The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-06

speak that the World is now AZ utterly the
spaniel of the imperial ring as Paul de- Cas-
sagnac's paper was of Louis Napoleon The
four persons whom we have mentioned are
tn eauthors of the present city charter, which
was passed last spring by the Democratic
LegislatuTe-many Republicans voting for
it because of a registry law which Mr.. Tweed
permitted to pass for the purpose of pro-
curing an appearance Of unanimous support
for his charter, and which he now intends to
repeal.
The charter vests the executive power in
the Mayor and the heads of departments
The Mayor is elected Tor two years; aud the
system by which Tammany controls what are
called elections is notorious The Controller
is elected every four years. The heads aud
commissioners of departments are appointed
by the Mayor to serve from four to eight
years The charter was passed, and took
effect Immediately. The Mayor was Mr..
hall, and be instantly appointed Mr.. Tweed
Commissioner of Public Works and Mr.
SveeDy the head of the Department of
Parks In November Mr.. Connolly was
elected Controller under the auspices
of Tsmmany Hail. Thus these four
persons, known as the Ring, and who by
familiar means nominate and elect their
agents to the Legislature, and fll all minor
offices with their adherents, were placed by
the charter which they had prepared. and
WHICH lnS party unuer tn6r control naQ
passed, in the chief executive positions in the
city. Their official terms are four years,
except that of Mr.. Sweeny, which is five
years, and that of Mr.. Hall, which is two.
They will continue to hold the Offices at their
pleasure. So efficient is the political ma
chinery of Tammany Hall, and so we'll ad-
iustcd is it to Democratic voters, that no man
whom the imperial ring does not nominate
will be elected Mayor, and it will nominate
no one of whose obedience it is not sure.
The next step is now to be taken in the
formal subversion of the popular system.
The imperial ring has introduced a bill in
the Legislature which constitutes the Mayor
mr. Hall), the Controller (Mr. Connolly,
the Commissioner of Public Works (Mr.
Tweed) and the President of the Department
of Parks (Mr. Sweeny) a Board of Apportion-
ment, which, after providing for the interest
of the city debt, and for the city S proportion
of the State tax, shall appropriate at its
pleasure all the money that is raised by taxa
tion il the city. To make this extraordinary
grant Of power more acceptable, it is decreed
that the amount raised in 1871 and 1872 shall
not exceed a sum equal to two per cent of
the valuation already fixed for this year by the
Commissioners of Taxes and Assessments.
And it is further provided that no bonds
and stocks of the city or county, except
those already authorized, shall be issued
thereafter except Dy JQlS DOdrG. DuL IL is Dy
their will alone that the rate of taxation is
limited for two years to two per cent. of the
present valuation. 1t will rest with them
alone to determine what the rate shall be
after the two years are ended, or TO amend
their law next year by striking out the limi-
tation for 1872, and leaving the valuation
wholly at their pleasure.
Meanwhile to divert public attention from
this practical Imperialism which the Demo-
tu hoe tb11c established toto
the policy of Louis Napoleon, who initiated
the Roman despots, in anusing the people
with games and public displays while they
destroyed liberty. Thus there is a show of
care about the public grounds, aud of anxiety
to complete the system of water supplies.
There is an ostentation of charity to the poor.
But while every man is glad that suffering is
relieved he shrugs his shoulders when he
| is asked if the money that relieved it was
honestly gotten. While this is the outer
show, the secret aim of the imperial
ring is to dishearten opposition by showing
its hopelessness, and to terrify capital by
relentless exercise of the mastery of property
| which the law bestows. 1t bribes to silence
where it can, but it spares no blow, open or
| secret, to cripple those whom it fears, and
the terrorism is deepened by the public
knowledge that certain judges upon the
| bench are the supple tools of this enormous
conscious that he is deprived of the last
remedy of injustice.
Thus the result of the ascendency of the
| Democratic party in New York is the destruc-
tion of popular government in the CITY, as it
| would have been in the country at large if the
| people of the United States had not chosen
war as the least fearful alternative. Nor is
this surprising. The Democratic party in its
long national ascendency was steadily hostile
| tO the fundamental OrinninlaS of q free oov-
erdment 1t was vast conspiracy to make
slavery the fundamental law of the republic
That purpose required absolute national
Generalization, and the great effort OF
the party was to produce it, A
clear perception of the true spirit
and principle of free popular government
was fatal to Democratic dominance, and
therefore the party ruthlessly sought to OBJ
soure it. In the city of New York the party
has never lost its supremacy. The men who
guide it to-day are politicians bred either in
total ignorance or in utter contempt of Anne
rican principles. They are brought in con
slant contact with the most ignorant anC
venal men; and without faith in individual
honor, with the sincerest persuasion tina
money and fear are the master-keys of poll
tics, they distrust mere honesty as hypocrisy
and undoubtedly despise ''the people" anC
their representatives as heartily as Rober
Walpole.
Any Democratic protest against this impe
rial power, whether from the mere adVen
turers of the party, like the W0TId, or from
honest men who cherish the vain illusion tina
they can control it, is swept away like lea
upon Niagara. To-day the protestants o
last spring are, either like the World, kissing
the imperial feet, or, like those honest men
lending the prestige of their names and tn
weight of their votes to schemers whom the