The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-21

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The reports made to Mayor Hall by the
heads OF the various city departments three or
four days ago. and by him submitted to the
Common Council accompanied by concise
summary of the municipal business Of the
last fiscal year, have served to awaken new
interest in our local election. which takes
place at the general election ON the
9Th Of next November. One reason for
this is, that while the city govern
ment appears now to be satisfactorily admin
istered, and while we are recovering rapidly
from the evil effects of misrule although our
debt and rate of taxation are still
kept up to high figure through the
legacies it has left us, there is
still an evident need of reform in
one important direction. If some honest old
Rip Van Wrinkle had fallen asleep quarter of
century ago, in the days when publ men
had great deal of integrity and very little en-
terprise, and had suddenly awakened while the
municipal rings composed Of the now de-
parted Tweeds Connollys, Garveys Ingersolls
and Watsons were in the full tide of their
power, he would no doubt, have been amazed
to bewilderment by the corruptions of these
remarkable conspirators and the suffering
people would have been glad to avail them
selves of his simple old-fashioned honesty,
to protect them against the modern
plunderers. But they would scarcely
have been willing that, in addition to guard
ing their pockets from dishonest fingers, he
should set to work to Danish all the railroads
and steamboats, from the city in order to save
the expense of coal; to plough up the Central
Park for the sake OF stopping the expenditure
for it's maintenance; to fill up the slips on
both rivers to avoid the cost of keeping the
docks in repair, and to turn all the policemen
adrift for the purpose of economizing the
amount of their pay. When it appears
that reform is COMPOUNDED with retrogresson,
and that economy is interpreted to mean the
Reputation of all wise and profitable improve
ment, it is time that the people should look
about them for rulers who are practical, en-
terprising unprejudiced and progressive, rs
well ms strictly honest. prudent and trust
worthy.
! New York is yet young city. Within the
memory of many of her present citizens
Blocker street was ''up town. and A. L.
Stewart would no sooner have thought of build
ing n retail dry goods store on Tenth street
for New York custom than he would now think
of building one on the other side of Spuyten
Duyvl Creek Only thirty years ago the popu-
lation of the city was three hundred and
twelve thousand, while to-day, including those
citizens who do business in New York but are
driven to find residences i'll Brooklyn, West
chester New Jersey through the lack of
railroad facilities on the island, it il about one
million and half This tremendous increase
has come to u.s. We may say, almost without
an effort of our own; for New York is notori-
ously behind European cities in those great
works of improv ement that attract large
population. while her peculiar conformation
renders many of them especially necessity.
Our growth in the future will be yet more
| astonishing than it has been in the past, pro-
vided we display that intelligence, iberality
and public spirit now absolutely needed to
! foster orr progress The construction of rail-
roads all over the American Continent, from
the shores of the Pacific to our own
magnificent harbor, will soon make New
York the centre of the commercial
world; but must provide commerce
with docks, wharves and warehouses, andwith
facilities for handling, moving and shipping
freight. The disturbances of political insiitu-
tons in the Old World and the enlightenment
electricity will steadily swell the tide of emf
grafton TO the United States The increasing
wealth of new and extensive country, en-
riched by every additional human being placed
on its soil will attract Investments from the
Old World more and more year after year.
and with investments will come add-
tional thousands to the metropolis of the
Union. But we shall have to find homes for
our people and to provide them with means of
reaching those homes. In order to do that we
shall be compelled To build railroads into West
chester county where space, health and beauty
are at our command, so as TO bring the resi-
dences of two or three million souls within half
an hours ride of the Battery. As our population
and our wealth increase, and our buildings
spring mp as far beyond our present limits as
within forty years they have sprung up be-
yond the limits of 1885, shall require n
constantly increasing protection to life and
property To this end we need Mt once
material addition to our present inadequate
police force, for nothing seriously impedes
the progress Of city as the knowledge that it
has An insufficient police. As we gain in
population, our army of scholars in the public
schools will grow in proportion. We must
supply these children with schoolhouses in
good repair, properly warmed. and not
afford them excuse to grow up in ignorance
by denying them proper accommodation and