The New York herald., 1879-08-31
The City and the Politicians.

such place as the city of New York. AT
Saratoga next Wednesday, and at Syracuse
the following week. please remember, gem
tlemen, that this city is the head and not
the tail of the State, in the taxes it pays
the prosperity which the energy and indus
try of it's people create, and no less In
their intelligence and civic virtue.
1t would please us if we could see among
the numerous resolutions of both parties
which will all be very good resolutions no
doubt-one promising to give the city OF
New York good government-by which
we mean simple form OF government
with responsible executive head, fre-
auently reelected, having the power to ap-
point and remove his subordinates, and
there himself directly responsible
to the citizens for all abuses which may
happen. 1t is but little thing to ask, and
| it would be but a little thing for the poll
ticians, our masters, to grant us, If 1t were
not unfortunately true that these masters
of ours have discovered that good govern
ment for the city would mean honest,
economical and efficient government; and
that would mean less plumber, fewer legiti-
mate and illegtimate expenditures, fewer
office-holders, and no chance for coalitions,
bargains and rings.
So far as their municipal government is
concerned the people of this city not only
need not, but in fact do not, care whether
democrats or republicans possess it. The
ofiice-holders and the office-seekers-the
''tax eaters" as they are sometimes grimly
called--care, OF course but the people, not
only the property owning class, but the day
laborers, all alike, if they will only
think of it, need care nothing about
politics, SO far as the city is con-
cerned. What they do care for is
clean streets; an effective, honest and civil
police; prompt and cheap justice; well
kept and guarded parks and public places;
the means Of cheaply and rapidly moving
from point to point in the city; faithful
supervision of its health; care of it's piers,
docks and harbor. All this they are vitality
interested in; they can afford to pay to have
it all thoroughly well done. We say this
confidently, for they have been for many
years paying handsomely to have it very
poorly DONE They have, indeed, been
paying great multitude Of idle politicians
to prevent it being done at all. Is it not
an extraordinary and disgraceful thing, for
instance, that with all the taxes New York
pays to its numerous officials, from the
Mayor down, its harbor has been nearly
destroyed by the dumping Of garbage? And
does it not utterly condemn the present
form of city government that when this
gross and dangerous abuse is at last dis
covered, not by the authorities, but by the
private enterprise of the HERALD, there is
not even an attempt to hold anybody re-
sponsible?
The reason is that the New York city
charters, framed by politicians for the pur-
pose of perpetuating the misgovernment by
it impossible to hold any one officer to any
one kind ofresponsibility. There ought to be
man in ofice--one man, not half dozen
to whom all of us should look and whom
all of US could hold responsible whenever
any of the city's affairs are mismanaged or
neglected But the object of all our char
ters for quarter of century has been to
aVOlU SlNlup SuCH u
The politicians of both parties are in
futter of anxiety to carry the State this
fall. They see great number of valuable
prizes going, and they hunger for them. In
reality the people are not much interested.
Economy in public expenditures is just now
the fashion, and whoever is elected, whether
republican or democrat, will be compelled
by the public demand to give us at least
| respectable administration of the States
affairs. But the politicians are looking
after the United States Senatorship, after
the com ptroIlers of public works and State
prisons, after the numerous harbor MASTER
ships and other offices which will be in the
gift of the next Governor. They are eager
for all these nice plums, and if the people
only knew how to make bargain with
their political .masters they might get out
of them just now some wholesome reforms,
and among them, perhaps, reform of the
city government. AS to bargaining before
hand, thatis, perhaps, not possible but the
need of a better city charter is now so gem
orally known that if the politicians are
prudent they will insert in their platforms
some engagement to do the right thing by
the city. They may gain votes here by
doing so.
1t has long been pretended by the repub-
licans that the city could not be safely
trusted to rule itself hence they invented
the system of ruling it at Albany, just as
some of them want to have the States ruled
at Washington. This plan has failed, and
it will always fail. 1t has corrupted the
Legislature and will always do SO. The
people of the city are capable of self-gov-