The New York herald., 1865-01-10

regard 10 tho grest issus Of PeSoe or war kSa
the 6y on the cartwheeL The only man who
can determine this lssue In favor Of speedy
peace, or an indefinite prolongation Of the war,
| Is President Lincoln.
We submit to him that be has now Q Ono op-
portunity for decisive flank movement against
JeK Davis on tho slavery question. Je6 has
shown bis hand. He u willing not only TO
emancipate and arm the slaves within his reach
to save bis confsderacy, but b ready 10 sacri-
Gee tho confsderacy itself In three separate par
cels-to England, France and Spsin-to save hls
own precious bacon. These are the alterna-
tives held out BY Davis to tho shareholders oon-
cerned, with~s continuance Of tho war. Let
them understand that II they will submit to the
Union, slavery, a. the war shall have actually
lef 1t in the returning States, will be permitted
to take its chances, and we are sure that such .
call at this time win speedily start poor Jen ON
| run through the Wilmington blockade. Why
not try this experiment. What have the eman-
| cipation proclamations Of Mr.. Lincoln to do
| with slaves they have never reachedi Why
should he prolong the war for the sake Of has
tening the abolition Of slavery, when the insttu-
ton is so badly crippled that II must die, and
die rapidly, do what we mayf
The present condition Of our national
finances strongly suggests that we cannot
carry on this war beyond another year without
risking collapse Of the Treasury, and ruin
GUS financial revulsion. We expect the re-
| naming rebel armies In the field to be de-
molished within much shorter time, unless
the plans Of Grant and his generals shall be
interrupted by the intrigues of the abolition
politicians. 1t is against this danger that we
would now admonish President Lincoln. He
is at last the absolute master Of the situation.
lie has no longer any favors to ask of party
convention managing cliques or leaders We
presume that he has no clique or candidate to
set up for the succession. We believe that he
desires to see peace and the Union restored,
| tho Treasury saved against all accidents, and
| slavery abolished during his administration.
The first two of these objects we think may be
now at once accomplished in the way we have
indicated, and the third through the constitu-
tional amendment now pending In Congress.
As this, too, Is the only way, after all, in which
slavery can be permanently removed, why
should emancipation proclamations or aboli-
ton politicians be permitted to stand in the
way which points to an immediate overthrow
Of Davis and his confcderacys
Mayor Gunther's Mossa ge-AH the sharks
OF the Lobby Poised on Throbbing
Fins.
Mayor Gunther's message, published in an
other column, Is neither better nor worse than
might have been expected from that officer. It
betrays in several places his grudge against the
City Inspector, and is not without indications
that the Mayor is humanity alive to his own
large interests. We also gather from 1t that
Mayor Gunther is decidedly in favor of leasing
out our down town markets to private specula-
tors, and is not averse to the creation of other
markets to suit the needs Of the upper portions
Of our island-probably on the properties ia
nous in our civic history as the "Fort Ganse-
WORT" and "Lowber captures" It would be an
interesting incident by the way, if our Legisla-
ture should appoint committee Of experts to
examine and report on the actual profits made by
the two great gas companies Of our city during
the past half dozen years, together with another
honest and capable committee to report why
and how 1t happens that the immensely valua-
BILE markets, piers and wharves, ferry fran
chises, and other estates held by the municipal-
ty, only bring in each year Q sum hardly suf
iclent to pay for the cost Of Its collection.
These things, however, to which the Mayor
briefly refers, arc but trivial when compared
with tho really vital questions relating to our
city government which are wholly ignored in
his present message.
Why does not Mayor Gunther call attcn-
tion 10 the fact that while our city taxes during
the past year, including judgments allowed to
60 against us by default amounted to very
nearly the monstrous sum Of seventeen millions
Of dollars, there were but q little over three
millions Of this aggregate disbursed under the
directions Of our elective city government--tLe
balance Of nearly fourteen millions Of dollars
being flung to tho winds, either by bodies Of
Commissioners appointed at Albany, such as
the Police Commissioners, Park Commjs-
sioners, and SO forth, or by the agency Of the
Board Of Supervisors, q body created by the
State Legislature, and In which-contrary 70
the constitution Of our State--the minority are
endowed with power equal 10 that Of the ma
jority, no matter how decisive against such MI
nority may be the popular vote. At the
last general election, for instance, our city no
turns showed over forty thousand democratic
majority; and yet, despite this overwhelming
expression Of popular opinion, the nominee Of
party polling about thirty-fve thousand votes
b declared by Albany Legislation 10 have
equal voice and power with the representative
Of party which polied far moro than twice
that number Of independent suffragea It d
thus made manifest that while great hue and
CRY has been raised against our city officials,
who have little moro than three millions Of
dollars year 70 cxpend, the really heavy bur
thcns Of tnxoti0n are imposed upon us by com.