The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-08-25
City Reform and tho State Constitutional
Convention.

Convention.
The subject of the government of New York
city has been discussed before Tie Committee
of the Constitutional Convention, several OF
the New York delegation presenting their views
as to the best method Of securing the reform
which all admit to be needed. The IDEAS of
some Of these gentlemen are of a curious char
acter One Of them is unwilling that the gov
ernment of the city Of New York should be
severed from legislative control If his
character were not above suspicion be might
be supposed to be the retained agent of the
lobby, Senators and Assemblymen, who have
worked the New York municipal placer in
Albany with such good profit for the past
eight or ten years. All that this legislative
control has,given us up TO the present time lie
broken up. irresponsible government, at q
cost of nearly twenty seven million dollars q
year, with tax list reaching twenty-two mil
lions. Session sfter session bills have been
introduced for no other purpose than to COM
pei the heads Of departments under the city
Corporation to &c up to Albany with hundreds
Of thousands of dollars of the peoples money
in order to defeat them. Legislative con-
troll" is the capital Of dishonest representatives
and lobby sharks, and the root of the worst
evils in our city government
Another finds remedy for all existing evils
in combining municipal suffrage to the tax
payers, because the government of q city
simply concerns protection of life and pro-
perry" But the protection Of life Is a. much
the concern Of the poor man AZ Of the property
owner, and the principle, II applied at all,
should be fairly carried out. A stout
niger, before the rebellion, was worth
one thousand dollars A white laborer
must be worth at least as much.
If we take one thousand dollars as the quali1-
cation for a vote, we should allow every man,
if he has not got dollar in his pocket, one
vote for his own value and an additional vote
for every thousand dollars he is worth. While
the income tax continues this might be q de-
sirable method OF increasing the national
revenue.
The fact is, there IL very simple mode Of
securing good municipal government The
whole executive power should be concentrated
in the chief officer of the city-the Mayor-and,
either by holding his appointment from the
Governor or by an annual election at the
hands Of the people, that officer should be
made directly and Immediately responsible for
the proper discharge Of his duties. All execu-
tive power should be taken from the Common
Council, which should be clothed only with
such legislative power as properly pertains to
the internal management of a city. The prin-
cipal officer in every subordinate department
shoulA hold his appointment from the Mayor,
should have entire control over his own branch
of the government, and be held responsible for
its proper management. With such u system
as this we should have an efficient, honest and
economical government, with direct RESPONSE
bility on the part Of the Mayor to the people
and direct responsibility on the part of every
other officer to the Mayor
We have no hope that the Constitutional
Convention will give us this or any other de-
sirable and statesmanlike reform. They have
made o complete middle OF the work intrusted
to their hands, and after their long and expen-
sive labor they will only bring forth an I'M
Ineligible mass Of tinkered rubbish which
will be at once rejected by the people.