The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-11-27

The Charter Election = Who Shall be City
Comptroller
The charter election takes place one week
from to-day, and the electors will then be
called upon to make choice of city Comp
troller, one Of the most important officers in
the city government The Eight has at length
settled down between three candidates, and
ons of these will have to be selected as the
head Of the Finance Department for the next
two years. 1t Is most important that the tax
payers and all the friends OF an honest and in
dependent city government should make the
best choice left to them, since whatever re-
forms may come from the Legislature, the Comp
troller now elected will necessarily be left with
some power and influence, and it is desirable
on all accounts that the most competent man
should be chosen. The question of politics
will have very little TO do with the election.
The "ring" is entirely exploded and demol-
ished. The retirement Of Brennan and Cornell,
who are fully occupied in defending them
selves against charges Of official fraud and cor
ruption, has left the Tammany rump and the
city "ring" entirely unrepresented in the
charter election, and the only questions to be
decided by the voters are as to the capacity
and the character of the several nominees.
The candidates for the COMPREHENSIVE are
Richard B. Connolly, Michael Connolly and
Richard Kelly. The first of these, Richard B.
Connolly, has been State Senator, and is at
present one Of the principals in the Fourth
National Bank. The second, Michael Con-
nolly,i is police justice, familiarity known as
the "Big Judge" and as "BlarneyinR Mike"
The third, Richard Kelly, is also police JUS
tice and strong republican politician
Richard B. Connolly has been nominated by
the Tammany democracy, Michael Connolly by
the Cooper Union party, and Richard Kelly by
the cold water, anti-lager beer, Sunday liquor
law, blue-bellied radical republicans.
The real fight lies between the two Con-
nollys. Richard Kelly is no doubt very
good sort of man in his way; but his way is
not the way Of the citizens Of New York. He
is put up as a strictly partisan candidate by q
political organization that does not number
much more than one-fourth of the voters of
the whole city, and is The representative and
embodiment 81 all their ultra Views and
fanatical notions. He has no claim upon the
democratic voters and no qualifications that
commend him to the taxpayers and the indepen-
dent citizens. 1t is little more than suspected
that he has good understan ding with Comp
troller Brennan, Acting Street Commissioner
Tweed, Manager Sweeney and other autocrats
- Al,c fs~..,x A1~ct L., L.
made by which Tweed or bis successor is to be
left undisturbed in the Street Department, pro-
vided Kelly is elected Comptroller. Recent
events, however, have proved that the old
"ring" leaders are powerless now to control
their own organization, and Kelly may there
fore be considered AZ out of the race and
without any chance Of success.
The choice of the taxpayers and independ-
ent voters, then, lies between the two Con-
nollys The 'Big Judge" Mike Connolly, is a
good natured, jovial sort Of . man, but utterly
unfit for the office Of Comptroller. He has not
single qualification for the position, and
many Of his personal friends. who might gladly
support him for the Office Of Sheriff. for which
he is we'll enough qualified, will hesitate to
stultify themselves by voting for him for the
Office Of Comptroller He has, moreover, only
secured the nomination Of an Insignificant fac
ton, and will not be able to get his ballots
into the field without considerable outlay.
He and his friends will do better to keep their
money in their pockets and wait for some
more favorable opportunity than to throw it
= III cbooo afta he ga
of Comptroller.
Richard B. Connolly is the only candidate In
the field who is really properly qualified to
discharge the duties Of the Office. He is
shrewd, prudent man, good 6nancier and
wholly independent of all cliques and factions.
He has been put forward by the best men Of
the democratic organization, and his nomina-
ton was concurred in by the Tweed and
Sweeney faction only because they believed
that by confusion Of names they could cheat
him out of his party votes by turning them on
to Mike Connolly, and thus slip in the real
'ring" candidate, Judge Kelly, between the
two. The trading politicians know well
enough that they cannot use Richard B. Con-
molly for their own purposes. He is possessed
Of ell their shrewdness without their dishonesty.
They have an understanding with the blue
bellied radical candidate, and they could
easily manage the easy Judge Mike without
any difficulty. They will, therefore, do their
best to defeat Richard B. Connolly, by putting
Michael Connolly's name into some Of their
boxes, In the hope, not of electing "Blarneying
Mike,r but Of defeating both the Connollys
and electing Richard Kelly. But, as we have
said, their efforts will be vain. The partisan
vote Of the radical republican candidate,
with all the aid the Sweeney and Tweed ring
can give him, will not reach that Of either Of
the other candidates, and the real fight lies be-
tween Dick Connolly and his competitor, Nike
AS between these two no taxpayer and no citi-
zen who IL in favor Of an honest and independ-
ent city government can hesitate In his choice