New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-21
THE CHARTER.

The Senate Committee has surrendered. The
extraordinary proceedings of Wednesday, when
every proposition for a settlement OF the 10Th
section was rejected seriatim,-the scheme of
the genuine refOrmers, the successive PROPOSE
tons of the Custom house, and the various COM
promises suggested between the two extremes
one after another set up to be speedily Knocked
down by an apparently impracticable ma
jority,--must have prepared the public mind
for some extraordinary freak of legislative
folly or rascality. Nobody, however, except
the few who may have been in
the secret, anticipated the amendment
which the Committee has finally adopted.
There has been pretense in some quarters OF
accepting it as a compromise. 1t is no COM
promise far from it, it is the worst and most
insolent device which the new Ring has
brought forward. The appointing power is
committed nOminally to the Mayor; the con-
firming power to the Board of Aldermen.I But
if the Aldermen do not confirm the Mayors
nominee withinl five days, the appointing
power then passes to a sort OF commission
composed of the Mayor and the Presidents OF
the two boards of the Common Council. Any
body can see what this means. 1t reduces
the appointing power to a mere matter
of bargain and sale between the
Aldermen and Assistant Aldermen. The AL
dermen will of course reject every appoint
ment which has not been previously arranged
with the Ring Thereupon the Mayor instantly
becomes cipher. He cannot make new
nomination. He is reduced to helpless mi
nority of one in a Board of three. So, in just
FIVE days, we get around to the old accursed
system of Ring appointments, for which no
body will be responsible. The real appointing
power is the Common Council. The Mayor is
merely respectable gentleman, who sits III
his office and recommends candidates. Any
body can recommend candidates we can all
do it ourselves.
We have all along expected that the Custom
house combination would force the Senate to
disregard reason and justice, and accept the
essential parts of this charter as the party
managers drew it. There has been no con-
cealment of the meaning of the instrument.
1t is avowed TO be a continuance for perpetu-
ating the control of faction of the Republi-
cans over city in which they are decided
minority, and of late nobody has been asked
to vote for it except upon the distinct ground
that partisan interests made it necessary.
The mask would not have been thrown off so
boldly if the managers had not been confident
of the discipline of their followers, and the
result shows that they were not mistaken.
How far they have made sure of the consent
of the Senate we shall see in few
days. But there is one thing we
are satisfied they have not made sure of, and
that is the consent of the Governor. Gen.
Dix knows that this charter violates all the
fundamental principles of popular govern
ment, of which he has been a conspicuous up
holder all his life. He knows that it is
violation of the pledges upon which he was
elected last November. He knows that it will
prove mischievous to the city in which he has
so many interests, and that it is hateful to
large majority of the people, and even to the
most respectable portion of the Republican
party. In recent memorable instance he has
evinced the possession of Roman firmness in
discharging what he believes to be his duty;
and we are very sure that Murphy and Daven-
port will only cover themselves with ridicule
if they crack the whip over his shoulders.