The New York herald., 1872-11-10

increasing from year to year, demands the
facilities for rapid intercommunication which
cannot be secured without the expenditure of
millions of money. Enlarged accommoda-
tions for our shipping, broader highways on
our river fronts, new street openings from tne
business heart of the city to the water an
elevated railway line on each side OF the ci'y
from end to end Of tho island. with Trains
departing from each end eraiy half hour. ana
making the trip com the Battery to Harlem
and MapLattanville in fifteen minutes, the
abatsment of all such inconvenient public
nuisances as the Washington Market, and so
on, and so forth, are among the most impor-
tant measures of reform now called for by the
city. The mere saving of the public money
will be penny y-wise-pound-foolish policy OF
reform if these much-needed reforms are
neglected
If Mr. Havemeyer is a reformer of the pro-
gressive and not of the standstill school.
then the best system of honest municipal
reform we could have would be secured by
making him the responsible executive head Of
our city government, as the President is the
responsible head of our national government.
We want our city departments subject to
the Mayor as the departments at Washington
are subject to the President. Until we have
this fundamental reform we can do nothing in
our city expenditures without the risk OF rings
and jobs of plundering spoilsmen. The sub
ject is of the highest importance to the city,
State and country; and in the interval to the
1st Of January we trust that our Governor
elect General Dix, and our Mayor elect, Mr..
Havemeyer, will, in their recommendations, be
able to agree upon some scheme of city reform
in which progress, retrenchment and RESPONSE
bility will be combined Their suggestions
would at least be q good set-off against the
more selfish and personal schemes Of the new
republican Ring, which, having elected them,
will no doubt seek to control their official
action. Indeed, the danger is that Mr. Have
meyer will be snubbed by the politicians in
the political reconstruction of the city govern
ment Just as, according to Mr.. Ottendorfer,
he was cheated in the election, although inef-
fectually, by the same powers. Already
rumors are afoat that the new Ring will
attempt to get rid of Mr.. Green from the
Comptr ollership through raising an objec-
tion in the name of s'Reform' to his occu-
pancy of that Office and the Park Commission
ership at the same time. The belief is
that in his devotion to his first
love-the Park-Mr. Green will be willing
to abandon the financial Office. It is also said
that the Legislature will be called upon to fill
the COMPREHENSIVE and the several depart
ments by direct appointment in the charter
amendments, instead Of leaving the selections
to Mayor Havemeyer. If there is any truth in
these reports Mr.. Ottendorfer and the other
disappointed members of the Committee Of
Seventy will have good cause for fault finding.
But as we have said, the people of New York
will pay little heed to the squabbles of the
allies over the distribution Of the spoils, and
will care nothing at all who may be slaughtered
or who rewarded. All they ask of the new
republican municipal Ring is that in turning
out democrats and tabooing Irishmen they
| will fill their places with live, energetic
and fair republicans who will not suffer
the progress of the city to be delayed, and
who will be little more conscientious than
were Tweed and his associates in the palmy
days Of the old Tammany Ring. If the re-
publican political managers will satisfy the
popular expectation in these respects they may
slaughter democrats, prescribe Irishmen and
snub the Committee of Seventy to their hearts
content. The people are tired of seeing the
city government made the football of politi-
cal hucksters, and if ''Boss" Murphy will be
as energetic and more honest than "Boss'
Tweed in his management Of the city affairs
and Of the public improvements they will not
object to seeing the whole power pass into his
hands and remain there for ten years to come.
| The War In Cuba-The Machete as q
Lethal Weapon-A Correction.
In reference to the account of the battle OF
Viamones, published in the HERALD Of Friday,
we find the following among the minor edito
rails Of our able contemporary, the Sun
The statement Of Mr.. Boyd Henderson, the
HERALD commissioner in Cuha to the effect that ht
mad counted f0rty-three c0rpses OF Cubans killed
on battle field by the naachete, has caused muct
| amusement among Cuban officers and others here
| Is an arm peculiarly Cuban, and without It q cOun
tryman is never met on the island. even in time o
peace. II, therefore, the Spanards showed Mr.
| Henderson fOrty-three bodies OF people who came
to their death by the nsachete they must have
| been the bodies OF Spaniards, which were. pamet
| or on Mr.. Henderson as those OF their enemies.
It gratifes us to be able to point out an in
accuracy in the above, evidently arising from
the writer not having closely observed the re
port of which he speaks. The portion which
states ''the Spanish troops, he says, killed
forty-three Of the insurgents, principally with
the machete, among them captain" is from
the Spanish General Portfolios account Of th'
fight, and is distinctly SO given. Our specia
commissioner, in his despatch from Yeguas
dated November 4, stated that he visited th.
battle field of viamones and counted forty-on
insurgent dead, but does not mention the ma
- IL ,sa;,nds Our contemporar,