The New York herald., 1870-03-31
The Charter at AIbnny-Mysterious Disap'
pearance OF tho Young Democracy.

The latest proposed Charter for this city
passed the Assembly yesterday by vote Of
one hundred and sixteen against five. This
startling close to the campaign Of the jack
knife democracy will give the people just
and ridiculous notion Of the strength Of that
party. The Charter that received this over
whelming vote is the one that was called
''Tweed's Charter" by the copperhead organ,
and by the representatives generally of the
ter introduced at the present session Of the
Legislature. Upon its first appearance 1t was
called Frear's Charter, because introduced by
the member of that name. Some changes
have been made in it. Some of the depart
ments provided for in the original bill have
been stricken out of the present one-as the
departments of Excise and of Education. Many
points of detail, the impolicy and evil Of which
have been indicated by the fair criticisms of
the people and the press, have been mod-
fed; but in Its excellent conception of
the unity Of q municipal government the
bill is substantially the same. As 1t
stands this bill provides for the election
of Board of fifteen Aldermen on general
ticket; gives a vigorous head to the city gov
ernment by making the Mayor an effective
and responsible executive, with great range
of power; localizes in this city all authority
over city affairs by making the commissions
municipal departments, and lays some whole
some restrictions upon the expenditure Of pub
lie money
In these points are the outline of sound
law, fitted to simplify and organize in an
efficient government machinery the good ele-
ments of our present system, and cutting away
the superauities and inconsistencies that made
the sy stem chaotic and incomprehensble to
the people and thus favored corruption and
the peculation of experts As law likely to
give order to our government, to improve the
character of the men entrusted with authority
and to fix the responsibility for abuses, we
believe this Charter will be entirely satisfac-
tory to the intelligent, orderly, upright masses
of the people and Objectionable only to those
who hate good laws for the most sinister rea-
sons. We suppose, indeed, that the republicans
in the Legislature voted for 1t so generally and
so freely because it bore this character on its
Charter had ''points Of decided superiority to
our present wretched anarchy" Indeed, the
republicans had become the responsible party
in the session through the antics of q faction of
the worst class of democratic ''strikers."
Because there was knot of members from the
city who merely wanted what they could
make and did not care feather for duty or
for party, the value Of the democratic majo-
rity was thrown away and the republicans
were masters of the situation. They might
not in this position have initiated any good
measure for city government. The circum-
stances, they may have argued did not call
for that; but when measure of that character
was laid before them they did not dare take
the responsibility Of defeating it, City mis-
government is now burden and an oppression |
to all, without regard to party, and city con-
and State constituencies, too,
would have watched pretty closely the repub-
Iican members who permitted factious spirit
TO deprive us of a chance for Improvement.
AS to the so-called ''young democracy
he jackknife democracy never was
before such caving in of grand pretensions
Is it's career exhibits. The story of the bull
rog who wanted to be a bull, and burst himself |
n the effort to alarm the fields with his roar,
scarcely does justice to the comical dispropor-
Listening little to the noise made by these |
ellows one would suppose that annihilation |
would be only small part Of the consequence
If indulging any difference of opinion with
hem. Their rhodomontade reminded us
If something that was very common
n the conduct of the Confederates
Turing the war. Whenever Union
general thrashed them well they crowed with
happy exutation. If he left them hardly a
breath in their bodies they managed somehow
with that little to crow even louder still. In
act, the worse they were whipped the louder,
aoisier, grander were their Civilizations on all
occasions. So our jackknife democracy were
ubilant when they were crushed out in the
Assembly last Tuesday. There never was
such victory as they seemed to have won
when shut out of Tammany Hall on Monday
night. And finally, at the last trial in the
Assembly, what is there Of them? Nothing
absolutely nothing They stink out Of sight
They hide themselves under the convenient
cover of affirmative votes They deny their ex-
istence. Their opposition is represented by the
votes of five members whose fealty no party
will be eager to claim. Are these five the
whole jackknife party? Or was there no
party at all-only noise?
The COUNTRY DEMOCRATS seem to be s.ust
the cheese" after oil. They all did so well it
is hard to say who is head cheese among