The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-06-16


these days OF political timidity and evasion.
In recording his reasons tor not signing the
Public Burdens bill the Governor closes a
forcible paper with the remark that 'until
the city can have charter and local gov
eminent representing its people and acting
for it at home it is far better to be without
legislation than to come to Albany tor it,
New York has suffered so much from legisla-
tive cupdity and stupidity in the past that
the Governors words will be generally in
dorsed by those who read them without any
close inquiry into the logic OF the remark.
We cannot very we'll get such charter and
such local government as the Governor
suggests and Us the people desire without
going to Albany for it,. Nevertheless, it is
undeniabie thatrwhenever q measure relat-
ing to the government Of this city is before
the State Legislature it excites partisan
struggle nnong our own representatives
and greedy scramble among country men,
bers, and is almost certain to come out Of
the legislative crucible in questionable
shape and with little resemblance to the
original bill.
The legislation Of the present year verifies
this statement in striking manner. When
the session commenced there were certain
points relating to our local government
upon which ali disinterested citizens
agreed. One Of these was that the salaries
OF heads of departments and other public
officers which had been fixed by law in
1873, and which could not be changed with
ont legislative action. ought to be reduced.
In pursuance of necessary economy
the pay OF teachers in the pub
lie schools, OF laborers employed by
the city and of subordinate clerks
in the various municipal offices had
been decreased, and it was maintained that
the salaries Of the higher officers OF the city
government, ranging from three thousand
to fifteen thousand, and in the case OF the
Chamberlain to thirty thousand dollars
year, should also be subjected to reduction.
constitutional difficulty stood in the way.
BY the amendments of 1874 the Legislature
is prohibited from passing any private or
local bill creating increasing or decreasing
fees, percentage or allowances OF public
officers during the term for which said Off
GERS are elected or appointed. "Allo~-
anccs" are interpreted by the Governor
to include "salaries," and he would
therefore have vetoed any local bill pro-
yiding for the decrease OF the salaries fixed
by the charter during the terms OF the per-
sons now filling the several offices. bill
purporting TO be general bill, applicable
to al the cities OF the State. was, therefore,
passed but the Governor found in this SO
much that was Objectionable that his sigma
ture was reluctantly withheld. We do
not wholly indorse his criticism of
the measure. 1t bestowed cxtraordi-
nary power on the Board of Appor-
tionment in New York; but public
opinion would assurcdly have deferred
that Board from exercising such power in
the arbitrary and partial manner appre-
hcnded by the Governor, even il the person
mel Of the Board were not u sufficient guar
antee against such injustice. The sound
objection to The bill is that. being OF neces-
sity made to appear a general law, it would
seriously confuse and in some instances
radically change the charters of other cities
in the State, while the fact that it was in
substance and in reality local bill, in
tended to apply only to New York city, and
thus transparently a subterfuge, must have
rendered its constitutionality doubtful
AMI have invited litigation. II there
had been m honest desire in the Legisla.
ture to extend relief to New York the sim
pie way wonld have been TO provide for the
reduction Of such salaries Of city officers as
are considered too large after the expiration
Of the terms Of the present incumbents. AS
it is new Mayor and a new Board Of Al
dermen will be elected and probably sew
eral new heads OF departments will be APP
pointed while the present salaries are fixed
by law, and the same constitutional diff
Guilty in the way Of reducing the amounts
that now exist will stand in the way Of
their reduction next year.
DIR. Isaac !. Hayes bill, ITO secure better
public administration in the city of New
York" which also failed to receive the Gov
errors approval, is another instance OF
the lack Of sincerity or of capacity that
marks the greater portion of the legislation
relating to our city government. Dr.
Hayes, no doubt, framed the bill
in good faith, and many of its provi-
sions were excellent. This the Governor
comedies; but while he does not point
out in detail his objections, ms he does in
the case Of the Public Burdens bill, he states
that he finds in it many bad and mis-
chievous sections. 1t was, in fact, new
city charter 80 far as the business Of the
city government is concerned, and in some
respects it made some desirable changes in
the matter Of contracts and assessments.
One Of it's features was decidedly beneficial.
1t placed the Dock Department, which now
assumes to be independent Of the Board Of
Apportionment, on the same basis rs all
other departments Of the city govern