The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-10-12

TIE STATE CONSTITUTIONAL CoNvENrIoN.-At
the November election the people will be
asked to vote yea or nay for convention to
revise the constitution of this State. The pro-
liability ia that the vote will be in favor Of the
measure, and we hope it may be- The consn-
tuition requires many amendments, and II the
proposed convention should assemble there
are one or two very important points to which
its attention should be particularly directed.
The first is our judiciary system, which Is now
altogether wrong and with few exceptions
weak and subject to corruption. The amended
constitution should provide for the appoint
ment Of all our judges by the Governor, with
q provision that the Senate shall ratify his
nominations The constitution might also pro-
vide for retaining in Office such judges a. have
already been elected by the people wherever
they are found qualified for their position; but
when their terms expire their places should be
filed by an appointment from the Governor,
and the Office should be held for life or good
behavior. This is the only judiciary system
which will ever work well.
The next point to which the attention Of the
convention should be directed Is . complete
revision OF our city government At present
we have really no government at all, unless
some eight or ten commissions, with as many
attendant bureaus, responsible to nobody, cam
be called government. The duties Of these
departments are so mixed up that no one
knows to which any particular duty belongs.
and consequently none Of them are respon-
sible to any authority All we really know
with certainty about our city government is
| that the expenses have unaccountably increased
| from three or four millions few years ago 70
nearly twenty millions year to-day. This
knowledge we acquire through our pockets
when the taxpaying day comes round. !.
NJ" .as TesmsS9 which v. r r-oDose LOT .@s sTs
is that the constitution should be 80 amended
as to give the power to the Governor 70 sp.
point Mayor, say for Eve years. the Mayor
to appoint all his subordinate officers subject
to the ratification Of the Board Of AIDE wee.
The Aldermen might be elected as now and
their power restricted to purely legislative
duties In this way the Mayor would be inde-
pendent Of popular suffrage, uninhuenced By
party considerations, and would be responsible
to the Governor and Senate for his good con-
duct, who in their turn would be responsible
to the people. This would be to return to
the federal system Of direct government and
responsibility which prevailed years ago.,
before innovations were introduced which
have brought our municipal system nom baA
to worse until we can hardly call it system
at ALL Independent Of its facile mode Of plumber
ing the people. Upon this plan We might
expect some unity in the city government
which is wholly wanting now. II We are to
have convention to amend the State consti-
tuition these questions should form the most
prominent portion Of their labors. There b
nothing which the State Of New York stands
more in need Of than pure and incorruptble
judiciary and an effective government for the
metropolis.