New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-10

S25. 900 for injuries received in this way. IL
70 said n he the heaviest verdict of the kind
ever recorded against the city; but good
many people have obtained at least %o.ooo
before this, and we have not yet heard rom
the large number who have tumbled into lhe
trenches of the steam heating companies Inc
DEPARTMENT of Public Works could do gooo
stroke of work for itself if it would pay less
attention to politics and more to the holeS III
the streets.
Apparently there is chance that Michaei
McGon, the condemned murderer now III tne
Tombs. will not go out with the old year. Ills
counsel has sought stay of execution, ana IL
he gets it the date of the hanging probably
will be thrown over to Mr.. Clevelands admin
istration. Then the new Governor will have
chance to show of what stuff he is made
whether he has maudlin sympathy TOT cilini-
nails or a stern sense Of duty toward them, ike
Mr.. Cornell. 1t would be a great day Ior
criminals if this murderer should be pardoheu'
The Police Commissioners in their lnstruc-
tons to the force have sOftened visiDly To-
ward expressmcn and BARRIERS; but we are
panied to observe the care with which they
have refraned from directing that the Work Oh
the Street Cleaning Department shall not DC
interfered with to- day. 1t seems as II they really
could not forgive and forget the afiront MI.
Coleman put upon them IN cleaning the streets
better than they did. But the Street Cleaning
Department looks out for itself. ana mas CD
tanned the official opinion that its work Is one
of necessity. The Police Board probably Will
have to be satisfied with what little revenge
they were able to extract from the oihclous'
ness of their subordinates last Sunday.
The Democrats want a new charter tor tins
city and they want it soon. The spoils they
now enjoy have only whettcd their appetite.
From present indica ions one of the first bad
Jobs which the Legislature will be guilty of
will be the adoption of some kind of measure
to give us worse municipal government than
we have now. Unfortunately, there Is little
hone that such an attempt will fail. What
there is lies in the possibility that the factions
will disagree. 1t will take good many othces
to go around, and it is possible that some OF the
more respectable Democrats will not De Wiling
TO go to such shameless lengths az the hungrer
workers desire. But it must be admitted
that this possibility is slight. That some modl-
fications of the city charter are needed nearly
every one is ready to admit; but they are not
such as the Democratic Assembymen will con-
sent to give u.s.
Those Congressman who are stirring mp the
River and Harbor matter would be wiser II
they would let bad enough alone. The pass
ing of that law was one of the points upon
which the people expressed a decided opinion
at the November elections, and We should not
think the rebuked members of the House
would care to rouse unpleasant memories.
There is enough work which the people want
their Representatives to do this winter to oc-
cupy all of the session, and they are not IN a
frame of mind to tolerate great waste of
time on the part Of the members OF Congress-
And it certainly is waste of time, words and
breath for the Representatives to try to justify
their action on the River and Harbor bill
under pretence Of calling on the Secretary OF
Ear for information about money which has
been appropriated but not expended. Or
course, many of the Representatives are en-
ragged that what they did has not met public
approval But it is hard to see what they
hope to gain by exploding their wrath IN the
House now. They had much better swallow
it in silence.