New-York daily tribune., 1866-02-21
TUE "NON.PAKTusAN0 PLEA Ex.
AHMED.

present non-paTiisan" 10 degree seldom
witnessed. Speaking one way and voting
another is but a passing cccent-icity by which
the "non partisan" disease develops Ito exist
euce. We are accused OF misrepresenting Mr..
Littlejohn, who, we are told. has always been
in favor of bipartisan commissions"
while opposed 20 "partiSan;" but. as the con.
text Of The ssmo paragraph In which this in.
terestng information is conveyed assures us
that all existing and past "non. partisan com
missions have Originated with on individual
whose compensation for the abuse of 1HB
TRIBUNE is found in their usefulness" we see
not that il can make much difference what was
Mr.. Littlejohn's attitude, or that of any other
man" in regard thereto.
This unnamed individual" We are told.
created the Commissioners Of Emigration at
cost Of "timc, labor and money!" and the
individual referred to-" but not named. also
claims that the Central Park Commissioners
"were designated BY the same individual, and
that "the excellent Board Of Governors ofChar
tiles was constituted under the same auspices.
Finally-and here we think the individual re-
ferred to" lets large cat out of the bag-it was
"on the suggestion of the same individual that
Gov. Seymour appointed the bipartisan Po-
lice Board" as recently existing-a fact all the
more easily credited from the blind devotion of
that body TO the political views Of the person
we suppose referred to as the individual
We might demand to know by what au.
thority this unnamed individual" claims TO
have superseded Governors and Senatcs who
were the officials held responsible for these ap-
pointmentsl We might demand TO know, is it
good policy that any irresponsible individual" "
clothed with no official character and amenable
TO no tribunal should thus be allowed to WELD
power OF designating" his own friends and
adherents as the sole controllers of public
affairs and the sole dispensers Of public money
If Board to be mon partisan" must be eXclu-
syely named "on the suggestion Of the same
individual, and can be appointed in no other
manner, then we are in favor of partisan com.
Missions taking it from his statement that he
means, By the term last quoted, all bodies
Of officials who shall be independently named
by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate
for the Offices they are designated to fill.
A truce TO the individual however. while
we glance over the record to see whether or no
we have done Mr.. Littlciohn injustice in stating,
or implying, that he was not always i'll favor of
such non-partisan appointments
In l-57, when Messrs. Weed and Lttlejohn
had control Of the Republican party, the Board
Of metropolitan Police Commissioners was first
established, and was ayowedly and strictly a
partisan Board" II consisted OF five Repub.
licans appointed by the Governor, with the
Democratic Mayors Of Brooklyn and Ncw-York
thrown in as er o6fcio and powcrle5s members.
Mr. Lttlejohn was then the most influential
member Of the Assembly, and was active and
undisguised in his successful efforts TO push
through this bill.
Again, in 1850, when the same parties had
control Of the Republican organization of both
Houses of the Legislature the Board was made
more strictly partisan by dropping the two
Democratic Mayors, reducing the Commission
ers to three, and naming Messrs. Bergen, Acton
and Bowen. During the passage Of this meas.
ure, Mr.. Littlejohn was Speaker; and it was
mainly put through under the whip and spur,
rein and guidance of his acknowledged suprem-
J acy in parliamentary tactics.
In 1868. Gov. Seymour came into power,
having been enthusiastically supported BY the
Police Board and other of the friends of the
individual referred to-" as against Gen. Wsds.
worth; and for some tins lad no cause to wish
! a change ia tbs government Of this "non.psrti.