The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-10-17

figurehead, who has cheerful Office in the
City Hall, receives twelve thousand dollars
year for doing nothing and appoints his
friends to Office. These city politicians nat
urally think the Mayoralty what printers
call Stat take"
The Mayor of New York, in the opinion
of Mr.. Kelly. is person who does MI.
Kelly's will. appoints Mr.. Kelly's friends
to Office, pulls Mr. Kelly's chestnuts out OF
the fire and does not complain if he some
times burns his own fingers.
The Mayor of New York, in the opinion
of the people of New York, ought to be
man of independent will, of zeal for the
city's welfare, determined to make the sub
ordinate officers do their duty, and to ad-
minister the municipal affairs economically
and theoretically.
1t is not difficult to see that here are three
parties who differ essentially in their ideas
Of what Mayor Of New York is or should be-
For the present the politicians, including MI.
Kelly, are engaged in an attempt to make
new Mayor; the people, who have o much
greater interest than anybody else, are
looking on as though it was none of their
business. Yet the next Mayor will have,
as we have often shown, the appointment
of 50 many new officers that he will really
frame q complete new administration for the
city. He will appoint Comptroller,
Corporation Counsel, a Commissioner OF
Public Works, Police Commissioners, and
a number Of other officers, most if not all OF
whom will serve for longer terms than his
own. It was never more important to the
people to have fearless, independent
capable man for Mayor, one who should be
animated by the single purpose of serving
the city.
But what is the use Of talking about the
people of New York? They do not care
who is Mayor or what kind Of man he is.
They will go up to the polls on the 5th Of
November and vote their regular party
ticket, no matter whether by doing 80
they condemn themselves for years to dirty
streets and filthy tenements, comfortless
cars, high prices and rents, insecurity of
person and property, or not We may leave
the people out Of the Mayoralty question.
It is a question of what is called practical
politics" and here is the situation from
that standpoint
The Tammany Convention met on Tues
day afternoon and adjourned to Saturday.
Mr.. Kelly plays q waiting game. He
fears o combination of the anti-Tammany
forces and halts to see how formidable this
will be. Mr.. Kelly's hesitation is prudent,
but his prudence is blunder. It is q con-
fession that he would like to nominate a
man for Mayor who could not be elected If
his opponents are wise and united, and
that he will nominal better man only If
he is compelled to. We have SO often ex-
pressed our belief. of Mr.. Kelly's sincere
desire and of his capacity to serve the city
TINT we regret to see him now allowing his
personal ambition to overcome his public
spirit. He fancies that it suits his purposes
to have dummy for Mayor; but he ought
to see that he can perpetuate his own power
only by giving the city the best possible
Mayor. We do not object to his control,
but he ought to rule openly. With John
Kelly for Mayor at the head of it the Tam
many ticket would be strong, because it
would be straightforward; and it would be
hard to beat.
The Republican Convention met on Tues
day evening, appointed committee to con-
fer with other organizations opposed TO
Tammany and adjourned subject to call
from the chairman. The republicans have
wisely concluded that they ought not to
run q straight ticket but they hold, it is
said, that as they have strong and we'll
disciplined organization and cast o heavy
vote they ought to be allowed at least
combination or anti-Tammany candidate
for the Mayoralty. In this they are right.
They ought not to insist on o republican,
but they have o right to say that some
democrats are Objectionable to them. For
instance, they might we'll object to the
nomination of Mr.. Edward Cooper for
Mayor, because it is generally un-
derstood that this means an at
tempt by the Tilden faction to
secure certain partisan advantages in the
State, and to this the republicans could not
be expected to lend themselves. General
Arthur might reasonably say, 1--WE are now
talking about the city government, and not
about State politics. A non-partisan move
ment must not be used by any of the parties
in tho combination for their own Interior
purposes"
The anti-Tammany organizations have
resolved to confer with the republicans,
and the three or four greenback-labor
organizations remain an unknown but
not very important element One Of them
has offered q nomination to Mr.. Cooper
because he is hard money man, per-
haps and another is said to favor Mr..
Schell.
Mr.. Kelly can overcome all his opponents
by taking the Tammany nomination him
self, and he ought to see that in this way he
can probably perpetuate his own power in