The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-23


The announcement that seems to be 40
cepted as official, that the Fitz Porters and the
Fitz Kellys have come to an agreement by
which it is arranged that all the offices under
the control of the Commissioner of Public
Works shall be fairly divided among the
"honest workingmen" of the party, is most
important. The situation is this:-The Man.
haitian Club and the Fitz Porters who belong
to it, representing the kid-gloved, perfumed,
high society element of the party, have made
General Porter Commissioner of Publ C
Works, and before they are through will
probably appoint the heads of every munich
pal department The rank and file of the
democracy are to be satisfied by receiving all
the appointments under these departments.
They are to work and dig, to labor in Central
Park and the Fourth avenue improvement,
and to earn from dollar and half to five
dollars day for their pure democracy The
Fitz Porters are to be paid various sums from
five thousand dollars to fifty thousand
dollars year for their services, and
the Fitz Kellys are to be paid anywhere
from five hundred to five thousand
dollars The power rests with the
Fitz Porters of the Manhattan Club. By
power We mean easy work, honorable posi-
ton and high salary. The patronage" rests
with the rank and file-the Fitz Kellys-which
means hard work and steady voting when the
day comes.
Of course, if the Tammany boys are salts
fed with this arrangement, it is no business Of
ours. But there is one point which we regret
to say has escaped their attention. When
this party came into power in New York it
made certain promises that it would reform
the government give us sound municipal
system, do away with all the corruptions Of
the old Tammany Ring, and, above all things,
establish civil service in the city. Without
curiously considering how tar these promises
have been, realized let us ask whether the
Tammany Ring ever did anything more cor
rupt than this bargaining and sale Of the
public offices of New York to the leaders
Of political organization? Let us
ask, also, where are those reforms
which were to be introduced in the govern
ment of the city? If this city is to be gov
erned as a merchant conducts his business
by prudence, economy, justice; if officials are
to be appointed only for merit, and to be kept
in place and promoted according to their
deserving, how can we have such an arrange
ment as is now proposed between General
Porter and Tammany Hall, by which COM
mittee of noisy and scheming politicians have
the entire power to remove every officer in
great department? What has John Morrissey
done, either in the politics, the business
circles or the society Of New York, that he
should have the power to name the officials
who are to manage the Department of Public
Works? Who has given John Kelly the attri-
butes Of authority to enable him to say
whether two or three thousand men shall
remain in their places? Are we to understand
that the power Of Morrissey and Kelly
is the logical result of the last election
Are we to believe that this civil service
reform was simply an election cry, and that
this is to be the fruit of it-this bargaining
and sale between the city government and
Tammany Hall; this changing of the whole
system OF CITY government, noI upon tne prln-
ciples of fitness and merit, but in obedience
to committee of eager, bustling politicians?
We are so democratic in New York that we
can probably stand this. If we look back
upon the dynasties of the Tammany reign we
are probably doing as well now as we have
ever done before. But how can the demo-
cratic party expect power in other States how
can it claim to carry the next election to the
Presidency, if here in New York, where it is
strong it signalizes its first accession to power
by trampling under foot every promise made
by its leaders and embarking upon the old
sea of nepotism, corruption and political in
trigue?