The New York herald., 1870-03-26
Tho Albany oaarrsi-rse s~ash Up aad

victory is lost to the people Of this democratic
city. Since the State was carried by the de-
mocracy in the fall the people have counted
confidently that they would now at least have
the government Of the city given into their
own hands; and this to the mass of the
people here seemed the one grand conse-
quence of the victory in the State. At once
they expected to be freed from those com
missions that have been contrived by republi-
can ingenuity to defreud the people of the
right of self-government. One great griev-
ance was, that In country where all govern
ment stands upon the theory of popular
sovereignty, this city alone was despotism,
with Its whole government machinery ad-
ministered by persons in whose selection and
appointments the people themselves have no
voice. Our city is governed on plan which
assumes that democracy is delusion, aud
comedies that universal suffrage is failure;
and this assumption in regard to this city and
its people Is made by the party which declares
that the country will not be safe till
every nigger has vote. Republican
legislators at Albany dared not go so
far as to appoint q Mayor and Aldermen
for the city; but while they left the choice
of these officers to the people they took
away all the powers Of the Offices. They ap-
pointed men to perform the duties that pro-
perly belonged to the Mayor, and parcelied
out the duties of the Aldermen among others;
and thus, while the people went through the
form of an election every year, it was farce,
for the men elected were dummies only.
Their legitimate powers were transferred to
men appointed at Albany. Against this rob-
berry the people have protested for years, and
for the correction of this evil they relied with
implicit confidence upon the democratic Legis-
lature. But their confidence is betrayed;
their hope comes to naught; and, with demo-
cratic Legislature in session, and dmocratc
Governor ready to sign any good law to do
justice to this city, the people are as far off
as ever from a remedy for the evils they
endure.
Who is reponsiblefor this before the peo-
pie? What is the cause of fact so fitted to
excite bitter spirit in the community? The
origin of all this difficulty is in the pitiful
spirit, the mean motives and the poor brains
of the men who have endeavored to take
the reins up at Albany. They alone are to
blame for the miscarriage of the popular
hope. Our city politics, it would seem,
trains no men in political science, gives no in
sight Of the philosophy of government, and,
what is worse, invites to the arena marvellously
few men OF education or commanding talent.
In fact the political science of the men who
essay to govern US is the science Of arithmetic
done on the fingers of the left hand. 1t con-
sists in counting up how many Offices man
may hold and how many thousand dollars he
may get for each. Beyond this it is all a game
of low, cheating cunning, in which the grand
object of victory is to secure to this or that
man in the strife fat contract or equivalent
excuse for plundering the public treasury. In
fact, it is almost as il there were Meme sis in
the condition to which the once great demo-
cratic party is brought. Once it was
party that produced great men and sup
piled the political arena with brains. Its
leaders were men with sense of public
virtue and party pride; but they did
not sufficiently repress the stealing pro-
pensities of the underlings, and now the un-
derlings are the party. 1t is made up for this
latitude of men who SEQ no other reason
to rejoice in success than money reason.
Our so-called ''young democracy" went to
Albany, not rejoicing in the opportunity to
free the city from the domination of the repub-
lcan commissions not resolute to give the
city new government, soundly based on
democratic principles no-all that is ''senti-
ment" and ''moonshine' to them. They went
ready to leave the government stand exactly
as it is, preserving all the bad, abusive, anti
democratic points in the system, if they could
only substitute their own men for the republi-
cans intrenched in profitable places. They
went only with the feeling Of "strikers," reso-
lutte to force division Of plunder from the
men in power That was their only idea of
the fruits of democratic triumph.
Not only is the city likely to lose entirely
government through this spoils warfare Of
pitiful leaders, but also the promise for the
party with which the future seemed bright is
completely swept away. There can be no
national future for the democracy, while
in this State, the one grand field
of it's success, it is in the hands of leaders
so contemplate in intellect that they have
actually driven into alliance with the opposi-
ton enough Of their own votes to destroy their
own measures. Not only have the democratic
leaders here broken their majority to frag-
ments, but, with the dislike that mean minds
ever feel for stronger ones, they have driven
from their councils the only man capable to ad-
wise them in any emergency that goes beyond
the spoils arithmetic. AS the result of all this
pitiful quarrel of the city spoilsmen the demo-
cratic power in the State threatens to crumble
away; for they have not even the conception
of compromise or conciliation in them, and,
therefore will make no peace So the State