The New York herald., 1874-12-20
WHAT THE NEW MAYOR SHOULD DO.

WHAT THE NEW MAYOR SHOULD DO.
The great change that has taken place in
our municipal affairs. a. expressed by the
results of the last election, may be seen in the
opportunities that now await the new Mayor
He comes into power a. the representative OF
the party that must naturally govern New
York. This is q democratic city and must DC
governed by the democratic party, at least
until we have our municipal politics free from
any but municipal considerations. II has
always seemed to us singular that men should
be elected to govern great city, not because
of their capacity, business knowledge aud
experience in local affairs, but because they
have special views on reconstruction in Lou
isiana or revenue reforms in Washington.
The names .democratc' and republican.
asapplied to city politics, are absurdly gro
! tesque and without meaning. We have never
accepted them willingly. Mr.. Wickham does
not become the Mayor of Tamnany Hall or
the democratic party. but OF the city OF New
York. His duty is not to govern as the slave
of 'boss," or the partisan OF any organiza-
ton, but for the good of the city and his own
fame. The expectation that he will enter into
power to throw out one class OF ofice-holders
and throw in another. that he Is to regard the
city Offices as so many hog troughs and the
change in rulers only change IN the hogs, is
libel upon his common sense and honorable
ambition. Mr.. Wickham has now splendid
opportunity, and the question is, Will he be
true to it?
We do not expect impossible things from
any officer. 1t would be absurd for us to say
that Mayor Wickham or any Mayor has sim
ply to wave a wand, as it were, over New
York to effect transformation. We see such
things in pantomimes and ballets, but not in
real life. Mr.. Wickham is dependent upon the
Governor, upon the city Legislature and upon
some of his colleagues. We speak of him in
q representative sense. He is the leader OF
the party now responsible for the government
of the city and the State. We are bound,
therefore, to hold HIM to account for its fail
ure to realize its promises and his own hopes.
Among the principles Of the somewhat eccen-
trio platform adopted at Syracuse was 'home
rule If ''home rule means anything, as
we sometimes doubt, it is that the party ruling
New York shall be sustained by the general
voice of the party that Mr.. Wickham shall
be supported by Mr. Tilden in all municipal
authority that the Mayors desires in city
affairs shall be absolute. This reasonable
hope leads US to address ourselves directly to
Mr. Wickham, as the one power that can carry
out the aspirations Of all citizens for genuine
reform. For years the city has been tumbled
.,ck
came the robberies Of Tweed and his vassals
Then came the administration Of Green and
his vassals- an administration which, as Mr..
Dana keenly expressed it, may have been
slower than Tweed in the destruction of our
credit but was Just as sure. New York, the
third city in the civilized world, the metropo-
lis and queen of the Continent. is as shabby
and forlorn as any railroad prairie town. The
streets are unsafe. No gentleman can drive
his horses along our avenues without tearing
for the safety Of the poor beasts. Fifth ave-
nue-which should be our Champs Elysees or
Regent street-with all the splendor Of pri-
| vate enterprise and taste in its magnificent
architecture, is as dingy as byroad in Beth
nal Green. This royal highway-the road to
the Park, the pleasure stroll of the poor and
the pleasure drive of the rich-has been neg
lected. We have no wharves or piers. Rival
cities boast of an easy triumph over our CON-
merce because of our barren facilities in
handling freight. The two divinities Of the
upper island are chills and fever. They are
to our city guild what Cog and Magog are to
Guildhall. Every plan of honest rapid
/ transit has fallen into contempt. Schemers
captured them and trifed with them, and,
finally, they sank waterlogged with COR
ruption.
Over all there has grown power, wise
enough in it's inception and under proper
| limitations, but now monstrous unrepubli-
can power. We mean the Office Of the Comp
troller. In every government with fiscal
duties this is a necessary Office We have it
in Washington and Albany, and we need it in
New York, where we have financial system
as important as that of many States and king
doms. The Comptroller is monitor, custo-
dian, a check, watchdog. He should have
no political or executive power, and no inter-
est in the exercise of any such power. But
this was not within the scheme of the Tam
many Ring, who made the Office q
despotsm. The ComptrollershIp practi-
cally rules the city as it did under
Mr. Connolly. Mr.. Green controls the
patronage in his own and other Offices He
names the heads of many bureaus and has a
veto upon important functions of administra-
ton With one hand upon the purse and the
other upon the staff Of authority what has he
not been able to do? This must be re-
formed Mr.. Wickham must remove Mr..
Green, and the Office must be re-
turned to its proper functions and
limitations 1t should be made almost judi
cia in its power and responsibility and should