The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-17

which affords some insight into the dOings OF
the politicians at the State Capitol and into
the sudden halt that appears to have taken
place in the progress of the new charter pre-
pared for the city of New York and already
passed by the Assembly. The Senate Com
mittee on Cities has been engaged for
several days in the consideration of the
charter, and has heard over again all the
arguments from the Committee of Seventy
and others, which had been previously de-
livered before the Assembly committee. in re-
lation to the mode of appointment proposed
by the majority. The temporary illness of
Senator Woodin, the chairman of the COM
mittee, was last week assigned as the reason
OF the unexpected delay in the report which
was looked for as early as Monday or Tuesday
last; but it now appears that there is some
other cause for the sudden halt, and rumors
are ahoat of difficulties at this end of the line,
arising out of the action of the Board of Al
dermen, and of embarrassments at the other
end of the line occasioned by the expectation
of an Executive veto and the apprehensions
of the leaders that they may not be able to
surmount such an obstacle. Whichever of
these reports may be true, or whether they ore
both unfounded or both partially correct. it is
certain that an apparently unnecessary delay
has occurred in the passage of the charter
through the upper House of the State Legis-
lature, and that the cause is to be found in the
twenty fifth section of the bill, which relates
to the manner of making the municipal APP
pointments, or, in other words, to the control
of the municipal spoils.
We have already had occasion to show that,
while the politicians seem to be more con-
cerned about the distribution of the various
city offices than about the efficient government
of the city, the people are utterly indifferent
what party or what men may DO chosen to fill
the several municipal departments so long as
they secure liberal, enterprising and honest
public servants If, however, the indecent
squabbling and scrambling over the patronage
is to be much longer continued there will be a
general belief that the Legislature has no
intention or desire to give the city
good charter, and our citizens will be
as hopeless of receiving aid from the
reform party as they would be if the old Tam
many Ring had again succeeded to power. At
the present moment the city government is in
| an unsettled and inharmonious condition.
Works of great public Importance are at
standstill; our financial condition is becom-
ing more and more complicated and unsatis-
| factory; no great improvements can be pushed
forward; no new schemes for the improvement
and enrichment of the metropolis can be un-
dertaken; everybody is in . state of uncer-
tainty, and there is o general feeling that the
city is going backwards instead of progressing
as it ought to progress. Mayor Havemeyer
doubtless desires to do his duty as the Chief
Magistrate of the metropolis, but the ad-
visers who surround him seem bent upon
diverting his attention from municipal gov
eminent to political intrigue. Comptroller
Green is daily proving more and more
emphatically his utter unftness for the
important position he has sought to fill,
and is increasing the embarrassments of other
departments of the city government while
plunging his own deeper and deeper
into inextricable confusion. Every rejecting
man knows that thorough Reorganization
of the government is absolutely demanded;
that we need concentration and harmony of
action among all the departments in place of
the cross purposes and discord that at present
prevail; that we require enterprise and
liberality in place of niggardly, false
economy; yet we are left for weeks without
any relief by party that controls thee
fourths majority in both branches of the Legis-
lature, while political leaders are plotting and
combining. trading and bargaining over the
spoils of office.
Probably the principal cause Of all this
trouble may be found in the fact that the pres
ent republican leaders are new men in the
position end not drilled and experienced vete-
rams. They are young. energetic and apparently
willing to accept responsibility; yet they DO
not seem to stand fire. we'll andi appears now
as though they were dispirited, if nos demosl-
lied They agreed some weeks agoeupon the
plan of appointment to be adopted in the new
charter, and no person outside the politicians
affected by the proposed method made serious
objection to it. They are now again ''al
abroad as the saying is, and their long
discussed charter comes to a sudden halt
in a Senate committee. There are ru-
mors, our correspondent reports, of new
combination between the Governor, Mayor
Havemeyer and that venerable political wire
| worker Mr.. Thurlow Weed, and 10 the lead
ers stand aghast and the Senator'S hold their
hands and find new matter fog consideration
in the twenty fifth section Of the proposed
law. There are threats or warnings, it is whis-
pered, Of an Executive veto if the charter
should pass in the form in which it left the
Assembly, and so the managers set to work to
make new combinations and revised calcula-
tons looking to the overcoming of this fore
Swallowed difficulty. ALI this has very much
the appearance Of that trading, dickering and