The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-07
An InharmOniOus Governmen t.

|. An InharmOnious Government.
The agitation in local circles and in Albany
in reference to the heads of departments in
New York, the Misunderstanding between
Governor Tilden and Mayor Wickham. the
extraordinary attitude held by Comptroller
Green, the schemes OF Senator Fox and others
to contrive new plan of government for
the city, all show the folly of attempt
ing to govern New York upon any
theory except that the viii of the people
should in all respects be obeyed. No form of
government is simpler than republican
based upon republican ideas the machinery
runs smoothly. Whenever we have an at
tempt to tinker or change or misdrect the
government for personal or political ends
we have trouble
Nothing is more simple than to properly
govern New York. The constitution divides
the city from the State, and gives TO each q
peculiar and Independent authority. Here
we have nearly million of people. They are
perfectly competent to say who shall execute
the laws, minister to our wants or add to our
metropolitan greatness. They are far more
competent to do this than any squad of country
politicians sitting through winter session at
Albany. New York is home, and We take
that pride in its government which the pa
riotic citizen always feels in his home. What
we expected at the last election, especially
when the democratic party made an ostenta-
tious profession of ''home rule was that the
people of New York should enter upon the
government OF the metropolis. We had hoped
that the interference of Albany in our affairs
had ceased; that the Mayor would be regarded
as our chief magistrate, and that there would
be no interference with him on the part of the
Governor, except when necessary to prevent
MISUNDERSTANDING; SO long as the Mayor did
his duty the Governor would let him do it,
and not interfere in the minor details by q
policy Of irritation. In these hopes we have
been disappointed. New York is as much
dependency of Albany as it was in other days.
The Mayor governs New York, not in ODE
dience to his oath, but as o satrap
of Governor Tlden. The heads Of de-
partments are in mutiny. MIR. Green
scowls and glowers at his colleagues
as though they were midnight burglars
making an assault upon the treasury and he
alone was responsible for the virtue Of New
York. Mr.. Van Mort has no sympathy with
the democratic party, disdains even to pro-
TESS an allegiance to the Mayor and resigns
his Office MIR. belafeld Smith has been held
in allegiance for two months. During that
time his Office has been paralyzed
The absence Of any central authority to
seize and WELD these elements is painfully
felt From day to day the difficulty grows
worse. The natural expectations of the
people have been disappointed. We look for
rapid transit and we do not find single step
in that direction. We expected Mr.. Kelly,
Mayor Wickham and Governor Tilden-the
three men who are now in control of the city
and State OF New York to mature plan that
will be OF as great advantage to the city as the
opening of the Erie Canal was to the State If
these men had been statesmen in the higher
sense, if they had been simply shrewd, COM
nonsense men Of business looking keenly
after their own fame and the interests of their
own party, Uucy WOulO utSo Iutuo Idpiu
sit their first duty after ascending to power.
And SO with other questions Of public improve
ment-neglected, forgotten, in the scramble
for Office, in the aspirations for the Presidency,
in the schemes for party control-the new ad-
ministration seems destined to drift into the
old Tammany ruts, which led it to disaster.
Instead Of craftsmanship We have-to use
an expressive English -"shilly-shally.
The democratic party is on trial in New York.
BY its success or failure here its claim to con-
troll the country at the next Presidential cleo
ton will be largely judged Thus far it has
done nothing but quarrel and talk. Its best
friends, those who welcomed it into power
as the champion of reform, begin to fear that
we are no better off now than under the old
republican regime.