Morning journal and courier., 1883-10-30
The RrookIYn Mayoralty Contest.

The Struggle for Good Local Seif-GfOVerH-
 ment in the City Of FChurchss-A Review
 of the Old Systena-Tho Present Mayors
 Powers, Etc. Etc.
 BRooKLrN, Oct. 27.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 It is safe to say that no municipal cam- paign in the United States has ever awakened a more general interest than that which now enlivens Brooklyn. The principle at stake is not, as was the tariff question, according to prominent Democrat, "a local issue only, /" but is of vital importance throughout the nation Right minded citizens generally want good local self government for the mum icipalitiss of which they are the supporters. Brooklyn citizens have for about two years enjoyed it. Whether they shall continue to enjoy 1t for another two years is the question which will be answered on the first Tuesday of November. Meanwhile everybody in the City of Churches Is engrosssd in the discus sion of the matter, and the political kettle sizzles in charmingly lively manner. The New York papers enter into the campaign with almost as much zest as If it were met ropolitAn election. Their interest is perfect ly explainabls, however, in view of the state msnt above made that the principle at stake is of national importance. If Brooklyn suc- ceeds in securing another period of honest and upright local government, an immense impetus will be given the home rule move ment throughout the country. At present most municipalities are in about the plight Brooklyn found itself a few years ago. It rs- joiced in one of those charters of incoRgruous parts that required the mayor to be Yigilant S, laV and ordinances of the city to be duly executed and enforced, and to exercise a constant supervision over the conduct and acts of all it's officers, and at the same time so tied him up in his relations with these officers that any such supervision would be futile He could not appoint an officer to carry out the policy of hls adminis- tration, unless such officer happened to Euit the political tastes of the Board of Aldermen. It was the mayors privilege to nominate, theirs to give consent. Then, too, it was about as hard to fix the responsibility for an official act as to locate and kill & mosquito in the night time. Almost all the departments were under She control of three persons. There was the president of the police board and two commissioners The same arrange mants prevailed in the fire department. So, too, in the city works. Now if nything went wrong and the mayor chose to ses it, and to accuse MT. President of the board that worthy gentleman put the blame on Mr. Commissioner No. l, vho in turn accused Mir Commissioner No. ?, who completed the circle by giving the psrplsxed mayor to ur- derstand that the president alone vas to blame Other officials were not subject to the mayor at all Thus the comptroller and auditor were elected by the people, and might be wholly hostile to the policy of the admin istration. To cap the climax, the mayor, if he wished to remove an incompetent or dis honest official, had to ask permission of the .II .fn ,l- hoe afo he'd AT1ioa the officials in power. In word the mayor was more or less of f1gurehead; ruler in name but not in fact.
 Bat this was not the only evil of Ahe system. The legislative body at Albany annually took hand in the local government. Legislative tinkering with the charter was regular % currence. Jobs that citizens did not want, but few needy politicians did, wers passed into laws Matters that concerned nobody but Brooklyn citizens were decided this way or that according ss the Albany solons winked Of course other cities were sub- iect to the same evil legislative interference |; for the constitution of the State expressly sanctions the system. We are concerned for the present, however, with Brooklyn alone
 It remained for some Republicans to first awake to . realizing sense of the beautifully obnoxious system of government they were living under. After more or less difficulty the State legislature was induced to enter the paths of wisdom long enough to give Brook lyn better system. By the laws of 1880 1t was provided that after January l, 1882, the mayor should have the sole and exclusive power to appoint the successor of any com missioner or other head of department (ex- cept the departments of finance and Rudit) or of any assessor or member of the Board of Education, when the terms of such om- cers should respectively expire, or as by law L kn hn cd should be said here that previously triple headed commissions had been supplanted by single heads of departmsRts. This step, in conjunction with the law of 1880, caused psople to realize that the next mayor was to be more than figure head. The Aldermen were to have nothing to do with his appoint rnants He WAS free in that respect. He had power at last The people saw that the man they elected could be held responsible to them It was very evident good man must be elected to the place. Citizens began to think there was chance for good govern mont, and they made up their minds that 1t was time also that local affairs wers left to local management. So they nominated Seth Low 8 gentleman now known over the Uni ted States, and then widely known as gen. &leman of standing in society, of culture, of principle and endowed with fine business tal- ent. The local government idea was crystal lized into the popular words nome rule. and these, with "buSlnssS prlnclples, Lo which MT. Low pledged himself In She con duct of the city's affairs, became the key notes of the citizens campaign. say "citi- zeps' because he was put in nomination at a mass meeting of citizens irrespective of party. He was also the Republican nomi- nee The Democratic party pinned their faith on their then mayor. The contest was hot. A club of independent citizens called Young Republicans sprang into existence and did marvellous work. It's members had no wires to pull, for office seeking was in- consistent with membership. It's roll was long and influential, it's officers efficient and It's organization complete. The members worked. Men who were never before active politically went from house to house stirring up sluggish voters to register, which in New York State h . prerequisite to the right to vote. On election day, too, they were to be seen, bag in hand, dispensing ballots with win. Their energetic iabors, 1t is conceded, did much towards carrying the day in favor of Seth Low, although his election was also in pnrt due to Democratic votes. Without them he would hardly have been elected in such strong Democratic city. Out of S6,- 2ss yotes cast Mir. Low received As, 321 to his opponents 40, ,967. There were COG scatter ing.
 Mayor Low entered upon the duties of his office January l. 1882, giving up his business entirely and devoting himself to the duties of office. With what success in the opinion of friends and opponents shall endeavor to state in my next letter. For the present