New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-08

| Aldermen Waite and Seaman may possibly
| flatter themselves with the notion that beyond
the formal action of the Republican Associa-
tons with which they have been connected re-
cording the diSapprobatiOn of their recent
course by their political associates, no harm
will come to their characters or regulations.
| We fear that they will find it otherwise. There
are cases in which men in their representative
official capacity may throw of the trammels of
party, disregard the advice and wishes of their
constituents, and assert their personal Indepen
dence, by voting for the candidates or the meas
ures of their political opponents But they are
very rare. Such II course is sure under the
most favorable circumstances to provoke the
sharpest criticism, and draw down upon the
! head of the offender unsparing condemnation.
| II cannot be escaped, even when there pat
cnt reasons of "A substantial character to Justify
| the action Had Aldermen Waite and Seaman
| been able to offer to their friends any plausible
excuse and prctcyt however spccious, for aban-
donng their party, belying their professions
aud classifying the pledges which, if not given in
! 80 many words, were implied in their acceptance
of the trust, the case against them might not
have been so irretrcvably bad. But they seem
to have been guilty of an act Of open and un-
them and gave them their election without
having either an excuse 10 offer for il or an eX
PLANTATION 10 mike. We do not believe either Of
the gentlemen can afford this. They get no
credit for personal independence in any
quarter, moi even from those who, having prof
tied 10y their detection, make a fcnt of defend
ing them. They will find later on, il they have
not discovered it already, that they are
seriously and permanently damaged, and in
something more than a merely political sense.
Ii is now pretty well understood that the ac-
ton OF these two Aldermen in voting for the
confirmation of Mayor Grace's two appointccs
for Police Justices was IN effect the ousting, I'M
necessarily aud without cause, Of two competent
and worthy Republicans and the substitution
in their places of two Democrat, of whom it is
mild and moderate criticism to say that they
are both incompetent aud unworthy. Alder
man Watcs preJcnce that he was actuated by
~ motive except the public good. which he
thought would suffer 10y unnecessary and useless
obstruction of Mayor Gace's administration,
is seen to be- utterly illmsy and empty, since
the E,ct has bccom" generally known that in
the absence of the confirmation which WAS ear
ricd 10y the two Republican votes the Rcpubl-
can incumbcnts would have held over. There
would have been no obstruction Of anything
except the narrow and selfish craftsmanship OF
the Mayor, If the Republican Aldermen had
simply exercised the prcrogativc given them by
the charter in the manner in.which their con-
sttuenis had . right TO expect them to, by dis
approving unfit nominations The appoint
ments were extensively partisan. No one will
pretend that they were otherwise. 70 n
Democrat they had no other quality to com
mend them, and 10 a -clf-rcspcctng Democrat
even that would hardly suffice to countcrbal-
ance the considerations suggested by the char
acter OF the candidates. And here was a state
of affairs in which it WAS only necessary for
the Republican Aldermen to act with their
party and refuse to bctray it to their opponents
90 defeat unit nominations and keep in office tit
and proper men. 1t is nonsense in such Il case
to talk about obstructing the Mayors admins :
tra,ion. The power to confirm or reject the
MAYORS nominations amounts to nothing in |
that view of it. That provision of the charter J
was inserted as a wholesome check upon the
Mayor, and was intended to meet just such par. !
tisan abuses of the appointing power rs the one |
in question.
Alderman Waite is said to have put of the |
friends who pressed him for the reasons for his |
singular conduct with vague and mysterious |
hints and limitations that there were good |
reasons for 1t, and that some time they would |
appear and would be accepted as satisfactory. |
The TRIBUNE suggested To him some days !
since that 1t was Il case in which delay was very !
dangerous that his character not only rs Il |
politician but rs an honest man suffered every |
day that he left the public uncnlghtened us to
has motives. We have not observed, however,
that he has mlde any sign rs yet He and biA
colleague were publicly censured 10y formal
resolution passed on Tuesday evening by the
Republican Central Committee, of which Alder
man Seaman is a member f; and the Committee.
while rcgrctting that it had no jurisdiction over
Alderman Waite requested the District Assoc
citation which is in part represented on the
Committee by Alderman Seaman to remove
him from that position. We do not know that
Alderman Seaman prclendS to offer any ex-
cuse for his action except to say in an incohe-
rent way that he means to be Independent and
does not propose to submit to anybody's dicta-
ton. The TRIBUNE has already admitted the
possibility that these gentlemen may be able to
explain their conduct upon grounds that Ito not
involve them in the personal disgrace of hav-
lug been influenced by the bascst Of corrupt
motives. But It is only truth to say that their
silence under the circumstances only strengthens
the worst suspicious. Continued rcticcnce will
SO confirm them in the pSbc mind that they
will lind it impossible ever to rid themselves of
the stigma. In speaking Of the case IL few DAYS
since we expressed the charitable hope that they
would be able to convince the public that they
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