The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-25

The Steinway Hall meeting. held In New
York city Tuesday evening. at which. It wa
reported, disturbances and violence tool
place, was called by the property holders 0
that city In favor Of an amendment to tn
State constitution passed by the late Legisla
ture, and to be submitted to the voters o
New York at the coming election The pro
| visions OF this amendment were PROPOSED
and suggested by the municipal commission
body composed Of leading and Influential
citizens OF New York city, and were intended
| these gentlemen declare, to give better cit,
| government to New York and Brooklyn, ant
| prevent the finances of these cities from fall
| ing into the hands Of dishonest and corr,fpt
| men.
The provisions of this amendment are sever
In number, and are as follows
I. Municipal g ectlons to be held distinct from
others and In March or Arril
Boards Of france to be elected in cities al
over 100 900 Inhabitants. to consist Of Is mem.
.. The electors of this board consisting of II
.nembers 70 % legal voters who pay. taxes on
yearly rent Of not less than $3.50. ''n ''''' u =
4; The Board OF Finance to have exclusive con-
trol q the financial affairs OF the municipality
ity unless there is money in the trsaa,lry to
pay IT.; no payments to be made excent on
special appropriation.
laws providing for local improvements, and no
money to tie borrowed by any city for current
expenses, except In anticipation of revenue.
z. The Legis ature to have no power to make
changes in the city government, unless by an
act passed upon the application Of the city.
70 mace by resolution of the board Of Finance and
Or by an act which shall have received the sane
ton OF two successive Legi la'ures.
This amendment particularly sections 2
ana ., has met with the greatest disapproval
OF large majority Of the voters of New York,
and has been denounced in the severest terms
by the late Tammany convention. An in.
vestigation shows that out of the voting pop
ulation of New York, 10000 In number, only
10000 are tax payers who under this law.
would be entitled to vote for this Board of
Finance, to which the entire municipal gov
eminent OF the city Is given. The voters pay
ing rent OF over $3.50 year, would amount to
about 10000 more making total of 90. 600
persons entitled to vote for the Board of
Finance Of New York. Thus section 8 would
practically disfranchise 10000 persons In
New York. about 10000 in Brooklyn and 900
in Buffalo, the only three cities affected by
this amendment.
There seems little likelihood of such a mea-
sure getting the approval of the voters of the
Empire State, although some of its provisions
are cordially approved. The Democracy of
the State is pledged against the measure
which was wholly the creation of the Republi-
cans, 1t having received the vote Of but a single
Democrat in the Legislature. In addition to
the Democrats, many Republicans fear the
power to be given to this newly Gre
ated Board Of Finance, which far outstrips
the power given Tweed and his pals in 1868.
II this Board Of Finance be dishonest, and
the mere refusal to allow 10000 voters to vote
for it will not make 1t honest, New York
would indeed be saddled with ring to which
Tweed's was mere child. The probability
Is, therefore, that this amendment will be
some tens Of thousands of votes behind the
Republican State ticket