The New York herald., 1876-09-25
Tn. I..us in tho city.

The campaign for the Presidency must
not be allowed to absorb other issues. We
have q Governor to elect. We have our
municipal rulers to choose. We have to
consider how far the spirit of reform should
enter into our city government We have
to repair the blunders We made two or three
years ago in choosing reform candidates.
We have to consider gravely the wants OF
this great city, wants which grow from time
to time by reason Of their neglect. We
have to consider that although We
have credit, boundless ambition, the met
ropolitan position on this continent and
a future which even strikes the imagna-
ton of as cold thinker as Comptroller
| Green, we have nevertheless done nothing
| toward the improvement of the city since
the downfall of Tammany Hail. We have
to accept the fact that our policy of govern
ment, 80 far as we have had one, has been
policy Of sitting. The men who rule us
are men who have the power to break down,
not the courage to build up. We never
wanted good government more than now in
the city of New York, and by good
government we mean enterprise, cour-
! age, economy and comprehensive knowl-
edge of the wants of the city. The
great obstacle to good government in
New York is the canker Of Tammany Hall.
Tammany Hall, as personified in John Kelly,
| is rs we have shown from time to time, an
| evil influence, the existence of which is in
compatible with that wise and judicious
| sc
great city. If we study the reign Of Tam
many Hall for a generation at least we find
one "boss" succeeding another without any
improvement in the government of the city
or the tone of our politics We have no
objection to Mr.. Kelly on personal grounds,
and do not doubt that he is IN
honorable man and good citizen that
he would rather beat. the head Of an organi-
zatioR which would be governed by the
highest instincts of policy than of the gang
of thieves, and strikers, and plunderers,
which is now known as Tammany Hall. But
leader, no matter how honest, never rises
above his following or his system John
Kelly rs the embodiment of the canker of
Tammany Hall is as much an enemy Of good
government in New York as William M.
Tweed was. Even Tweed, with all his
crimes was not insensible to the future
glory of New York; but Mr. Kelly
never seems to rise above his revenges or his
piques. He is governed by that strong
fondness for personal following which
controls Governor Tildeu. Whenever we
read of the opening of a municipal cam
paign under the control of Mr.. Kelly we
are sure to read of crowd Of unknown
and obscure followers coming to the front.
When Mr.. Kelly endeavored to punish Re
corder Hackett because he would not be q
minion of his power the people rose against
him and destroyed his campaign. We
then said to Mr.. Kelly that the time
had come for him to take new de-
parture, and to accept the downfall of
Tammany Hall, not as mutiny, but as
revolution. We begged that he would call
around him the best men in the city, reor-
ganize the democracy and abandon Tam
many Hall as name of evil omen. We
have little doubt that if Mr.. Kelly had taken
this ground he might now be the leader of
reform democracy which represented the
true views of the people, and whose triumph
would not be that of idiots like Wickham,
but of capable, honest men who knew what
good government demanded and had the
courage and ability to administer the gov
ernment
As the canvass now stands, if the demo-
cratic party in this city is to suffer from the
.oc1-or &c Tor,rooDy Ho1I IL looLs oc ;f xvo
should have defeat as disastrous as that of
last year. There is a great deal Of discus
sion about Tammany and anti-Tammany
uniting; about giving Morrissey SO many
loaves and fishes and Kelly so many loaves
and fishes The politicians have been in
high excitement over the division Of the
spoils but that is not the way to insure sue
cess. The people of New York do not
| choose to be transferred from Boss Kelly to
Boss Morrissey any more than they did from
Boss Kelly to Boss Sweeny. They are
tired of the whole boss system, tired
of Kelly, tired Of Wickham, tired Of
Morrissey, tired of the whole crowd Of
adventurers and bummers and political
charlatans that deal with politics as they do
with fancy stock or game of cards, and
who are kept in power by the support of the
worst influences in the metropolis Who
ever will give New York reform ticket for
the next canvass in the city, with good
names on it, names of men who would COM
mand the confidence of the people, will de-
feat Tammany Hail. or any other hall, as
dsastrously as the machine was beaten by
General Jones in 1874 and by Recorder
| Hackett in 1875.
Savings Bank Management.
The report of the receiver of the Mechanics