The New York herald., 1870-06-07
Tho Duty and Opportunity Of Our New
Cfty AuthOrities.

The new Boards OF Aldermen ana Assls-
tant Aldermen convened yesterday, and
Mayor Hall himself administered the oath
to the members. In his message, sent
soon after the organization, the Mayor takes
occasion to remind the Aldermen of the
change in their powers by the new Charter,
and he strongly urges them to remember that
il is now easy enough for determined
minority in either Board to defeat illegal or
unjust legislation. The Mayor has not felt
called upon thus early to recommend any
special legislation, but he has done even better
in thus warning the Aldermen that they must
be more law-abiding body than they have
been heretofore.
The trouble with some men, and sometimes
with political parties, is that they have no OPP
portunity to distinguish and make themselves
popular. This cannot be said, however, of
the prominent men now in authority in this
city. No men ever had finer opportunity to
make themselves both popular at present and
famous in the future. Nor do they want the
power and means. If they have the ambi-
ton, taste, and interests of the city at
heart they can lay such solid foundation Of
improvements as will make this great metro
polls the pride of the country and admiration
of the world. 1t remains with Mayor Hall, W.
NJ. Tweed, P. B. Sweeny, r. b. Connolly
and a few others, who are the controlling men,
to say what New York shall be in this respect,
and the people will hold them responsible.
New York is the third city in the civilized
world in population and the first in CONNER
cial Importance. The time is not far off when
it will be first in everything. 1t will be the
metropolis and centre of the world. This
fact should be impressed upon the minds Of
those now controlling the affairs of the city,
and they should prepare for its grand destiny.
Something has been done to that end
already in our magnificent Park; but in
many other respects the city is in a rude, un'
finished state. improvements have not kept
pace with its growth, wealth, importance and
the wants of the community. Our river front
on each side of the island is q disgrace. The
dtion of the piers, wharves and slips would be
discreditable to a small fishing port, and are
positively disgraceful to this great commercial
emporium. Then we are entirely behind the
age in the matter of conveyance for the
people from one part of the island to the
other. Men and even delicate women are
compelled to stand jammed up for miles in the
street cars, breathing the bad atmos-
phere in such narrow and crowded
space, and even then it takes two or
three hours day by these slow vehicles to
go from and return to the upper part Of the
city. We need locomotion by steam power,
and this on an elevated, solid road, built on
arches and over the streets, for four tracks or
other Such road, or several of them if needed,
could be made ornamental to the city, as well
as giving that convenience for travel which
our citizens must have.
Our filthy markets should be swept away
and handsome structures in convenient locali-
ties erected in their places Wide avenues
should be cut through to relieve the pressure
of carts, trucks, carriages and other vehicles
in the lower parts of the city. Instead of the
wretched pavements we have now in most Of
the streets, tearing horses and vehicles to
pieces and shaking the life out of people, we
ought to have smooth and enduring ones.
Instead of trying all sorts of experiments with
pavements that have no mechanical or scientific
principle in them, and that only keep tearing
up the streets for the benefit of spectators
and at enormous cost to the city treasury, there
should be general system of paving, and the
best known, all of which can be determined
by men of science and actual experience.
We ought to have, too, in addition to the
steam railroads spoken Of, lines of convenient
and handsome steamboats, plying at all hours
of the day along the shores of the North and
East rivers and landing passengers at different
points There ought to be also such a
thorough system of drainage as would keep
New York constantly clean and healthy.
Nature has done everything to this end; for
the city is on narrow tongue of land, with a
slope to the rivers on each side. All that is
wanted is resolution, science and means to
accomplish this most desirable object These
can easily be found if our city authorities will
turn their attention to the matter. There are
other improvements that can be made and
some that time will develop the necessity of;
but in these mentioned there is broad field
for our new city rulers to work upon. As the
old saying goes, "a new broom sweeps clean,
and the city authorities have both promised
well and begun very well; but we want some
thing more than music in a few squares or in
the Park few nights in the week. We want
grand, substantial and beautiful improvements
that will make New York the pride of its
citizens and the admiration Of the world.
Affairs in Mexico.
The news we publish this morning from
Mexico tells the old story of waning and