The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-11
Charter Reform and Spring Elections.


One of the most grotesquely odd things in
city politics is the sudden and ardent love of
our present charter which has sprung up In
divers quarters. 1t is we'll known that this
precious instrument, which has so many
new defenders, is substantially the old Tweed
charter, passed when the Ring was at the
height of its power and when the ''Boss"
was in full sway at Albany. In all its main
features it is the same charter which the
Union League Club sent Mr.. Greeley to
Albany to protest against just before its
passage, and which the anti-Tweed
democrats opposed with all their vigor.
Mr. Tilden went up to Albany at the same
time with Mr.. Greeley and made a strong
speech against it before the Senate Commit
tee on Cities, of which Tweed was chairman
1t was VIGOROUSLY concocted in the interest
of the Tammany Ring. The long terms of
four and six years which it gives to the heads
of the city departments was a device for
keeping the tools of Tweed in Office in spite
of occasional democratic defeats in the city
elections. This bad charter has verified all
the predictions of its opponents The gov
eminent of the city has never been
so bad as since it went into oper-
alton in 1870. Poor Mayor Havemeyer
protested against it in his Messages his
successor, Mayor Wickham, denounced it
when he came into Office the democrats in
the last Legislature tried to amend it; Gov
ernor Tilden confessed its exceeding bad
|. aalr;r f0r q ocio 10 a
better plan for the government Of cities.
But, oil of sudden, several of the most
prominent people ''inside politics." both on
the democratic and the republican side,
have become enamored of this browning
fruit of the Tweed regime. There is evil
IDENTIFY bargain between Mayor Wickham
and the republicans by which the
parties have bound themselves to
stave off action in this Legislature
for valuable and mutually satisfactory con-
siderations. Mayor Wickham breads an cleo
ton next spring, which would consign him to
obscurity, and he has appointed two repub-
lican Police Commissioners to conciliate the
republican majority of the Legislature. As
guild pro quo prominent republican jour-
nal supports his nomination of Commits
sioner Porter. There seems to be settled
understanding between the traders in poll
tics on both sides that the present charter
shall not be disturbed Notwithstanding the
denunciations so freely and necessarily
poured upon it both by republicans
and democrats during the last five
years. There is a harmonious under
standing that the present charter shall
not be disturbed during this session of
the Legislature, because the traders in pol
itics on both sides prefer the results of their
scandalous bargain to the welfare of the city
If this bargain succeeds the majority of the
members of the Legislature will be placed in
most unenviable light The HERALD
sent its correspondents to visit and inter-
view them before this disreputable political
dicker was made, and when they expressed
their unbiased sentiments there was major
ity of four or five to one in favor of the
changes advocated in our columns. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the members of
the Legislature will stand by their real con-
victions