The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-28

november 6IcctiOn-Tho Need OF
Real Reform.
In November last the people of the city of
New York made decisive revolution in their
municipal government. The work was done
at the polls by the orderly, respectable citi-
zens who seldom interest themselves in poll
tics, but who had quietly resolved to put the
mark of their condemnation upon the men
who had been using their official positions for
the purpose of plundering the public. They
were aided, of course, by the political reform
ers who had joined the hue and cry against
corruption, in the hope of securing the oppor-
tunity to repeat themselves the rascalities
they pretended to condemn, and by rivals Of
the men then in power, who sought revenge
for old offences. But the result was in fact,
the work of those who took little or no part in
the wordy denunciation of the dishonest
officials, but made up their minds when
the time came to sweep them out of existence.
The verdict rendered at the polls effected
practical publication of the municipal govern
ment; yet the reform was not 80 COM
plete as could have been desired for
the reason that designing men man
aged, in the excitement of the revolution,
to fasten themselves upon the public
and to secure offices to which at any other
time they would have aspired in vain. This
was especially the case with the State Legisla-
ture, which was carelessly suffered to pass into
the hands of the worst set of corruptionists
that ever assembled at Albany, thus defeating
what Charles O'Conor declared was the most
essential thing in the whole reform movement,
the election of honest lawmakers. The con-
sequence was that Senate and Assembly
more than three-fourths republican, with alb
solute power over all legislation refused to
pass any reform measure, and effectually
blocked the wheels that had been set in mo-
ton by the electors. In addition to this evil,
the politicians who had taken upon themselves
the management of reform in this city soon
brought the movement into disrepute. Some
of them were ofice-seekers others were so
visionary and obstinate as TO hinder, rather
than promote the cause they advocated
The party journals which had done noble SER
vice in exposing the frauds of their political
opponents soon destroyed their usefulness by
defending or cloaking the corruptions of their
own friends When q republican Sena-
tor on one side was found guilty. of having
received heavy brides from the most
notorious Of the old rings when q republican
clerk was discovered to have been in the habit
of receiving percentage on work ordered for
the State, or when republican printing firm
Of the true faith was proved to have altered
fbo tot %o1 moi kov,
thousand dollars at time to the lobby to get
enormous claims passed in the Supply bill, the
partisan papers that had been exhausting the
vocabulary in abuse Of opposition robbers had
no word of censure for their own dishonest
friends.
The cause of reform was unfortunately
further discredited by being used to crafty
personal spites, jealousies and dislikes. Some
of its champions, while doing good service to
the people in one direction, impaired
their usefulness in another by suffering
private pilues to interfere with the
public good. What the people desired aftenthe
last November election were a thorough regen-
Grafton of the whole political system and the
Inauguration of an era of honesty, not in the
mere matter of dollars and cents, but in all
political action. They had disposed of the
old Tammany and municipal rings, and had
driven the money-changers from the temple.
Their pockets were safe against further plum
der, and they were assured that the example
made of the dishonest officials would act as q
warning to public officers in the future. But
they wanted more than this. They demanded
that their affairs should be managed
hereafter for their own advantage, and
not to crafty this whim or to satisfy
that prejudice of those they placed
in power. They knew that the best interests
of the city had been sacrificed to personal
greed by the INSCRIPTIONS men they had dis
carded, and they wished to see those interests
fostered and advanced in the future, as well as
to know that their money boxes were properly
guarded. The people of New York are proud
of their city, and are sensible of the magnif-
cent future that is in store for the metropolis
of the Western World. They wish by wise
and liberal enterprise to hasten her progress.
They know that the necessities of a great and
growing commerce demand the improvement
of the natural advantages we enjoy from
our splendid harbor and rivers, and hence
they look anxiously for the carrying out
of the comprehensive plans of the
Dock Commissioners as one of the
most important aids to the future growth of
the city. They know that the health, COM
fort and morale Of the population would be
benefited by the construction of railroads that
would enable the people to spread out into the
upper part of the island and into Westchester
county, and to pass rapidly between their
homes and their places of employment and
hence they approve the policy of building rail-
| roadc NV the CITY for the use of the cifizens