New-York tribune., 1871-11-17
MUNICIPAL REFORM.

Every city ought to have voluntary asSo-
citation of its public-spirited and intelligent
voters devoted to the achievement and per-
petuation of efficiency and economy in its
municipal administration. The largest number
attainable should be enrolled in its ranks but
any one who should become municipal Office
holder or candidate should thereby vacate his
membership. This association should be
sternly nOn-partisan, but should freely and
sharply criticise municipal doings regardless of
party. Whenever o new Office is created, a salary
increased, or anything done which involves
an increase of municipal expenditure, the asso-
citation should be called to assemble, inquire,
consider, and Gf the enhancement OF expense
be found unnecessary remonstrate. 1t the re-
mOnstrahce pass unheeded, an appeal should
be taken to the constituency in the next NUM-
cipal election, and o verdict thereon solicited.
And every scheme of ostensible improvement
-bOulevards, parks, water, gas, or whatever it
may be-shOuld be at once taken up by the
Association, referred to a Committee, and
therein subjected to a rigid scrutiny, with re-
gard not only to its utility but to its necessary
cost as well. When that Committee raports,
let the Association take such action as will
compel attention and appall rapacity.
-" All this involves labor and pains-taking,
(" for which there is no immediate, no palpable
recompense."
Certainly it does. Such an Association ought
to hold about one meeting per month, for nine
or ten months of each year. Its most active,
efficient members, appointed to serve on work
ing committees, might be required 20 give TO
their duties fifty or sixty hours per annum.
Is this too much to pay for really good and
reasonably cheap municipal rulef You may
obtain q cheaper article if you insist on it,
but it will not be worth its paltry cost. You
cannot have the kind of government you pro-
fess to want for nothing. Even your Asso-
citation, if deserted by the greater number of
taxpayers, will soon degenerate into a steal
ing "ring," run by its knaves beguiling and
hoodwinking its fools.
Every business man knows by experience
that the masters eye is indispensable to con-
tinued prosperity. A manufactOry, railroad,
that is run without competent and vigilant
supervision, runs straight to destruction. Why
should you expect the opposite from NUM-
cipalityf Fill every post with an able, trusty
man to-day, and leave the machine to run
without supervision soon, one drops out, and
is replaced by a self-seeket; then another and
and another; until you have a crowd In Office
who would steal the cents off negro pau
per's eyes as he lay awaiting burial in a rough
pine coffin.
These truths must be dinned into the public
ear till they have made their due impression
on the general mind. A republican government
wherein the Offce-holders reSleet themselves
and choose their cronies to all any casual
vacancies IN their ranks, is the nieanest and
most profigate Of despotisms. A ling for Life
does not embezzle or peculate, because his
future seems secure . demagogue in power
Tor q year or two must begin to steal at once,
In order to buy reelection or provide nest
egg in case he shall be superseded And 1t
matters not whether the rule Of sordid knaves
be perpetuated by packing primaries or BY
stufiing ballot boxes.