The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-31

clans.
The letter of our Albany correspondent.
published in to-day's HERALD, supplies us
with another chapter of the plots and counter
plots of the politicians over the proposed new
charter for the city of New York. Demo
Gratis, republicans, liberals and reformers;
old Tammany and new Tammany, Custom
House rings, Weed rings and Committee of
Seventy, are all alike laboring for common
end-to secure the lions share of the spoils.
The democrats who are in Office, and who ex-
pected after their overthrow in November
last to be turned adrift as soon as the repub-
lican Legislature assembled, have taken
courage and hope from the squabbles of the
republican factions and are doing their best
to keep up the fight, SO as to prevent the pas
sage of any charter this session, and thus re-
tain their positions The Custom House Ring,
eager to centralize the power of the city gov
eminent in the hands which already control
the large federal patronage in the metropolis
and the State, is seeking to vacate all the
municipal offices at one fell swoop and to
place the appointing power in source sub
ject to Custom House control. The faction
acknowledging Thurlow Weed and ex-Gov-
ernor Morgan as it's chiefs is re-
solved to hold on to such positions
as are already in the possession of
its friends, and is not prepared to trust to the
new leaders for such reappointments as it
may desire. The Aldermen who, under the
Assembly bill, were to enjoy the appointing
privilege, have shown themselves too selfish
to merit the confidence of the republican
leaders. The Senators, poor and hungry,
have been led to expect that quarrel over
the charter may bring up to the State capital
have not unwillingly aided to complicate the
question of the appointing power. Finally,
when q new place has been about agreed
upon by oil the republican interests, and when
the issue dividing the Custom House and
Weed rings has been reduced to the simple
question of retaining four republicans in
Office instead of turning them out to-day to
reappoint them tomorrow. o new difficulty
springs up in the path of the proposed COM
promise The democrats and liberals having
control of the Board of Assistant Aldermen
are found to have a little plot of their own to
match against the plans of the republican
managers. AS the new appointing power is
to be the Mayor and the two aldermanic
Presidents, and as law dates from the time
of its signature by the Governor, the majority
of the Board of Assistant Aldermen propose
to hold q quiet meeting after the charter
shall have passed from the Legislature into
the Governors hands, and to elect a demo-
cratic or liberal President in place of their
present presiding officer. In all these bargains
and intrigues the good government of the me-
tropolis is entirely ignored, and the only OBJ
ject that occupies the minds of the politicians
is how to get the city Offices into their hands
or how to prevent the city offices from passing
out of their hands.
For nearly year and q half, ever since the
people rose up in their might and over
threw the old Tammany ring, the municipal
government has been in condition of discord
and neutrality-suspicious. of anarchy-which
has been but little less injurious than the rule
of license and fraud by which it was preceded.
Under the specious cry of economy and reform
all progress has been checked, and great works
of public improvement which should before now
have added materially to the beauty, comfort
and wealth of the metropolis, have been either
temporarily or finally abandoned The bar
mony and unity of purpose so essential to an
efficient and vigorous administration have
been wholly wanting. Our financial manage
ment has been penurious without true econ
omy, and the large powers Of the Comp
troller have been used to crafty per-
sonal spleen rather than TO advance the
general prosperity. Departments which were
disposed to display vigor and enterprise have
been crippled through the jealousy of the De-
partment of Finance, and have found them
selves prevented from discharging their duties
in satisfactory manner Our citizens, re-
solved to bring this reign of discord and inef-
fciency to an end, insisted upon the nomina-
ton of capable and honest candidates for Office
on oil the great party tickets last November,
and when the election was over and the VIC
tory was found to have fallen to the republican
side they looked to that organization for the
reform they demanded. There was o general
feeling of satisfaction at the decisive character
of the result The State Government, the
City Government and three-fourths of the
Legislature had been placed in republican
hands, and there could be no divided respon-
sibility. Had the democrats carried the city
and the republicans the State, or had the Leg
islature been less overwhelmingly of one po-
ltical complexion, there might have been some
excuse for delay, hesitation, intrigues and bar
gains but with everything in the hands of
one party it was believed that thorough re-
organization and reform of our municipal gov
eminent was thing assured. The people
were Indifferent as to the distribution of the