New-York tribune., 1872-12-11

oNN-~--N~~~--F
whole work OF the city must be done.
There quite as much reason Wny S mayor be
President should not be member OF the Navy or any
part in me work OF the boards but to look independ
entity and boldly Their actions not TO do work. put
of omnprcsence and onniscence as to the intemnable
transactions and innumeraee places OF CITY aumhs ,
tration but insist upon honest and efficient results
and expose aud to lead to Justice those who fall below
their duty The Mayor no longer personally super
Isss; and besides, we msst be prepared for Mayors
elected by the popular majority whose knowledge OF
compared with their measureess selfconfdence, their
innumerabe promises OF places. aud their greedy iS
the duty OF the Mayor TO fully and mereilessly
set forth in his message how the ,li., WorK S mas
been done what commissioners have been altnlul anu
TO bring dishonest and inefficient officers ana h9y
methods to nes s sa Mayor needs TO be pro-
teCted from undue pressure by the city party anu oy
villains behind him. The entire servile and mercenary
herd OF city, all the old hacks and all the young dem
agOgues Of the city party can gather IN an hour anu as
hand, and its mercies forever torncn
tempt and threaten the poor Mayor Nor can tne Mayor
his appointment; for we have seen that neither party
policy party principles are recognized orexsl III ey
and the trade in city politics the other side and the
Mayor in their midst and those who pursue tne laer
claim the profits OF transacting the city business III ther
way. 1870,
principles OF civil service reform TO the city than 10
either the National State Administration, decisive as
regard the claims OF that reform in both those quar-
tors Simple absolute discretion in the Mayor to select
and remove officials is the simple absolute party system
present Mayor and the discretion OF Mayor Wool
There is good reason why clerks In the fnance anu
an other departments should not, much as policemen
and fromcn. be raised by rules as to htnesS when ap
pointed and encouraged by rules as to retention whllo
efficient and honest. Let Us, ten have these rules
CIVIL SERVICE RULES IN CITY GOVERNMENT
L. Let 1t be declared be n misdemeanor for any
Mayor or other city official to make any appointment or
removals merely by of political opinions or party
interests OF course whore fair qualifications are not
wanting much sphere party bias would still exist. 1t
may not be possible nicely enforce such rule but,
morally, IL will be great gain when the law rises 10
tnat level sueh RUE VIII % naSG Is TiiecI in on any
appointments 10 be made from those holding opposite
political opinions IL will be great day Tor city reform
when Mayor snail be brought to trial in criminal
court for treating parsanship as the quahcdon OF an
| q Let there be carefully guarded provisions, under
which any of discretion making any appointment
or any removal may he made subject OF summary ex
animation before Judge and lei 1t be required that the
reasons every removal and the recommendations for
every appointment OF clerk shall be pileed ON NE Iii
the proper Office aud be open to the public some days
before the appointment takes elect inc day OF secrecy
IN official action in New-IOrk should be regarded as AT
end. The people have right to know what their ser
have done and are about to doand their reasons
s. Let there be simple provisions, under which every
appointed Off .cr below Commissioner, or Corporation
Counsel Attorney and every regular clerk snail Dt
entering upon hs duties be- to some proper extent
examined to his fitness. Each head of department
could be required to conduct and file such examination,
or there could be Examining Board provided :Or all
.las been your residence and what your occupation
during each year the last five years, and have
been committed for any what crime. been ntOxI
Gated during that timer" am sure that not lew such
scamps have served us would be frightened on and
that u valuable light would be shed upon our Official
F1rbid that the Mayor or any head of department
has sent him charges aud cited him TO appear before
Judge. where the facts shall be summary and ut once
presented aud thereafter considered such facts and
ied with the County Clerk his opinion. stating the
why such facts call for the removal Then let the
removal be made at discretion. Clerks OF lower grades
should be given far hearing before dismissal, aud
should be dismissed only according TO regular method
and TO be stated IN writing and filed. Such
proyi ons IN spirit the same as those now enforced IN
the Fire and Police Departments, would equally cacck
| the encr0achments of city pdrtisanship, raise the
standard OF ability aud character in the service OF the
or course all mere parsons will oppose, they OPP
pose civil service reform IN the wider sphere OF Its ap
s. Let it be provided that only the joint action Of the
(nOt appointed by the State) head OF department,
Corporation Counsel and that their removal must be by
courts. But it should be provided that habtual ineh
cheney or unaithfnness in office should be AN additional
cause removal 70 that now exist, and perhaps
prompt jury tral issues TO be framed should be
dence of all other cases.
There should be more extensive and stringent rules
as 10 certain city officers filing security for the prOtec
| ton OF the city.
The charter of ST. Louis enacted in 1867 went far
as TO require every city officer TO file bonds his good
t should be made the duty of the Mayor Tor Of either
of the Assistant Mayors and the right OF any 10 citizens
acting together, facts coming 10 their knowledge.
| which reasonably lead TO the belief that more
city officials done. about TO do omit what,
speedily made public will be TO the serious public
prejudice to have order from judge for summary
examination into ali facts such abuse. Had such
law existed there would not have been millions secretly
purlOned from the treasury and the people would not
be in ignorance OF the man acs az tne END OF TWO years
the robbery The English Municipal Corporations
OF 1896 contains equivalent provisions so far as the
| City Treasury is concerned; and l put clause
like the the Fire Department bil in 1865, and
in view OF the facts that while such fearful sums have
been sQuandered under the Park COMMISSIONERS while
1 niPaPV md Vel yer
part OF the City Government such abuses
perpetuaed either the Health the Fire Department
we may fair inference the effect of such
provisions They likely, Think be opposed only by
those paTtlsans and mercenares who denOunce doc
trinaire and useless whatever makes party scheming
and personal rascaty somewhat too dangerous l ven
ture say that the fear OF such exposures is greater
coercion for honesty and vigor than the moral tone Of
any city party, the fear of Mayor, 1om Mayor
| Wood down TO the present Mayor.
The application Of rules will afford public opin
iOn and public press as Its Organ opportunity
what going in official circles. Mayors can say to
their greedy followers, There other rules by which
| must be guided, beside my wish obhge you :" and
that OF official responsibility in grade of the
city service which disposed 70 appeal from the
and the Ring to justice and to puolic sentiment VIII
You perceive that the general scheme is that the
the COMMISSIONERS and the Commissioners their subor
diDates and that, while neither remove until the
Justice OF hearing has been accorded and the people
have been given the opportunity OF learning the cause
thereafter discretion is given TO the executive officer
And now come TO a SUGGESTION which some will
brand doctrinaire, and some as savorng Of that
| ecutlye disintegration, which oppose.
present IL not much as being in general theory
sound but provision made necessary by our own
| peculiar municipal condition. i propose that at the
Mayoraty election each elector may vote ballot with
single name and that the three candidates which shall
receive the highest uumOer OF votes shall be declared
elected the highest Mayor, and the Others First
and Second Assistant Mayors; or, 10 save any con
stltutlOnal question: that the existing Mayor shall at
appoint the Who have the next greatest number
OF votes be First and Second Assistant Mayors. An
unheard OF, many headed, impracticabe Mayoralty,
imagine you saying But has not London for centuries
had two sheriHsl Did not Sparta and Rome flourish,
the with two Kings, the other with two Consui Is
the executive department OF our sister republic