The sun., 1873-02-15
The Minority Report on the Charter

| Messrs. WILLIAM =. OPDYKE and JOSEPH
| ELEMENTAL of the Assembly are entitled
to the gratitude OF al right-thinking men
for their report against the so-called Gus
| tom House Charter now pending IN the Le-
gislature at Albany. II lisa rare thing that a
! legislative argument stands so ilrmiy upon
| the solid rock Of republican principles,
| and is characterized by so much practical,
statesmanlike wisdom rs this report.
There Is no subject that has been so con-
stantly before the Legislature as the char
ter of this city. For longer period than
we care TO remember every session has had
its crop OF projects, and almost every session
| has given us n new charter The last was
the charter of 1870, enacted after des-
| pcrate contest in which TWEED and
| SwIESy carried their point by bribing the
| Republican members OF the two Houses.
| How much money they spent, whether n
million or more or less, has never been
known and probably never win be; but IL
| is notorious that several Of the Republi-
cans who were bribed then are members
| of the Legislature now. Judge DAVIS says
there are Ave OF them In the Senate. Un-
der that charter the work Of wholesale
robbery was accomplished; and last year
the discovery of TwEEDs and CoNNoLLy's
frauds produced a revolution of feeling
throughout the State; but IL left in doubt
the balance of power between the two par
ties in the Legislature. The Committee of
Seventy went to Albany with their plan Of
| a charter, but Il was not satisfactory TO
either side and nothing came Of Il. And
now we have a Republican Legislature
with majority strong enough TO do what
they please; and the leaders of that party
have devised and brought forward what Is
known us the Custom House Charter. or
this project IL is a mild description TO say
that it is worse and capable of working
more mischief than that which TWEED
bribed into existence in 1870.
TwEEDs charter was designed to confer
unlimited power and opportunities upon
members OF the Tammany Ring, and es-
pecially upon TWEED, CONNOLLY, and
SwEENy, and to take all power and oppor-
tunities from others. They meant 10 have
rs few partners in business as possible. As
they had little confidence In OAKEY HALL,
who was then Mayor, they stripped
him OF power as far as they could; and
as they knew the Common Council was
grasping as well rs venal, they deprived
il likewise OF all substantial share i'm the
| city government. The Custom House Chnr-
ter Is modelled on this, and IL is planned,
just as TwEED's wRs, TO serve the purposes
Of the day and not 10 afford n useful and
lasting system OF city administration, or
rs Mr.. OPDYKE expresses IL, 10 abolish II
republican form Of government and set up
all oligarchy.
Every intelligent man OF whatever party
will admit in principle that the Mayor
should he the real executive head of the
city, and that his authority should be am
| pie, so that the people who elect him may
| justly hold him responsible. II Is equally
| clear that the Common Council should hav o
| a real power so that real responsibility
| may be enforced upon its members, and 80
that men Of character and standing may be
| induced to become members of ii. These
are the only principles on which an elect
| i've city government can be based and
these principles are entirely ignored and
set aside in the Custom House Charter. As
| Mr. OPDYKE clearly states il, this charter
strips the Mayor Of all executive power,
and the Common Council of nearly all
| legislative power. Instead OF single con-
| trolling executive IL establishes eleven sep
aTate administrative departments, each OF
them independent Of the Mayor and Com
mon Council; aud instead Of single head
OF each department it establishes in each
a numerous and irresponsible board of COM
missioners. And the sphere of the Com
mon Council is similarly restricted by its
| provisions.
A more vicious project cannot well be
conceived, and we confidently trust that IL
II should be carried through the Legisla-
ture by a partisan majority, Gov. DIX,
faithful to the idea OF local self-goven-
ment, will crush 1t with his veto. But
whatever be the end of this affair, the pub
lie thanks are especially due to Mr.. OP-
DYKE, who, although he is a member of the
party which has brought forward this
scheme, has had the courage and the wis
dom to brand il as II deserves.