New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-11

| ing. There 1t had been gong TO waste
presumably during the entire week since the
family went to the country. Such carelcssness
ought to be met by heavy fine The ruined
carpets and ceilings on the floors below are
! not punishment enough.
| MAYOR LOH'S TESTS And OPPORTUNITIES.
The announcement that the Legislature had
| adjourned is said to have drawn from Mayor
| Low the suggestion that the flags on the City
| Hall should be displayeda at full-mast in token
of rejoicing. Whether this is true or not, the
| Mayor had occasion to rejoice that the long ses-
sion had come to an end, for the attempted
legislation for Brooklyn was not in its best in
tercsts, and certainly not in accord with the
policy which the young Mayor had marked out
for its government for two years.
That policy was bold one. 1t was business
| like. but not polite. No Mayor wishing to profit
by his position, either financially or politically,
| would havo dreamed of adopting it. 1t cur
tailed all opportunities for speculation, and
cut of all political support in the shallow sense
of the organized aid of partisan leaders 1t was
calculated to offend the positive and active
manipuators of politics in his own party, and
at the same time was not likely to arouse en-
| thusiastic admiration among the same class
in the other and opposing party. Its adoption
was at once ample guarantee OF the promised
| business administration and assurance that
| the Mayor had no aspirations for the place for
a second term If he contemplated the course
adopted as highroad to popularity and future
advancement he chose o difficult if not also
tedious pathway, full of snares and pitfalls,
and one in which many older and equally am
bilious ana able men have fallen.
But having chosen it, Mayor Low has stuck
to it unflinchingly thus far. His public office
in the City Hall is among the quietest in Brook
lyn, albeit the busiest, and it's antechambers
and the corridors leading to it are absolutely
deserted by politicians. The "heeler " and
striker " and " henchman" no longer make its
vicinity q lounging place in which to await the
distribution of spOils Politicians go there only
when sent for, and as rule they 90 mOdestly
enough now where formerly they strutted
in unannOunced to demand that their power
| and influence in politics be recognized III
patronage. His clerks are in tie city employ
now, and no organization commands their
constant service and exctcs their fears. The
Mayor himself is not occupied with the study
of the personnel of party organizations with
! inquiry as to the influence of this or that head
of a delegation, or the numbers of votes that
this OF that liquor dealer can bring to the polls.
| On the contrary he has time, and thus far has
| employed the whole of it, to examine person
| ally into the business OF oVery bureau to in
vestigate the accounts of every chief OF de-
partment to explore the mysteries and detect
! the blunders or worse of public school manage
ment and especially to watch, scrutnize and
largely control legislation ut Albany regard
| ing Brooklyn matters. And ii is quite appar
ent from the reports from Albany of his recent
speeches before committees of the Legislature
and of his conferences with the Governor, that
the young Mayor has wrought much saving
for the city he represents. 1t is also quite as
clear that while his independent course may
have made him no friends among the polti-
clans it has confirmed the peoples faith in him
as expressed last fall by majority larger
than has ever been given to Republican or
Independent candidate for the Office. The
party which adopted him cannot drop him,
If he continues as he has begun, and the people
of all parties who do not carry excessive par
tsanship into municipal elections will not will
ingly drop him.
Mayor Low has bravely stood the two scverest
| tests which his administration will be called
upon to meet. His first appointments of Com
missiOners were nearly if not quite unobjection-
able. The two OF three ingrained politicians
! whom he retained in Office at the beginning Of
the year have introduced little politics
into their departments; on the contrary, the
politicians appear rather TO have abandoned
! these old leaders as poweress to aid
| them even when i'll Office. The new and pre-
viously untried men, of whom some doubts
were expressed at the time of their appoint
ment, have developed such executive
powers that their departments run with
out noise or friction, and the people have, as
it were, forgotten who fill the places. Ii is
not the measure of reputation which most
officials seek, but there is no safer fame to be
attained than to have ones good work recog-
nized and ones self unseen, for then one may be
assured that the admiration is unbiased.
| The second test to which the Mayor was ppt
we have already indicated in describing his
successful influence upon Albany legislation
concerning his city and the next test is close
upon him. We mean the appointment of the
| Commissioners or heads of departments
under the new system, which was re-
served in the bill until the present month.
| The Offices to be filled are important, embrac
ing among others the Park Department. that