string 10 be informed whether will ACCEPT the nom
iDaon of Senator for the With Senatorial District
was duIy received and in reply beg leave TO say
that an not desircus Of becoming tie candidate OF
distinctive party organization; for, in The preseni
exgency Of the country am in favor Of dircard ne
all IaItisan prompunSs as unsuiied and degrading
10 the occasion and placing in uon'ustion for State
county aud local Offices those only who are pledged
70 maintain and support the authority aud dignity Of
the Government until treason is crushed out, sDo
this wicked rebellion fna y aud efectuslly put
down.
At the came time, I care not how loyal an aspirnnt
for public Office may be- just now, bow gifted and
iudriligAbe lie is in shouting for TIA UNioSi uness
he is capable, reputable and Trustworthy, and will
pledge himself 10 advance 10 do Lis Gttermost IA de
faaee of party, to pecure honesty and economy IN
our Srale aud municipal aEir-, h, shall not Aap, ny
support rOt,. lie my have been erea b,tiye tas
! tHI y Sumter, the ttiongesi Union man in The
State, and be now in po,ssssion Of thst lmportan'
qualih, alton in tehlOd de, rec; unless, however,
he posses.es the other important qualifications OF
| oDesty, capacity, and bravery by which / mean
thst Le il wiling 10 place Linssli above party Gle
tgtion aud clay AID destroy corruption and RAJ atty
wt,Terey sz1f!sl he cannot Ind shali hot have my
support.
! once year we are startled by an enormous and
/, Cressug iIX.lovy, wh,n is peyinH q on us aud
idy eating out our sutfGnce ghd yet J. gives to
the great bulk Of our tGx.EH!ing Cl'z,ns bus mo
men,Rry pabg, and they asaia cose ibeir eyes, re-
fuse 10 inyes igte e came, and Gahber on, ubll
Auo Der tax levy sin larger than tho last, stsrss
uem in the lace, "a again they Psese and won
der, aud resolve, aud DO adding.
| / hold tIat the enOrr0ls expense Of our city
and county government cgH he rcdrosd, and Il ouly
reqDiles lilte honest city AID State legislation "
dol,
As matters now stand, the present City Charter,
ana subysqutrt cgi-lsiiou connected efv"Ih, lave
cs RbfbeC "A syBem VI extravaganza uid CORFU uon,
AID tut IN conflict yaT1O1s dspa!tmeltt % tie litg
Goyeument, ~ means Of which we baNo bsd ca.
JAILED u. on Us IN 10 tguces, dyulle, aud IN
ot er itt nyCs totally unnecessary eXlCnte STAT
sBd Cit, %. II le,itlAiion bss gIveu us the mot
chaotic, contradictory, and ineonIistent municipal
government % 81 ever kissed.
| Let he ute o lew Illustrations:
By section 3, Of the prrssut charter, the Street
Department bas cogiz hce Ui the opening, rekulai-
irg afad!ng, Tagging, curJug and lutteiug oil ibe
srs,ts aud aiehuos ~ The Cly ana there IL ~ tnat
oeIartmeIt " Buresa having rSclgsye charge Of
tLote uatefs, called Ito Superintendent VI street
! luproyeueuts, aud set the ue1t seDli0n q the
,lmrier places m the " Gro on Aqueduct Board tbe
tewsrtge Vi the ely, 500 the paving rcpaviug, Gid
rinI IT tie streets. 10 otter words the CroOn
Board BlRH pave ard keep In repair al the streets
aud avenues Of The city, out tie Homeut IL TezeGe'
ltbe curb or gaitsr is authority and functions Genre,
aud new eIGrtweut tteIs 10, with IA new eel
of officials 10 cons leto what ought 10 have
Deen done simultaneously, aud by ous Executive
Department. il Is diincut 10 unoerstaId where TIE
wisdom. lies IN requiring one department 70 pave aud
keep IL repair TIE tTeets; bnd aUOtbef totally Gle
tilct and independent TO Crude, curb, and gutter the
came css IL is for The purpose OF giving double
ct OF officials al opportunity to pick q the came
bore.
-Nprk win ifa SANITARY NJ
lions ought 10 be tie neAItLest ciy IN the word,
and Latur4S H.; but statistic. show that lis per
lage Of mortality IL greater than any other city On
ltuis continent. Al the tamo tine, IL hss more
health departments, costing altogether, In proportion
" tie reputation, money tnan any other ety In
the Uri,ed States.
To rtart with, we have ia the City Inspector
TDtpartrneut Bureau OF SANITARY Inspection,
made ~ Of q Superintendent, or clerks, =
Health Wardeus, - afsidabt Health WafdeLF, and
- Street INSPECTORS, drawing from the city TREASURY
IN sauri-s ilOue, Upward Of Eighty 1hOuso1id Dot
tgTs per oHsUm. IA the came department tuers Ia
one InsI eCtof and seven assistant lGSpectoTs d
meat: all tue ncumbents, believe, being respecta
bic butchers, aud daily engaged Ia serving theii
patroDs; but drawing monthly from the city treas
ury ssldries annually amounting TO S,oOO, All
tuese worthy yeIsOas are supposed 10 spend theil
time ia taking Of the pubic health, and yet
ole oil them, lar as have been able 20 ASCERTAIN
u eteds 90 any practical medical knowledge, or /.
abe To point out inc Of particular epioenie Of
eIIdt mc CiseIsee, which, rs our bills OF mortality
show annually destroy hundreds Of lives.
: Every well-iead physician knows that the Dos
imp,rant sanitary aud nygienic improvements Often
defend uyon tire removal of apparently trihing
causes Of disease, aud In my Judgment Health DE
partmenl maze up entirely OF iuymeD, Is but liltl,
better for ell the good that II dOef, than like BODY
ni rtspectable men who never heard Of the City Ia
SECTORS Department. Bot the Bureau Of SAM
tary Ihepeeiion is Dot the only health arrangement
vi b which our city If blessed. We have ia Addi
ion, The Board If HEALTH" cOmpoeed Of the
MAYOR, Aldermen, and Counciluen, eI-Ofieio; III,
a. CvmnissioneIs Of HEALTH" consisting of iyi
lefsons, beside several ex-ofhcio members, and
IL The Metropolitan Sanitary Police Company,
each Independent OF the other all legaliz,d by les
ltiys enactmeDis, aud clty ordinances, and all max
Ing greater or lees drafts upon the City Treasury
Ice Legi.lature undoubtedly intended that ths
Metrouolitan Sanitary Police should take tie place
of apd perform the duties OF dle Health WaTdenb
land thereby DO away with that branch OF pubic
service; bat while 1t established Sanitary Polict
that ~ doiog good service, H. entirely forgot or a
least omitted TO relieve Of class OF otcors WIZ,
,l4im 70 perform duties Identical WIN thote euJoneo
; upon the Sanitary Police.
Again. tue present system Of imposing aslcsSmentI
for focal improvements 10 Objectionable In many re-
I spsc,s.
Every sewer that s constructed, and every stree
that is regulated and graded has person appointed
called Inspector, whore duty s suploed 70 DO 70
watch The Contractor aud certify as ~ the manner
in which the work 10 performed.
lie receives s. per day during the time the WORE
is In progress which Of has 10 be paid by tht
parties owning property supposed 10 be benefited oy
The improvement. AS general thing, this posiiioi
10 nsie sinecure Tor some Ward politician ior very