The New York herald., 1870-02-06
The New City Charter-Restoration of th,
Boon Of Self-GOvernment.

The New City Charter Restoration of tho
Boon Of self-Govsrnnent.
New York, long worthily digniHed with the
title of Empire City-an imperium in im-
perio-will shortly have restored to it all the
rights, privileges, prerogatives and dignities
which properly appertain to it in the way of
municipal government After dark inter-
regnum Of twenty-five years-an interregnum
of usurpation, of misgovernment and Of COM
plete abnegation on the part of the dominant
political party of the chartered and inherent
rights of the citizens-we have once more
dawning on us the promise Of return to the
legitimate rule of the people. 1t is to be
hoped that that promise will have its expected
fulflment, and that the municipal government
will again be vested in the hands of the citi-
zens, to be exercised by them through their
chosen representatives. The proposed new
charter now under consideration in the
lower house Of our State Legislature, and
which may be very appropriately termed ''our
new Magma Charta," will, when it shall have
passed both branches Of the Legislature and
received the assent of the Executive-which it
certainly will receive in due time-provides for
all this. Responsible government in our city
will no longer be thing of the past. The
reign of extravaganza, fraud and ire
sponsibility which has SO long prevailed
will be brought to an end, and order
and good government substituted in their
stead. The experience Of our citizens for
the past twenty-five years has been that of
chartered privileges disregarded and ignored !;
of contemned rights and Of usurped power Of
partial and unjust legislation, looking solely to
the aggrandisement Of person and party at the
expense of the general welfare. During all
this period of anti-democratic misrule the ad-
minstration of our city affairs has been that
of utter incapacity, Of fraud and spoliation
that has no parallel in our history 1t has
been an era of political jobs, of corrupt party
boards and incompetent and costly commits
sions. This is truthful retrospect of the
past quarter of century, during which this
great metropolis, under the rule of Guelph or
Ghibbeline, whig or republican supremacy,
has been deprived Of its chartered rights and
the citizens oppressed under load of most
unwarrantable and excessive taxation.
The turning point has, however, been
reached. The new charter will prove the
great restorative to the body polite, so long
prostrated under republican quack nostrums.
The malignant opposition evinced to it by two
republican sheets and the insdious and treach-
erous attacks Of pseudo democratic city
organ are the best assurances the people could
have presented to them of its certain efficacy.
Under the operations Of this new charter
an end viii be put to the reign OF
violence, lawlessness and terror that
has so long dominated in our midst.
We shall have under the new regime provided
by it an active, capable and efficient police,
regenerated Health and Fire Departments and
other municipal boards. The government of
the city, like that of ancient Rome in the last
days Of the republic, viii be in the hands of a
triumviratc, holding power from and RESPONSE
BILE to the people for the proper discharge OF
their official duties. This body will be COM
posed Of the Mayor Qhe executive head) the
Comptroller and Corporation Counsel-a
simple, consistent and homogeneous plan OF
| municipal government In this triumvirate
we shall have represented the three most
important departments Of the city govern
ment--the Executive, the Financial and the
Judicial-three coordinate branches emanat-
Ing from the people Of the city, just as
our national government in its coordinate
branch is represented through the voice
Of the people Of the whole country. Under
this new order of things we shall need
no Tarpeian rock outside our city limits
to punish any malfeasance in office. The
heads of each OF these departments will be
accountable to the people, and the peoples
ballots viii ever be the surest and simplest