The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-14
Defeat OF tho screen Charter"

The generalissimo Of the Black Horse cav
chester general of the republican contingent,
have met with an ignominious overthrow.
Generalissimo Green does not seem over well
acquainted with cavalry tactics. There was
indeed, something of the dash and sudden
ness of q cavalry charge in the first onset, but
Green cannot have studied with much profit
the feats of such daring riders as Mosby, For
rest and the rest, who, even in their least sue
cessful raids, contrived to retreat without
military dishonor. It is impossible to play
the part of Mosby and Moltke at the same
time. successful commander of cavalry
rides at the head of his men and puts spirit
into them by his daring example and prompt
fertility in resources; but the redoubtable
generalissimo of the Black Horse cavalry
planned his Albany campaign in the
closet, as if he aspired to the fame
of q Won Moltke, and his success
has borne very distant resemblance indeed
to that of his great model Perhaps he
thought his "bald eagle" was an omen of
victory but the tame eagle of Louis Napoleon
him the jest of Europe was not q more ill
boding bird than ''the bald eagle of West
chester" In the desertion of Green's adher-
ents even Hustled spread his wings and flew
away, declaring at the last moment that he
had never regarded the movement as any
thing better than trick, which he was ready
to abandon when it had served his purpose.
H. 10 T.
had any serious expectation of success, and
he must be filled with modification to find
how he has been coquetted with and flung
aside. He has earned the dstrust of the
democrats and the contempt of the repub
licans, and no party will hereafter be willing
to own him. Nobody has profted by
his scheme but his paid lobbyists,
and nobody will grudge them their
fees if they are supplied from Green's own
pocket and not out OF the city treasury like
those OF Hawkins a year or two ago. The
money Green paid for the power he expected
would have been cheap purchase, but to
pay roundly for being made ridiculous is not
SO pretty bargain.
Now that GREEN'S preposterous ambition
has s'overleaped itself and fallen on the other
side" it is to be regretted that the Legislature
will not make O wise revision of the city
charter and take the municipal government
out of the slough in which it has so long been
laundering. This was attempted by the Cos
tigan bill, which was very well so far as it
went but proved dstasteful alike to the
democratic Governor and the republican
Senate The fact that the Senate is republi-
can is no reason why o good bill should not
be passed We doubt whether really sound
and wise charter will ever be obtained
except from o Legislature in which
each party has majority in one Of
the two houses. If the whole Legislature
should be democratic next winter it will
make partisan charter, which the first re-
publican Legislature will be sure to subvert.
This has been the history of all recent charter
legislation. The charter of 1871 was in the in
terest of the Tweed Ring, which controlled that
Legislature The charter of 1873 (the present
charter) was passed by republican Legisla-
ture to keep as many republicans as possible
in city offices. If in 1876, the democrats
should have both branches of the Legislature,
they would pass a charter to promote party
interests rather than the welfare Of the city.
The republicans Of the present Senate have
great and deserved respect for Governor Til
den, and if he would recommend the outlines
Of wise, non partisan charter both branches
of the Legislature would probably pass it on
its merits and we should have a better
chance Of stability and good govern nient than
we can ever expect from q succession of such
schemes as nre built up and pulled down by
partisan legislatures