The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-16

This bill having been advanced to a stage
which should render its passage by the Assem-
bly, certain portion of the republican press
is assailing it with vehemence which evinces
more zeal than knowledge. An appeal is
made to the republican Senators to defeat it
as contrary to the settled views OF the party,
and it is attempted to be shown that Gov
ernor Tilden has, on some former occasion,
committed himself against the principle Of
the bill. Both of these assumptions betray
profound ignorance or surprising forgetful-
ness of the recent history of the State and Of
the action of parties and public men on this
subject. In 1867 there was assembled in this
State constitutional convention, Of which
the republicans had majority elected the
presiding officer and controlled the organi-
cation and action. At The head of its large
Committee on Cities stood Judge Ira Harris
who had just completed his term of service
as republican United States Sen
ator A majority Of the committee
reported, through Mr.. Harris, and with
his strong approval, an article giving the
Mayors of cities far greater powers than are
contemplated by the Costigan bill, including
the sole power Of appointment and the power
of removal sat his pleasure" That proposed
article was debated at length in Committee
of the Whole, Judge Harris advocating it
with great ability, supported, among others,
by Mr.. Alvord, then. as now, leading repub-
lican. Mr.. Opdyke, who had been republi-
can Mayor of this city, advocated an increase
of the power of that officer, but thought the
plan of the committee went too far in giving
the Mayor the sole power Of appointment;
but Mr.. Opdyke was willing to give him the
sole pow er of removal and in that respect his
views conformed to the present bill. demo-
cratic member of the committee, Mr.. Henry
c. Murphy, made a minority report requiring
removals to be for cause instead of at pleas
ure, but investing the Mayor with exclusive
authority to judge of the suficiency Of the
causes and making his decision irreversible.
This part of the article, as finally adopted by
the Convention, was in substantial accordance
with Mr.. Murphy's minority report, showing
that the most eminent men of the State at
that time of both political parties agreed in
thinking it wise to clothe the Mayor with full
power of removal for cause. The one or two
republican journals that denounce the COST
gan bill with such unsparing violence would
gain some valuable instruction by looking
through the debates on this subject in
1867.
As to Governor Tllden's position, there is
nothing in the Costigan bill inconsistent with
the language which has been reproduced from
bis Message, his power to remove the Mayor
meeting every requirement of wholesome
State limitation on 10 al freedom. In the
spring of 1870 Mr.. Tilden went to Albany
and made speech against the then pending
Tweed charter, speech in which he main
tanned that our municipal government ought
to be so organized that all the officers could be
changed at every election Of Mayor, and he
condemned plan which placed the heads of
departments beyond the Mayors reach. 1t is
certain, therefore, that, if this bill passes the
Governor could not veto it without fragrant
violation of consistency.