The New York herald., 1867-02-28
The Stats ConsiitutiosaI Conveniion Tho
Work to be Done.

adopted twenty years ago was based upon
the principle OF decentralization. Under the
preceding constitution all judicial officers ex-
cept Justices of the Peace were appointed by
the Governor and Senate. The Chancellor
and Judges Of the Supreme Court held Office
during good behavior or until they attained
the age of sixty. The Secretary Of State,
Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney General,
Surveyor and Commissary General were SINH
larly appointed, and held oface for three years,
except the Treasurer, who was chosen annu-
ally. The constitution Of l846 made all judi
cial and State officers elective, limited the
terms Of the Judges Of the Court of Appeals
and Supreme Court to eight years, changed the
Senatorial districts from eight to sixteen, made
the Senatorial term two years In place Of four,
and dispensed with the freehold qualification
TOR Senator'S. Power was diffused as much as
possible among the people.
The experience of twenty years has exposed
the defects Of the constitution of 1876, and the
judgment Of the State demands radical re-
form of the fundamental law. AS foretold by
the best legal minds in the convention Of that
year, O'Conor, Kirkland, Judge Stowe and
others, an elective judiciary has proved sig
nal failure and great public evil. Il has
been found that Judges who are compelled to
wade through the mire of political caucuses to
secure nomination and to manipulate the
dirty tools of party to ensure an election
seldom carry unstained garments and clean
hands to the bench Men indebted to poll
ticians tor judicial positions cannot easily shake
off the load under which they have placed
themselves. Under the elective system justice
has been practically denied to the people, and
the calendars Of the higher courts have be-
come so crowded and choked up that ten years
would not more than suffice to clear them off,
without the addition Of any new business.
A thorough reform Of the judicial system Of
the State is therefore one of the principal
duties that will devolve upon the approaching
Convention of Revision. We must have judges
appointed by the Governor and Senate for
people. An Office thus held will be worth
preserving the neglect and dilatoriness of
our courts will be succeeded by diligent at
tention to duty; honesty will take the place
of corruption and impartiality of political
favoritism. The judge who does not owe his
election to political wire-workers, grogshop
and ward bullies will dispense
Justice with fearless hands. His time will not
be occupied nor his decisions controlled by
paying on party indebtedness during cneihalf
of his term Of Office and by laboring for re-
election during the other half Public senti-
neht and public safety demand that ths courts
II justice sball be placed shove the level Of
party politics and presided over by fear
less and independent men. Upon this re-
form the people insist, and no convention will
venture to withhold ii. Such Of the present
judges as are found to be honest and capable
should be retained in Office. and receive life
appointments under the new constitution but
the present pernicious system should be root
ed up and swept out OF sight forever
Another question which will come before
The Convention Of little less importance than
the judiciary Is the manner in which New
York city shall in future be governed. At
present the municipality is Mexicanised. It
il divided mp under score or 80 Of independ-
ent chies, all Of whom do business on their
own account and make as much "a they can
out Of the muddle. In one respect we
are worse o6 than the Mexicans; for
we cannot occasionally lead out . lew
Of the leaders into the Park and shoot them
or hang them, and thus get them OF our
hands. Between grogshop rulers, legislative
commissions and municipal rings, the city is
left without any consolidated effective gov
ernment. and the tax list is rolled
up to over twenty millions Of dollars
year. All this must be changed. The
new constitution must leave us no longer
in this condition, prey to official corruption,
with the commerce of the city suffering and
the supremacy OF the State endangered. The
whole people OF New York have an interest
in the metropolis, and in the fundamental law
should be written the system by which il shall
in future be governed. We have already sug-
gesied, and now repeat, the plan Of govern
mant which we believe the best calculated to
remove all existing evils and the most likely
to prove acceptable to the people. A council
OF three mayors elected by the people, the
first three elected to hold office for one, two
and three years, and their SUCCESSORS to be
chosen for three years, would give us an exc
cutive bead responsible directly to the people
and compelled to submit their action TO the
verdict of the ballot box every year. In
these mayors should vest all the cxecu-
tive power, and the whole government
under them should be held within their
own grasp aud control. They should
have the authority to appoint and remove the
heads Of all the subordinate departments, so
that those heads would be directly responsible
to them as they would be to the people. The
Board of Supervisors should be abolished as a
body powerless for everything but evil-an
offensive excrescence on the government To
the two boards OF the Common Council should