The New York herald., 1875-12-28
The Commissioners or Public Works
Brilliant practical Politics.


service az Commissioner of Public Works
is about to expire, and his administration
has been 50 unpopular and 50 damaging
to the democratic party that he will not
be reappointed "A burnt child breads
the fire." and not even Mayor Wickham
can be cajoled to repeat the blunder OF
such an appointment Nobody conyersant
with city politics is ignorant Of the source
Of that capital mistake, and it is not sur
prising that Mayor Wickham has lost con-
iidence in the self-yaunted skill in ''practi-
cal politics" BY which he was misled into
an act which brought upon him the male
dictions of the democratic leaders in
the recent election, and which gave
John Morrissey the principal weapon
with which he defeated Tammany. That
great feat of practical politics" is mar
vellous title to democratic confidence.
How can the city democracy ever pay its
debt to the uncommon master of practical
politics who modestly adds to the obliga-
ton by blowing his own trumpet?
That admirable stroke of practical poll
tics, for which the city democracy in gen.
eral and Mayor Wickham in particular, no
doubt, feel profoundly grateful, was also a
beautiful exemplification of principle and
consistency The adviser of the appoint
ment had been for years sounding his bugle
and courting all the political echoes by inf
mite variations of the demand for ''home
rule" and this democratic doctrine was re-
markably illustrated by importing New
Jersey office-holder to take charge of an
i'm mportant city department in New York.
The oracular master of practical politics
was rather late considering his boastful
claims to foresight) in comingto a knowledge
Of the magnitude of this service When the
HERALD predicted in October that the democ-
racy would be defeated in the city and lose a
great part Of its majority in the State, the
oracle deigned to remind it that it was in
''irrelation with the currents Of politics"
and, therefore, incompetent to form an
opinion. A laborious statement of reasons
was paraded showing why the democracy
were certain to increase their majority both
in the city and the State but unluckily the
result of the election verified the oracular
predictions ''by the rule of contraries." But
defeat did not disturb the serene professor
of practical politics, /" who never gets into
''irrelation" with his bee1tiful diffidence
The appointment of Mr.. Morrison as
chairman Of Ways and Means is feat of
practical politics" Of the same brilliant
order as the selection Of General Porter to be
Commissioner Of Public Works, and Speaker
Kerr will, in the end, be as proud of his ad-
wiser as Mayor Wickham has such peculiar
reasons to be. Mr.. Morrison caused the
adoption in Illinois of the New York dem
ocratic platform, whose authorship has been
50 industriously proclaimed, and this valu-
able service is made the strong justification
of his appointment in quarter which ought
to be well informed, at least, on that point
1t is safe to say that there is no ''irrelation"
1--WE admire learned words) between Mr. Nor
rison and Mr.. Kerr's guide, philosopher and
friend" Hence this recent parallel to the
practical politics" which conferred on the
democratic party the incalculable advantage
of the ''irrelation" in the late election between
General Porter and the city democracy
A CROOKED WHIsKEY" PHILOSOPHER.
In opotbar mart of fha HEpArn ua ,,r;pf n ~