New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-07-10
A REFORMED CITY GOVERNMENT

A REFORMED CITY GOVERNMENT
We suppose the most hopeful and credulous
of Reformers must now admit that the purified
city government which they built upon the
ruins of the Tammany Ring is complete and
udicrous failure. The Mayor of their choice
has proved their most dangerous enemy.
With strange fondness for all that is most
disreputable in politics, he joins stolid
indifference to public opinion altogether
unparalleled. There is no hope of him. Jest
ing with the most serious problems of
municipal government, chuckling at Official
infdelity, afirOnting the moral sense
of respectable people every hour OF
his life, and scheming all day long to
thwart the law and fasten upon the city the
most unfit functonaries it would be possible
to discover, Mr.. Havemeyer has thrown away
the good opinion of the whole community
and exhausted even its liberation. He ex-
hbits himself as mOnstrous scandal; and
though we may distrust the political intlu-
ences that are working for his removal, and
doubt whether complete regeneration is to
come out of Tammany Hail. all of us must
concur in hoping that the Nuisance of the
City Hall may be abated by the action of the
Governor. We have had bad Mayors before
many of them worse men personally than Mr..
Havemeyer-but we never had one until now
who did not care what the world thought of
him.
The condition of the subordinate Depart
ments is not much better than the MayOralty.
The chief of them is that of the Police, and
how thoroughly that is demOralized every citi-
zen knows. The CommlssiOnership have been
given to party hacks, noted only for their
skill in packing ward conventions and manip
ulating election returns, or else to personal
adherents of the Mayor remarkable only for
having no character at all. The important
post of Superintendent was bestowed upon an
old man of questionable antecedents and dis
reputable pursuits. The powers of the Board
over elections have been grossly abused. and
as a matter of course the force has suffered in
morale The Department of Finance is doubt
less managed honestly, whatever else may
be said of it but the Controller owes his ap
pointment to the late Tammany Ring,-Mr
Green being one of the few good things which
that rascally league gave the city under COM
pulsion.-and he would have been turned out
of Office by a faction of the Reformers if pub
lie opinion had not insisted too strongly upon
his retention. Other Departments spend much
time in abusing one another and all over the
City Hall is heard the din of quarrel. Mean
while the city creditors so unpaid the City
Debt increases at "a frightful speed and we
seem to be drifting back to the old state of
things, with repeaters and ballOt-bOx suffers
watching over the purity of elections, and the
public revenues squandered among tho rum
shops.
Some of the estimable gentlemen who took
the reform movement of 1871 under their pro-
lection made mistake which they are now
beginning to rue. The instruction against
Tammany was a great popular rising entirely
Independent of politics, sweeping away for
the nOnce the differences of faction, and
uniting Democrat and Republican i'll COM
mon cause. But among the active spirits of
that day there were some well-meaning and
narrowminded persons who thought they
could best serve Their country by turning this
popular movement to the advantage of
Gen. Grant, and 80 began series
of intrigucs and bargains. now with
one set of politicians, now with another,
for the establishment Of the CustOm-hOuse in
the place of the Americas Club. The main OBJ
iect of the campaign became the success of the
Administration party in the State election, and
to this the publication of the city government
of New-Y0rk was altogether subordinate. In
deed, many of the leading Rcformers were
quite content to leave good deal of dis
honesty in the municipal administration if
they could only convert it to their own pur
poses. After they had cheated the people,
however, with partisan charter, and Have
meyer and Hank Smith, it was only natural
that Their creatures should turn around and
cheat them. In the course of single year
they found that their Mayor looked out for
nobody but himself; their Reformed govern
ment stole no money, indeed, but was re-
formed in nothing else; their party reputation
for honesty was gone their professions of
public virtue were received with shouts of
derison and after all the Custom house for
which they had thrown away 30 much had
gained hardly anything by the sacrifice.
There is some chance now of supplement-
airy reform, if Gov. Dix should decide that
Mayor Havemeyer has done enough to
call for his removal and we are curious
to see whether the foolish persons
who spoiled tho movement of 1871
will attempt to interfere in the same
way with the prospects of 1874. We may be
sure that we shall never have an honest, eff
Gent economical administration of our city
affairs until municipal questions are separated
from the disturbing influence of State and Ma
tional politics. If the practices which have
prevailed hitherto under the Havemeyer regime
are to be continued, the restoration of n system
of wholesale fraud at the ballot-box, and
wholesale theft III the Treasury, becomes a
question of only little time.