The New York herald., 1870-03-12


and Ready and silk Stocking Dems-
cracy and What They Have Done.
Our City Charter farce at Albany Is becom-
ing exceedingly rich. As new version OF
''The Devils Auction" 1t beats the original
play and the ''Black Crook" "Humpty
Dumpty" and 'sThe Twelve Temptations" all
rolled into one. Its rings, in their hedgings,
lodgings and doublings, eclipse the rings Of
Wall street, and its lame ducks promise to be
more numerous than those Of CorbiD, Fisk
and Gould's Black Friday. What the grand
closing transformation scene is to be no tongue
can tell but, from what has been done so far,
the rough and ready boys of ''the fierce de-
mocracie" win I'LL the browning tableau and
luxuriate in the spoils as they have never done
to this day.
The first City Charter reported by Mr.. Frear
was the apple Of discord. 1t rallied the
so-called young democracy of tho city
and all the ''outside barbarians" against
it as joint stock consolidation scheme
Of the Tammany Wigwam. These out
siders, brandishing the hatchet, raised the
war whoop, and we were threatened the
bloody conflict of the Jacobins against the
Girondists. Then there was an armistice, and
q powwow, numerous powwows Of the fight
ing factions, and show Of treaty OF peace,
in the fair division Of the plunder. Mean
time Citizen Harry Genet, who has the nose OF
Wellington and the chin Of Napoleon, and
St. Michael and the doubling Thomas of the
young democracy, and even the rough and
ready boys, were charmed by the silvery voice
ofSammy Tilden, chief organ grinder ofthe silk
stocking troupe, who consented to try his skill
on the Charter. His bill next makes its appear
ance, and it is lovely to behold. Itprovides for
supplanting the big Indians Of Tammany, and
then exaIting the silk stocking dilettant to their
places, and for various pretty little retrench-
ments and reforms as sops to the taxpayers;
but it does not satisfy the hard-fsted, the rough
and ready boys, who run the primaries and
roll up our astounding city democratic majori-
ties.
The Committee on Cities Of the Assembly
next take the matter of this Charter, in
spjred by our darling boy Sammy, in
hand, and bring Tammany again into the
foreground in agreeing to report that the
President of the Board of Coroners, whether
butcher, baker or candlestick MAKER" shall
be member of the Board Of Health; that two
members Of the Board of Underwriters shall
not be Fire Commissioners; that the officers Of
the present Fire Department must walk the
plank; that bureau for the inspection of
food, meats, milk, and other little luxurious
delicacies, shall be established, the chief of
which shall be practical butcher. Shall we
be ''meek and gentle with these butchers?"
The City Chamberlain shall not be docked
of his commissions on moneys received into
the city or county treasury, and men,
bers Of the Legislature shall not be pro-
hibited from holding more than one office.
These are proposed as amendments to the Nor
ton or Sammy Tilden Charter, and they are
equivalent to the reopening of the war by the
old ring against all the new rings committed
to the silk stocking programme Of Sammy
Tilden.
There is here no appearance Of o compro-
mise among the wrangling factions con-
cerned, and but little promise of a
new City Charter of any sort. Citizen
Genet and Jupiter Norton, with the repub-
licans intact, hold the balance of power in the
Senate. They have shown their hands,
through little Sammy Tilden, in favor Of GER
tain reforms. They cannot safely back out,
khorof uhofo Tho ind nopfo off
But will they risk it /? This Is just the point
where the shoe pinches. These two Senators
have made bid for popular support in GER
tain proposed retrenchments and reforms; but
we know all the time that this is green cheese
and moonshine. The fight is for the spoils Of
this city, and not against the declared enor-
mites of the original Frear Charter. That
would have done very well for a beginning,
and was better than anything the city is now
likely to get from this cut up Legislature.
We care nothing for this faction, that fac
tion or the other of the wrangling democracy.
We have only to say that between the old ring
and the new rings, including the silk stocking
troupe, the young democracy and the rough
duu I0ouJ Ooyo, 0uA VuO nay AoAV 0Hu SuoUcC
press" democrats of the rural districts, all
this democratic fat involved in q new
City Charter will probably be thrown into
the fire. The prospect in the event Of
the passage of new bill is not that it will be
q better bill in behalf Of law and order, and
retrenchment and reform, than the original
Frear bill, but something much worse that
the rough and ready boys will be given the
team and the right to use that darling Sammy
as ''tiger" behind the coach, so that If their
reign be short, it will be a merry one, to the
confusion Of the silk stocking gentry and the
general Generalization of the democratic party.
After struggle of twenty odd years for the
possession Of the State they have it-Legisla-
ture, Governor and Judiciary. The people
Of this city, through mixed and irresponsi-
BILE local government, are overtaxed, plundered