The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-08
charter reform at Albany.

of municipal reform for this city There
are few things in recent politics so absurd
as the asking by the Governor and the grant
ing by the Legislature of authority to
appoint commission for devising uni
form plan of local government for all the
cities of the State. Our cities differ so
widely In their wants and circumstances
that the idea of a uniform charter for them
all is supremely ridiculous. The grotesque-
ness of such project is enhanced by its
coming from a democratic Governor. 1t is a
cardinal tenet Of the democratic faith that
every separate community has its peculiar
wants, of which its own citizens are the only
competent judges. A cast iron system Of
municipal government, applicable to all the
cities of the State, such as Governor Tilden
proposes contradicts the fundamental ideas
of the democratic party What is the prin-
ciple which underlies the democratic doc
trine of "home rule" 1t is that every sep
arate community has peculiar interests
which cannot be brought under any stiff,
uniform regulation such as Governor Tilden
seeks to impose on the cities of this State.
propriety in am attempt by the federal
government to dictate uniform constitution
for all the States of the Union as there is in
Governor Tildens effort to devise uniform
cast iron charter for all the cities in the
State of New York. 1t is one of the best
features of our American system of govern
ment that each State is left at full liberty to
a, Il
improvements are introduced in the consti-
tuition of a particular State the other
thirty-six States can watch their operation,
and if they are found to be salutary
other States can gradually adopt them,
80 far as they are suited to their
local circumstances, when they hold con-
ventions for revising their State constitu-
tions. The great advantage of leaving each
State to frame its own constitution consists
in the fact that doubtful experiments are
tried only in some one State, the thirty-six
others looking on and watching, prepared to
adopt or repudiate the experiment, accord
ing to its success. Most of the improve
ments in our State constitutions have come
by the adoption in other States of changes
found to work well in the particular State
which first tried them This is one of the
most important advantages of State indie
pendence. When an experiment is tried only
one State has stake in its consequences until
the result is known, when other States can
adopt or reject the change in accordance
with their local wants If such experiments
fail it is better that only one State should
suffer instead of the whole thirty-seven, as
would be the case if changes in the State
constitutions were dictated by central
authority and all the States were compelled
to test them at the same time.
The same important principle applies to
the charters of the various cities in the State
of New York. The first requisite is to get
good working charter for some one city.
When few years trial demonstrates its ex-
cellence other cities will wish to copy
it so far as it may be suited
to their circumstances. 1t would be
absurd to involve all the cities of the State
in the result of q doubtful experiment. as
Governor Iilden proposes. Let the expert
ment be tried in one city, and when it is
found TO work well in one the others will be
eager to adopt it, SO far as it may seem to
meet their local wants. A farmer who uses
twenty ploughs would act like q fool if he
should suddenly change them all for some
new invention. If he be man Of sense he
will make a thorough trial of one, awaiting
the result of the experiment before stocking
his farm with the new invention. The same
ment in municipal government in all the
cities of the State before the principle is
found to work well in some one city. If
new printing press we're brought to the
attention of great newspaper it might sub
stitute it for one of its many presses in order
to test its merits, but printers would de-
serve to be branded as idiots if they changed
all their presses for the new pattern before
testing its value Governor Tilden flies in
the face Of common sense in trying TO devise
q universal charter for all the cities of the
State when no charter has yet been tried
which gives good government to any one
city. An excellent and successful charter for
the city of New York would serve as o model
for the other cities of the State, but it is
preposterous to suppose that q good gen.
eral system can be found so long
as the Legislature proves incompetent to
give good government to one city. Governor
Tilden's commission is humbug The
other cities of the State are getting on
tolerably well, and they can afford to await
the result of successful experiment in New
York before radical change in oil the
present charters.
Governor Tildens commission is trans
parent political dodge Its sole purpose is to
put off and postpone municipal reform in this
city until after the New York delegates are
chosen to the Democratic National Conven-
ton. He knows that Tammany is opposed