The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-01
Peter Cooper to President Grant On
Our City Charter.

Peter Cooper to President Grant On
Our City Charter.
Our venerable champion of city reform, Mr..
Peter Cooper, has just been writing tson-
chant letter to President Grant in reference to
our city charter, and, enclosed in the sams
envelope. were copies Of two other letters to
other parties on the ae subject.
Insatiate archer would not one suflcef
And in the first of these letters Mr.. Cooper
frankly tells the President how some of his
professed friends on the charter are working
their little game of euchre at Albany. Thus
it appears that s'these men have the audacity
to quote you (the Presidency as favoring their
views;" that 1--WE shall ever be slow to believe
that this Is done with your APPROVAL" that
'it is opposed to your past and present stti-
tude in the administration of the general gov
ernment" and that 1--WE (Mr. Cooper trusa
you will rebuke and silence in your own way
any such imputations upon your character"
MI. Cooper, nevertheless, does not wish 70
evoke the official interference ''of the Prasi-
dent" but rather desires him to strenew your
previous recommendations, and thus to deter
others who profess to represent you from
throwing any weight derived from the general
administration into the scale Of Legislation that
is now deciding the destiny of this city for
many years to come" Has it, then, come to
this that the managing republicans at Albany
are engineering their city charter as measurs
of the national administration, and for their
party purposes looking to the Presidential
succession? If so, as an independent, mo-
party city reformer, Mr.. Cooper may well be
indignant. And yet it appears to us that all
these letters to General Grant are SO much
ammunition wasted. If these complaints
that he is used as q makeweight in this
charter legislation are noticed by him at all,
it win probably be only to say that he has not
interfered and does not propose to
interfere until such federal Intervention
shall be necessary to maintain law and
order and preserve the peace, as for
example, at New Orleans. What, thenp Mr..
Cooper will discover that all these letters "a
the President, requesting his Intervention in
behalf Of non-partisan city charter, ara
blank cartridges. What, then, should Mr..
Cooper do as last resort to head off Mr..
Murphy? He should write long and strong
letter to Senator Conkling, who is charged by
the administration with the safe keeping Of
New York as republican State, and he should
impress upon tour high reaching Bucking-
ham," in cline upon line and precept upon
precept," the folly of attempting to hold New
York by that stupid republican system Of
parcelling out the spoils which was blown sky
high with the old Tammany Ring. This is
the best advice we have for Mr.. Cooper-a
good long and strong letter to Senator
Conkling. But should it fail2 FAIL did you
sayr "In the bright lexicon Of youth there is
no such word as fall At any rate, as the
republicans at Albany appear to be running
their city charter as q party machine, the
only way to head them off is to get the ear Of
Senator Conkling. He has the State in charge.
he is looking ahead, and he is, perhaps, open
to conviction in the cause Of city reform.