New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-01


recent Boards have made of conciliating the
respectable classes Of the population. And
what we say of the old Common Councils
might be said of any other branch Of the ml-
nicipal government, including the courts.
There is no part of the city administration
which has not improved greatly in efficiency
within quarter of century; and we nave no
doubt that investigation would show parallel
improvement in honesty, not perhaps IN all
divisions of the service, but in the service gen.
orally. If the cost of municipal government
has increased out of proportion to the growth
of the population, it would be hard to show
that it has Increased faster than the universal
habit of lavish outlay in both public and phi
vate expenditure and at any rate, IL we pay
more, we get more for our money.
In order to account for this Improvement 1t
is not necessary to assume that the growth OF
the city has been accompanied by a general ad-
vance in civic virtue, or that the patriotic, SEN
sibe ard taxpaying classes have become rela-
lively stronger in the voting constituency. On
the contrary, it is certain that the lrrespon-
sible element grows faster than any other Inc
numerical preponderance of the reckless ana
dangerous must always increase in prosper
GUS and expanding city. But at the same tlme
the desire for good government, the conapre-
bension of what it is and what 1t can do, the
demand for public order, deeorum, elegance
and comfort are steadily advancing among
the rest of the people. Even Tweed and
Sweeny recognized the rising requirements
of public sentiment, and in a clumsy, unntelli-
gent and fitfnl way tried ut one time to spare
~. ~. 4, arIa fo
spectacle. AS the interests of the respectable
become more extensive their demands naturally
become more emphatic, and the City Hall Pol
itician becomes more sensitive Fortunately
this sort Of municipal ruler never VIII trust
entirely to the class from which he sprang. lie
has too lively Il seAse of their Unsuitable rapac-
ity. There is not man in municipal Office to-
day who would venture, if he could to put
back any branch of the city government to the
condition in which it stood thirty years ago.
The most debased Of our politicians stand in
a certain awe of tnat exacting and intelligent
public which acquires every year keencr ana
keener sense of what Il great city should be, a
more and more direct interest in municipal prog
rcss, aud more and more positive way OF
expressing its desires. The influence OF this
public is always becoming stronger; and 1t Is
|
the salvation of every great city.
As mere matter of business administration
the government of New-York has grown
steadily moro Efficient from year tc year A
similar Improvement is remarked in growing
cities of Europe The change is most striking
in London, because there it is owing III great
measure to tile consolidation of various diyl-
sions of the metropolis which uscd to have and
in some things still have, local governments
of their own. But Improvement is seen
almost everywhere, as the result partly OF the
general progress Of civilization, and partly Of
that better understanding of admin strative
methods which all pations acquire from the
universal experience. That the task should be
any more difficult for us than it has proved for
Englishmen and Frenchmen and German
there is certainly nothing in our political his
tory TO lead Us to believe.