New-York tribune., 1872-11-06
MUNICIpdL REFORM.


ccrned, the general result yesterday was the
same that il has been for many years past
and threatens, under the present system, to
be for many years to come. Six different po-
litical organizations met in caucus, and each
presented long list of candidates. To say
nothing of the National and State tickets,
each of the six parties asked its supporters to
vote for fifteen Aldermen, twenty-One AS
sstant Aldermen, Mayor, Coroner, three
Judges, and District Attorney. Out OF this
multitude Of candidates few good men have
been chosen and a great many bad ones.
But, practically, they have all been chosen
by lot. There has been no such thing as an
intelligent election. The average voter, be-
widered by the claims Of sixty or seventy
candidates, about not more than four or five
of which he personally knows anything, goes
to the polling place and deposits in the seven
boxes the ballots which somebody else has
made ready for them. He means to take tho
lists prepared by the committees of the party
with which he generally sympathizes; but in
most cases he does not know whether he
really votes the ticket he wants to vote or
some counterfeit ticket made up by an OppO-
sitiOn concern.
Yesterday WAS signal Illustration of the
evils of this wTetched system. However OpiD-
ions may differ "a to the merits of the cand-
dates for the Presidency, the GOverOr5hp,
and some ether important posts, no one will
question that al parties have cOncurred in
putting many unfit men into local Offices
Mr. Charles Nordboff, in an able contribution
some time ago to The North AmeriCap Reyie,c,
fIoa Of nur M
government and indicated rsmedy which
certainly deserves consideration, If we are
ever going to have n pure and efficient adj
miyistraton, moderate taxes, and inst laws
Jus ay enforced, we must devise s9me plan by
which the citizens can make an intelligent and
deliberate choice of their rulers We are now
compelled TO vote for men of whom VIC are
necessarily ignorant, and our votes. for mere
local functOnaries, are governed less by con-
sidcration of their fitness than by the issues
of local politics. Here are two blunders which
Mr.. NOrdhoff's system attempts to correct.
In, the first place.. tho number OF candidates
should be reduced to one or two. III this were
dons- every citizen could inform biHself OF
their personal character. We could learn some
thing about the gentlemen who wanted to be
Manor, and could make up our minds which
of them would bast fill the place; and when
we had chosen a good Mayor, we could vest
in him the appointment and removal OF other
officials, and hold him, responsible for their
conduct But no, private citizen, unless he
gives all his days and nights to the study of
politics, can qualify himself to decide as to
the fitness of list OF candidates as hong as
a mans arm. Even political editors, who have
special facilities for informing themselves on
such matters, are obliged to take most of the
names on trust, with no better guarantee than
that of a ward caucus
In the second place, municipal questions
should never be allOsed to mingle with gem
aral politics. A candidate for Mayor. Judge,
Alderman, should neither be helped nor hurt
by his political affiliations His-duties arc not
in any way political, and Mr.. Lawrence Is
none the better fixed, nor Mr.. James OBrien
any the verse, for the chief post in the cor
poration, ny reassn of being Democrat, nor
is Mr.. Hayemeyer disqualified because he is a
Republican. Pat the municipal election so
far away from the State and National contest
at an interval say of six mOnths-that there
shall be no excuse for connecting one with
the other, OF suppOsing that the result of
contest for charter officers is to indicate the
chances of the Presidency or the complexion
of the House of Representatives. Then, and
not till then, will it be possible to consolidate
the suffrages of law abiding citizens of all
parties in favor of honest rule against fraud,
corruption, and extrayagance. And until we
can do this, the condition of New-fork is