The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-19

The natural effect Of this feat was to con-
vince the promoters of the Continuance to flank
the aldermen, of the utter insincerity and dis
righteousness of Havemeyer. If there had
been anything to lose by intrusting him with
the exclusive patronage of the city government
he would not have got it. But the Aldermen
had behaved so badly, that it was certain they
couldn't be trusted, consequently there was
nothing for it but to take the chances of the
good faith of the Mayor. If he had possessed
the slightest self-respect manhood, or courtesy,
he could not have failed to re-nominate Judge
Rowland. But the old fellow seems to be i'm
pressed with the idea that the smartest thing
he can do is to create establishment, by perform
ing antics so preposterous that nobody could
possibly have anticipated them. He is a. de-
lighted in surprises as conjurer, and his
Dutch sides shake when he has shown the pub.
lie new trick. That is his highest conception
of Executive duty. -- <-
Accordingly, as soon as he was clothed with
exclusive power, he commissioned, instead of
Judge How land, of whom everybody approved.
one Dispecker, whom nobody knew, as Com
missioner of Police. Having achieved this re-
| markabe exploit he went down into the lunch
| room and chuckled over his sandwich and
| beer, to think how nicely he had tricked the
| whole community. He revelled in it with as
much enjoyment as the fat boy in Pickwick
| ever derived from the contemplation of an
| unctuous plum pie.
AS might be supposed such crcus-like gyra-
tions, while they cause the 'unthinking' to
'Taugh," make the "judicious grieve." 1t is no
IF foot tn HE cit-
izens that the highest Office in their gift should
be so unworthly flled-that the first united and
vigorous effort to purify our local politics
should have resulted in the substitution Of q
| mountebank for rascal. There is no help for
it. He will strut out his brief hour upon the
municipal stage, and pass away ''unwept, un-
honoIed and unsung." He will escape the
oblivion to which charity would mercifully as
sign him, because he will serve the evil pur-
pose of pointing the moral of reform and
adorning tie tale of the fruitless struggle to
wrest four municipal administration from the
| control of adventures and sposmen.
The saddest feature of this photograph of
official Generalization, is the enervating effect
it produces upon the body polite. That ma
jority of the people. even in the city Of New
/ Iork-CoSluopontdn ds tHey dre-atuu W Hcrco Hly
one. voter out of three is direct tax-payer-are
governed by good intentions and honest i'm
pulses, is a fact pretty concusively established
| by the results of the last two appeals to their
| sense of recttude. But when designing men
point to such products of a reform movement
as Havemeyer, and argue from that stand
point of the hollowness or ineficacy of any at
tempt to wrest the city from msrule by combi-
nations of men of all parties, for the common
good, what can be said iu response to their rea-
soning? Why, simply this; that we made a
mistake, and must try again. This would be
| all very well in smaller community, but will
prove utterly unavailing among 100000 voters.
They will gravitate back into their respective
political organizations, and we shall inevitably
| fall under the iron rule of the Tammany De-
mocracy. What their sway has been we know
to our sorrow; what it will be we can only
judge by the past. But in view Of the posi-
biities suggested by the mournful experience
of former days, is it any wonder that the cen
trail figure, who now stands in the 1illory of
| popular execraton, is the betrayer of his trust
who is so soon to vacate the Office he has proved
so incompetent to fill? YARMOUTH.