The New York herald., 1877-02-11
Manicipal Government-The Mayors
Once.

He had lain in wait for her several hours
He had traced her to a certain den-run her
to earth, as the hunters would say. He had
then demonstrated at one issue of this den
so as to frighten her out at another issue,
mad then moved around to that other issue
just as she came out, and then. in full view,
had overtaken her, stabbed her and
killed her. All this was done precisely
as if 1t were an organized hunt
to kill wild beast in the forest But the
wild beast was wretched. trembling
woman, and the forest was a street OF this
more or less Christian city, patrolled from
time to time by two thousand policemen
city with authorities of all sorts on good
pay to watch one another But the police
is very well handled and knows all about
the event. At least two policemen on their
beats spoke to this murderer while he was
also on his beat, waiting all night for this
wretched woman to come out that he
might drive his weapon to her heart.
He had asked the policemen to assist him
to help get his wife out of her refuge.
They had both recognized that this was
no part Of their duty and naturally re-
sponded to that effect It did not
occur to them, it does not seem to
be recognized in our municipal usages. that
there was in the case a distinct duty for
them to perform. They did not reflect that
if q man was thus waiting breach of the
peace with bloody consequences was i'm
minent, and they do not seem, as would
80 - knxx
quired that the man should ''move on"
That easy duty rigidly performed then
would have saved this life.
The indifference apparent in this case illus
trates the one glaring defect of our system
of slip-shod administration, the want Of a
carelessness in the performance of unob-
served details Of duty. In the streets, IN
regard to the public peace, in the admins
tration of various departments. in the range
of executive duties that fall between the as
signed spheres Of departments. or that is
outside that sphere, there is want in the
public service of that tone which in a pri-
vate service is produced by the operation of
"the masters eye." It is true we are such
thoroughgoing republicans that we have no
master as people but in the main
tenance of our municipal household there
are services to be performed and servants to
perform them, and master over these is q
necessary condition Of having efficient SER
wants instead Of dilatory ones-of having
their services rendered efficiently instead of
negligently and indifferently. Every SER
want of the public does ''what is good in
his own eyes," because there is no power to
see that he does what the public good de-
mands.
Why is this? That is an inquiry that
goes into the history of our municipal poll
tics for some years past, but more particu-
larly into the history of the Office of Mayor.
At period not very remote, except forh
people that change SO rapidly as we do, it
was felt by some good citizens and some
political sharpers that q remedy must be
provided against the gross evils and cor
ruptions of our municipal politics. There
were, no doubt, gross evils and
startling corruptions, for people stole
then out of the whole city till
in any. one department Our political
philosophers decided that the evils were due
to universal suffrage, and to that common re-
suit of universal suffrage, the domination in
the city of the politicians who ran the party
machine They held that as long as the
government was run by a Mayor whom the
people elected, and by Aldermen and As
sistant Aldermen whom the people also
elected with the assistance of Tammany,
it would be the same; SO they went to
Albany and changed it, They gave us au-
thorities that practically issued, not
from the suffrages of the city, but
from the suffrages of the people
of the whole State by the appointment of
the Governor. To one commission thus
appointed was given one function of the
Mayors Office, to another commission
another function, and SO on, and the
Mayors Office and the two bodies Of the
ancient Corporation were thus. stripped of
all the powers commonly possessed by such
bodies and officers in municipal systems.
His Honor the Mayor was left in Office to
license cabs, though there were no cabs, and
to review from his Office window civic process
sions that passed the City Hall, though the
police tried to keep such professions up town.
In short, he was perhaps left in Office be-
cause the Legislature had not imagination
enough to conceive Of q city without O
Mayor.
Experience Of the evils Of that system,
and the great municipal reaction against
thieves which drove out Tweed and his
confederates, have done much for US in the
restoration of power to its proper place.
But the restoration is far from complete.
Much has been done, however No depart
ment is absolutely independent Of the infu-
ence of the executive authority vested in