The Portland daily press., 1880-04-06
The City Charter-Bliss's Fight Against
1.-THE New Superintendent Of Insur-
ance-Gov. Morgan's Gift to the Union
Theological Seminary.
NEW York, April 9Th, 1880.


1t is one o. the inevitable certainties conse-
quent upon every. meeting Of our State Legis-
lature that some scheme will be introduced for
tinkering the charter of the city. This time
Mr.. Strahan, one Of the Senators from the
metropolis, has introduced an elaborate scheme
for the government Of the municipality, and
: as Mr.. Strahan is one Of the Republican major
ity and withal gentleman of experience and
influence, the impression seems to have gained
general acceptance that his project is likely to
be vigorously pressed. The changes he pro-
poses are so radical and sweeping that they
have given occasion for much uneasiness in
the community and developed spirit of stren-
uous opposition to the threatened innovations.
A petition of remonstrance numerously signed,
has been addressed to the Legislature, but un-
fortunately the business of signing petitions
has been so extensively overdone that such
documents have long ago ceased to produce
any effect. People are so ready TO subscribe to
any paper which is placed before them, with
out discrimination or reflection, that they
have wasted the power they might otherwise
have exercised, and are disabled from COM
manding the respect and consideration to
which they would be entitled if they were
less ready to put themselves on record upon
every occasion when called upon to do so, how
ever slight the cause or trivial the object
However, in this case the opponents of the
altered charter have not confined themselves
to mere expostulation in writing. They
have secured the services of two able advocates,
Mr.. Theodore w. Dwight and Mr.. George
Bliss, who have represented them at Albany
and adduced some weighty arguments
against the pending bill. Mr.. Dwight is
citizen of high character, an educator Of law
yers, and consistent and faithful Republican.
He has always been a genuine reformer, and
like all men of that class he has paid great
deal more attention to the practice
than to the profession Of the princi-
pies of reform. He opposes the alterations, be-
cause they deprive the Mayor of his legitimate
powers and distribute his functions among
several officials, thereby dividing the RESPONSE
bilities of office instead of concentrating them
in single head. Such expedients have been
resorted to in times past and have never
resulted satisfactorily. The present plan
has the appearance of having been devised
for the purpose of apportioning the patron
age in such way as to give the several
parties and fragments of parties share of
the spoil Such contrivances are open
to serious objections. They detract from
the dignity of the local government, and they
seldom promote the end aimed at. A political
majority, of the kind we have in New York is
apt to be tyrannical and overbearing. It's
domination is one of the evils inseparable from
our system of popular suffrage. But when the
yoke becomes grievously oppressive the multi
tude are pretty sure to find some way of relief
from it. The Tammany rule was broken by
the revolt of its own followers. The strength
of the Democratic hosts, notwithstanding the
preponderance of nearly two to one in the pop
ular vote, has not infrequently been paralyzed
by internal dissensions. Legislative interfer-
ence has been much less efficacious in protect
ing the rights of citizens, than the policy of
leaving the masses free to assert their will
through the ballot. The problem of directing
the affairs of great city containing hetero-
geneous population, two ifths Of all the voters
and more than half of all who actually do vote,
being foreigners, is an exceedingly difficult and
perplexing one at best! But the solution of it
cannot be simplified by the enactment of in
genious statutes, whereby the people shall be
denied their undoubted natural right to choose
their own rulers and manage their own busi-
ness. This is their prerogative and they will
be sure to maintain it sooner or later in defiance
of all attempts to circumvent their exercise of
| it,
One of the strongest grounds of exception to
| renewed effort to modify the charter lies in
the fact that these constant assaults upon the
organic law tend to keep our people in a state
of perpetual suspense and anxiety. Stability is
the condition most conducive to the public
welfare. We have charter that was framed
with unusual care and elaboration seven years
ago. No particular fault has ever been found
with it. 1t may be said to have worked WELL
The municipality has thrived better under it,
than during any former period of similar
length, for the preceding quarter of a century
1t is not obnoxious to any severe criticism.
1t is not the subject of any grave complaint.
1t has as yet barely passed the experimental
stage The inhabitants are getting used 10 it,
and living contentedly under it. The Depart