The New York herald., 1870-04-10
The New City Appointments-The Ol
Democracy True 60 Its Promises.

Partial effect was given to the new City
Charter yesterday by several highly important
changes among the city officials The high
and mighty powers have carried out the work
so far with excellent judgment and with a due
regard to the city's welfare that cannot be too
highly commended. The chief of all, to whom
in these columns we have ascribed the better
qualities of Mephistopheles and the tact and
Judgment of Bismarck-Peter B. Sweeny-has
resigned his position of City Chamberlain and
accepted the position of chief of the Commits
sion on Public Parks, which is the substitute
for the Central Park Commission-a substi-
tute, however, mainly in name, for it has the
same powers, only extended over all the parks
north of Canal street, and will most probably
retain those members to whom the city is
indebted for the beautiful garden they have
made to bloom on the ancient rocky wastes
of Manhattan.
Peter Bismarck, in resigning his position as
City Chamberlain, has also highly COM
mendable point in view. He comprehends the
needs of the democratic party on national
issues and now that they have control of the
State he intends to take them out of the ruts
that have kept them looking only to petty
State issues, and to perfect their organization
and prepare them for the coming great
national contest. AS City Chamberlain be
elevated our city politics to the high standard
of honesty and patriotism, by his example in
voluntarily giving up the immense proceeds
from the interest on city moneys, which had
hitherto been considered fair perquisites, and
turning them over to the the city treasury;
and he has the ability and honesty to lift the
State democracy to as fair height. In order
to have leisure to do this he resigns the cham
berlaincy, and Mr.. John J. Bradley will
probably succeed him.
AS to the Police Commission, no changes
have actually been made as yet, but two nomi-
nees are spoken Of as successors to Superin-
tendent Kennedy, who, after many years of
honest and faithful service, goes out of Office
fully respected by the men who were compelled
to fear him, and by the men of both parties
who implicitly trusted him while they felt
called upon to condemn some of his crotchets
and mysterious ways" Captain Jourdan is
one of the nominees and the name of the other
is as yet unpublished.
In the matter of the Street Department the
calmly victorious democracy INDUCES in a
little retributive justice-that is, an extremely
mild vent for the harmful malice that might
have been exhibited in full force by a less con-
90 20 mi fnok
justice that is required to fill up the dramatic
exigency Of the situation. The ambitious
Mclean, Of the young democracy, who thought
to crush the giant Tweed by ejecting him from
deputy commissionership in the Street De-
partment, is himself elected and crushed and
the giant Tweed takes the chief place
formerly held by that bold young democrat,
with an extension of his powers by the con-
solidation of the Street Department and the
Croton Aqueduct Board, under the title of the
Department Of Public Works.
The Health Board and the Excise Board are
both about gone by the board. They at
tempted to hold meetings yesterday, but they
turned out to be merely the last expiring
throes that usually foreshadow death. So far,
then, the victorious democracy shows itself
true to it's promises, aud we sincerely hope
they will do as well in the rest of the work
that lies before them. The radicals, who pre-
dicted civil anarchy and misrule and the NAL
contents, who wanted plunder and spoils, and
the honest citizens, who feared the desecration
of our Park, will all be disappointed, and some
of them agreeably, we hope, by these pre-
liminary movements under the new Charter.
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