New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-07-13
TIE MUNICIPAL CRISIS.


Whatever may be thought of the purpose Of
the prosecutors of Mr.. Havemeyer. it can
hardly be denied that the action of Gov. DIX
in ordering a judicial investigation OF his con-
duct is in the highest degree reassuring to Il
public vexed by countless political conspira-
cies and dsheartened by the apparent failure
of almost every attempt at municipal reform
| The great Democratic organization manlpu-
lated by Mr.. John Kelly is no longer what 1t
was few years ago. Most of the big thieves
have gone out of it, and some of them have
taken their proper places in public institu-
tons of another kind, and respectable gentle
men can 20 into the wigwam without pulling
their hats down over their eyes through
shame of their company Still it must be ac-
knowledged that there is something incongTu-
Gus in the appearance of Tammany Hall as the
champion of the purity of elections and a
non-partisan police; and II Mr.. Havemeyer
had displayed ordinary common sense and
little of that decent respect for the opinions
of mankind which one naturally looks for IN
elderly persons of fair social standing, he
might easily have persuaded many of us that
he was the victim of political persecution.
He has passed so rapidly, however, from dull
blunders to deliberate Offcnses, he has added
so many and such various aggrayations to his
original fault, that all parties and all respect
able people of no party at all have been
united against HIM, and Tammany Hall, IN
stead of being the mouthpiece OF clamOrouS
Office seekers, becomes the spokesman OF the
whole city.
The sense of relief which the Governors
pithy communication conveyed to the public
on Saturday is a striking illustration OF the
soundness of those principles of municipal
government for which THE TRIBUNE in COM
mon with other reformers contended whon
the Charter was under discussion. Under the
old order of things, the Mayor was mere
figure-head, who had little or no power to
correct evils in the City Government; and the
Department officers, who handled the public
money and managed the police and elections,
were responsible to nobody. Our friends
always insisted that the first step toward
reform was to make the Mayor answerable for
his subordinates and then hold him
to strict accountability. This principle was
recognized in the Charter in general way,
but some signal exceptions were made to 1t
and it will not escape notice t { these eX-
ceptions were the cause of al the present
trouble. The Administration party at Albany
chose to put partisan politician at the head
of the Police Board, and to bargain tor the
control of certain other important Offices, and
Mr.. Havemeyer naturally completed the bad
work of which the pattern had thus been set
for him. The result has been the ruin OF Mr..
Havemeyer's reputation, and n severe blow to
the prestige and popularity of the Republican
Al, III tnta
an apathetic public might have watched such
transactions with Indifference; but now the
people are in no mood to be triflcd with.
And just here the chief merit OF our Charter
appears for the people, being indignant, know
lust where to vent their anger and just how
TO obtain redress. They can cause an exam
nation to be made into the conduct of any
officer whom they distrust. They can make
use of the result of that examination either
TO procure an Indictment from the Grand Jury,
or to prefer formal charges before the Mayor.
If the Mayor refuse or neglect to act the
Mayor may be removed from office by the
Governor; and the Governor understands that
he must act promptly or answer for his
neglect at the polls. Surely in the course
thus laid out, we can see the way to a genuine
reform of municipal administration, not by
the devices of politicians at Albany, but by
the determined action of Independent citizens
at home.