The Portland daily press., 1874-07-08
New York Letter.
The Re-appoinimeni of the Police Com
missiOners - Wood, Tweed, Hall and
Havemeyer-JOhn Kelly and the Mayor
aliy-The Weakness OF Independent Or
New YORK, July 6, 1874.

CARNATIONS.
New YORK, July 6, 1874.
As | anticipated Havemeyer has reappoint-
ed the indicted Police Commissioners. 1t is
the worst possible thing he could do, and that
was reason enough for supposing he would do
it, When the right and the wrong course are
clearly defped, he can always be depended up
ON to pursue the latter. There have been so
many instances of his perversity in this re-
spect during the eighteen months that he has
veXed the public patience, that it has ceased
to be matter of speculation, as to his ever, by
any chance, performing an official act that
would rebound to his own credit or the pop
ular welfare 1t is generally known that he
delights in surprises, and the only capacity he
has developed has been in creating and repeat
ing them But if he really wanted to oEtvie
all his previous feats in that line, he needs only
to do some one thing that is actually honest,
manly and straightforward, and he would fill
the whole city with bewildered astonishment'
l have no idea, however, that he has nature
or grace to signalize his administration by any
such exceptional achievement.
New York has long been noted for its ten
ship of unprincipled or incompetent men.
More than twenty yelrs ago, majority of Its
voters gave lease of the Mayoralty to Fer
nando Wood, while the memory was yet fresh
of his narrow. escape from telon's fate
| through latitudinariau construction of the
| statute of limitations by convenient Judge,
| who saw fit to count but three hundred sixty
four days in year-for that occasion only
| The selection of such a man was certainly an
extraordinary freak of the ballot Every
respectable citizen deplored it as indicating a
laxty of public morals, threatening peril to
the stability of popular government. Never.
| the]ess Wood was an able man. He pos
sessed energy, executive force, and aptitude
for affairs. He was not so incurably averse to
rectitude Of conduct but that he would conserve
| the public interests when they didn't happen
to conflict with his own. He was selfish, cor
rupt and acquistive, but never idiotic. The
stakes he played for were power and pelf, and
he proved winner He used the appointing
prerogative as a means of giving himself po-
litical strength, and the executive authority as
an instrument of personal gain, and he secured
both. His objects were obtained without
serious cost, for he had no reputation to lose
His name was no worse, and his fortune fal
greater when he went out of Office than when
he came in.
Tweed was more reckless and less wary
gambler. His winnings for q series of years
were fabulous. He emerged from the chall
shop and the engine house into the MONDAY
| splendors of Fifth Avenue Palace. Demo
cratic Governors and Senators, from his own
and other states made obeisance to him, the
greatest merchants of his native city sat al
the same board with him as fellow directors
and a wave of his brawny, beely hand, brought
a Legislature to hi; feet. He grew dizzy, to
be sure, with so much apparent prosperity in
crime, and fell as many another malefactol
has fallen before him in whom .impunity had
begotten incauton. But his audacity COM
manded certain degree OF admiration among
the unrefecting and his career Was glittering
while it lasted.
Halls ''vaulting ambition" o'erleaped it.
self, but there was brilliancy and dash about
his public life, which saved him from sinking
out of sight under popular execration. There
is one redeeming feature onuected with his
brief and ignoble magistr ICY. Although he
|
could have checked-but didnt-a system OF
plumber without parallel for its effrontery and
atrocity-so that he might have made his own
terms with the robbers-yet it is averred, with
much show of probability that he was not SC
mean and sordid as to soil his fingers with the
filthy lucre His desire for distinction made
him INSCRIPTIONS in the use of means to com
pass it, but he scorned so vulgar crime as
| theft.
Before We can take an accurate measure Of
Havemeyer, we must consider the circum.
stances which brought him to the surface. He
was the first fruits of the revolution. Tue red
sea CT popular wrath had engulfed the
Tweeds, Halls, Connolys, Sweenys, Genets
Ingersolls, Barnards and Cardozos, and the peo
pie were looking for a leader to conduct them
to the promised laud of reform. Havemeyel
had already appeared upon the boards in the
first act, playing Moses to Tiden's Aaron.
| They wrought a miracle in getting Connolly
out of the Finance Department. So when the
journey through the wilderness was to be un.
dertaken, it was natural that the guidance oil
the expedition should be entrusted to one who
had worked wonder in the sight of the popu-
| lace.
1t was not at all discreditabe to the masses
that they did not foresee or suspect that they
were placing themselves under the direction OF
man who was to- prove the incarnation Of
treachery, imbecility and senility. Such FORE
bodings would have denoted unreasonable dis.
trust, rather than sapent dscernment There
was no conceivable motive for betrayal of the
cause he espoused with so much pretended ar
dor. No human being ever sacrificed manhood
honor and opportunity to SO little purpose. He
has gained absolutely nothing by his unac
| countable puerlity of conduct He has lost
every vestige of reputation, political standing
the esteem of friends, the respect of contempt
raries and the forbearipg judgment of poster
ty. He will go out of Office within six months
covered with contempt for his failure, ridicule
for his childishness. and indignation for his un
| faithfulness.
If the grotesque antics, which have brought
Havemeyers administration to such helples.
bankruptcy of public favor, had been played
for the benefit of Tammany Hall, it would be
less difficult to comprehend Them But Tam
many is the implacable toe of the Mayor and
has acquired no small degree of prestige from
the vigor with which it has pursued him. The
present chiefs Of that historic organization are
| far better men than those who ruled it afore
time. Mr.. John Kelly is an estimable gentle
man, with a record Of long and honorable ser
vice in public life, during which he has served
as Alderman, Congressman and Sheriff, and ha:
borne an unbiemished reputation for persona
Integrity and exemplary conduct. An Irish
man and a Catholic he has reflected credit
alike on his birth place and his creed. Il
is commonly supposed that he has, fol
some years, cherished aspirations for The
| Mayors seat. The ambition is creditable to hin
and it would not be easy for his party to name
more satisfactory candidate. He has. how
ever, for several weeks past disclaimed all in
| tention of entering the lists-a determination
superinduced probably by apprehensions of Cd
| position within the ranks of his party. But
the part he has taken in enforcing the election
law, and Furnishing its violation by the deposed
Commissioners has $50 far changed the aspect
| of affairs that it would not be surprising if Mr.
Kelley should be persuaded to recons ider hi.
| decision and accept the Democratic nomna
ton. If this should happen, he will prove 0
1 Form a In IN lnt