The New York herald., 1874-12-30
The Manhattan Club heception-Ths
New state and City Governments.


and becoming to soften politics with the grace
of social civilties, and We recognize the htness
of the reception given last evening", at the
Manhattan Club TO the Governor elect OF tho
State and the Mayor elect OF the CITY Inc
military honors which have been planned fer
Governor Tilden at Albany on the day OF his
Inauguration belong to the same order Of CON-
p,imentary observances, and the fact that
neither Marcy, nor Wright, nor Seymour
were inducted into Office with similar pomp
and parade is no valid argument against
this deviation from the old democratic SIM
phcity of which jefferson was the most
noted exempar. jefferson, perhaps, carried
his affectation of republican simplicity to an
ostentatous extreme, intending ii as protest
against what his political followers stlgrnatized
as an aping of monarchical ceremony by his
predecessors, Washington and Adams. Jefferson
was a great man, who felt that he could
securely preserve his dignity without artificial
supports, like the illustrious Roman who en-
forced the respect OF his visitors while making
a dinner of turnips on his Sabine farm. But
Jefferson carried his contempt of parade to an
extreme, and it is quite allowable for one OF
his most ardent disciples to introduce different
usages.
1t was not to have been expected that an
occasion So festive and complimentary as that
at the Manhattan Club last evening should
have much political significance. The speeches
are in q tone of promise and congratulatlon,
and do not convey any definite idea OF the
specific practical measures which the new
State government and the new city government
will try to adopt. Such vague, glittering
generalties are apt to be little fashy, and
there are obvious reasons in the present in
stance why the new executives should not
wish to anticipate the topics of their forth
coming messages. The most that these COM
plimentary festivities can do is to direct pub
lie attention to the accession of the demo-
cratic party to power in the State and city
and excite favoring interest III the official
declarations of policy presently to be made
by its chosen magistrates
The two gentlemen who were feted at the
Manhattan Club last night feel an anxious
solicitude as to the judgment the public will
pass upon them at the outset OF their official
careers. They are both quite new to official
life, and naturally feel something of the trep-
idation of persons who appear for the first
time in new character The generosity
with which they have been treated since their
election, the expressions Of confidence in
their tavor and the universal disposition to
give them q fair trial, must naturally
ba;~ ob 10 Sfv 1ic
tation. 'sWhat is well begun is half done"
and it deeply concerns men who come so late
to official distinction to make o favorable i'm
preston at the beginning. If the first month
of their administration should disappoint ex-
pectation nothing which they can do during
the residue of the two years will reinstate
them in public confidence. If they had an
old and favorable official record few pre-
liminary blunders might be overlooked; but
men who make their first appearance in con-
juncture so momentous as the present cannot
expect much indulgence if their earliest acts
should provoke denuncation. Their success
as public functionares is irretrievably staked
upon their starting we'll
We take it for granted that Governor Til
den, in his message to the Legislature, will
recommend o revision of the city charter. 1t
is well known that he disapproved of the
Tweed charter, and went to Albany to protest
against its passage. The amendments after
ward made in it by republican legisla-
ture were contrary to his views. II there is
any subject on which Mr.. Tilden's opinions
are perfectly understood it is that of
proper scheme Of government for
the city of New York He has long ad-
vocated an entire separation of city affairs
from both State and national affairs. All his
friends know that in 1870, and at all times
he has advocated such change in the time of
the city election as would prevent it being
mixed up with State politics. In 1870 Mr.
Tilden was strenuous advocate of mun-
cipal election in April in order to exclude all
but purely municipal questions from our city
contests. A vigorous devotee of local self
government, it offended his political con-
science to have the State election and the
city election held on the same day, or even
at the same season Of the year, lest the State
should have an undue influence in the local
affairs OF the city. If Mr. Tilden stands by
his past record he is the most uncompromis-
ing champion among all our distin-
guished citizens of an entire separation
between municipal and State politics.
We are, therefore, authorized to expect
that he win recommend in his message
such changes in the city charter as will estab-
lish ''home rule" or local self-government on
secure basis and give the people of this city
unrestrained control of their local administra-
ton. Anything less would disappoint demo-
cratic expectations and convict the new Gov
ernor Of political inconsistency.
II the people of this city are competent to
unvarn themselvaa accnrdinn to the ahnrnn