The New York herald., 1877-02-12
Morrissey Hit. tho Mark.

an exhibition of a'mless garrulity relieved
only by the vigorous remarks of Senator
Morrissey. 1t does not promote either edi-
fication or business for men to get together
and prate in public when they do not them
selves quite know what they are driving at.
Some of the heads of departments did,
however, have q glimmer of meaning
in their weak maundering which Mr..
Morrissey put into plain English for
them by saying:-"I have been sitting
here for some time and have been listen
ing have heard the head of every depart
ment tell his story, and they oil think we
can't get along without them" Not ra-
tiopal word had any of them to speak as to
the practicability and the methods of reduc-
ing the expenses of their own departments.
They were, indeed, pretty unanimous in
tho opinion that their administration has
been so admirable and economical as to adj
nit of no improvement nor any curtailment
of expenses. These sclf-complacent models
of administrative perfection will hardly per-
suade the people to, take them ut their own
valuation Mr.. Morrissey talked more sense
in five minutes than all of them together did
in two hours.
We are even less satisfied with Mayor Ely
than with the twaddling heads of depart
ments, although he did say something def
mite in favor of reducing expenses His
ideas, at least those he expressed, are petty
and piddling We were entitled to expect
from him comprehensive scheme of econ
omy. 1t is his business to lead. He ought
by this time to have full grasp of the mu-
nicipal situation. Instead of cropping with
the others he should have presented pre-
else plan, or the outlines and seminal
ideas of plan, and have submitted
it to the discussion and judgment of the
conference. Instead of this he merely
touched the fringe and tags of the subject.
He offered to submit without complaint to
ten per cent reduction of his own salary
and that of his clerks. What broad scheme
of municipal economy! According to our
reporters the meeting greeted this compre-
hensive proposal with applause. Wemust
reserve our applause for the sagacious and
wide-reaching plan which it is the duty of
the responsible chief magistrate of the city
to devise and which we do not yet
despair of his submitting to his fel-
low citizens. We do not want his
salary reduced; the city could afford
to double it for a Mayor sagacious enough,
bold enough, energetic enough to take hold
of the helm with strong, skilful hand and
reduce the city expenses three or four mill
ions year. We want Mayor with ideas !;
the city is willing to pay literally for eff
cient work. 1t is not petty cheese-paring
economy that we want, but ability in our
Mayor to grapple successfully with the fun
damental conditions of municipal reform.
Mr.. Merrissey has not surveyed the sub
iect in it's whole extent, but what he did
say was marked by vigorous, manly sense.
Pouring scorn on the twaddle of the heads
of departments, whose wisdom he summed
up in the idea that 1--WE can't get along with
out them," the sturdy Senator added, II
think onc-half of them ought to be abolished
or merged into each other" A fussy re-
former protested against this idea but Mr..
Morrissey stood his ground and the obiector
made poor figure. We do not think that
Mr. Morrissey's statement that 'one-half' of
without detriment is even IN exaggern-
ton. He did not mean that one-half
of the departments should be abolished. but
one-half of the officers. He would not only
merge some of the departments in others,
but he would dispense with all the plural
heads, with single exception, for reasons
which he stated, in favor of the Police De-
partment Instead of four or five commits
sioners he would give each department a
single responsible head. We have no doubt
at oil that this would be attended with
greater efficiency as we'll as saving of ex-
pense. Mr. Ely must take care lest our
citizens regret that he is not still in Con-
gress and that the bold, straightforward Mr..
Morrissey is not serving rs Mayor.
Shukespenre and the Centennial.
The Centennial Exhibition is conceded to
have been a brilliant affair yet with all its
success it failed as true exponent of the
wonderful intellectual growth of America
We saw in that great display the American
intellect expressed in machinery, in manu-
factures and in invention, but we did not
see it in literature or abstract science. The
Exhibition should have included o series of
scientific, medical, juridical, philosophical,
theological and educational conventions, to
have reported those discoveries which ma.
terial work cannot possibly represent.
President Grant pointed out the importance
| ~r .,,cb n cp,tor,. lint tho nm fort,, roto f,ci