New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-26
MAYOR GRACE ON CITY G0VERNuENE

When the chief magistrate of the principal
city of the leading Republic of the world asserts
from his experience that the charter of that
city seems to have been devised Tor the very
purpose of making good government difficult"
his statement should certainly command some
attention. These are the words of Mayor Grace
spoken to a TRIBUNE reporter and given to the
public three days ago Nobody seems to be
surprised at this language, and yet it is impos-
sible to conceive of ITS being uttered by the adj
ministrative head of the government of London
or Paris, or of any other city of the first rank
in any civilized country except our own. The
situation is discouraglng from one point of
view, but from another CLEAN of hope can be
discovered. IT has been difficult hitherto to
bring the powers that be even to All attitude
of respectful attention when remonstrance has
been made against the system of political dicker
which pervades every department of the munic-
ipal service. But here we have the Mayor
himself not only listening to but frankly telling
disagreeable truths. The words might have
little significance if uttered by professional
refOrmcr, or even by " An Indignant Citizen y;
but coming from representative man they
prove that the cumulative force of public
opinion has at last reached effectively one
source of authority. If it be urged that the
Mayor himself has not displayed any cOnSpicu
Gus zeal in the endeavOr to lift the government
above the degrading level of political log-rOll-
ing and traffic, it may be answered that his tes
timony is all the more valuable for that reason
Ii is the testimony of man who has been
schOoled to experiences in the methods which
he is moved to denOunce publicly and from his
official experience.
This interview is timely commentary upon
Mr.. Olrnsteds pamphlet, "The Spells of the
Park" which has already been commended in
these columns. The Mayor instances the Park
Department as one of those which are used
with facility for political purposes while they
are wretched failures as organizations for
transactng the legitimate business of the city.
/" 1t is next to impossible to do anything with
"Out giving and taking, and the appointments
{" are parcelled out share and share alike If
the Mayor should drop in at one of the weekly
wrangles of this Board, and hear Mr.. Lane and
the rest vociferating about "my men," he
would be convinced that the Commission prac-
tically existed for nothing but to pay salaries
to some needy hangers-On. The Mayor Is right
in saving that the affairs of the city should have
q responsible head; that when matters are
going wrong people should know just what man
TO 90 to and Just where he can be found. He
is right in saying that the Mayor should not be
hampered by the Aldermen in making appoint
ments. SO long as the necessity for confirma-
ton exists there must be dealing between the
two branches of the appointing power, and
Mayor with the best intentions must finally
give over a hopeless struggle to put the best
man in every place, and content himself with
the man who is only not the worst. Give the
Mayor too the power of removal, and he can
not escape being held to full accountability.
If Mayor is politician of the narrower sort,
he will not make ideal appointments, but the
people will remember him and his kind at the
next election.
1t will take some time before the people can
get rid of the impression, acquired by long
familiarity, that an Office is simply reward
for political service, and not public trust
which a man is bound In honor to administer
to the best of his ability in the public interest,
But it is only in politics that reason and com
mon sense DO not prevail. Professional men
and business men engaged i'll large enterprises
are meeting the same problems which are en-
countered by the municipal government, and
they solve them every day. In Brooklyn the
people knew what they were voting for when
they elected Mayor Low, and so far this ex-
pertinent seems to show that there is no insup-
cradle difficulty in conducting the business Of a
city on the same principles which regulate the
action of intelligent and honest men i'll the
ordinary affairs of life.
Now, there are many points in this plain talk
of the Mayors which the gentlemen in Albany
who are making laws for the city would do well
TO consider. In IL recent dispatch MIR. Assem-
blyman Robb is quoted as expressing some sur
prise that our citizens have not hurried to the
capital and manifested their interest in Park
matters by appearing before the committee TO