New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-30
HEWITT,SCLOSING TERN.
HIS CHARACTERISTICS AS A PUBLIC
OFFICER

Hewitt VIII come 10 an emu on IueSuhy, ~ IL " 'Vo"'
noon. He IS not sorry, but no Mayor New-York has
ever had viii be decidedly missed. The CITY
Hall reporters especially will miss him. Without
his animatng influence, they will lead dull lives
indeed. singularly sweet and touching relation
has grown up between Mr.. Hewitt and the city Hail
reporters, and they viii dearly cherish each others
memory The place they hold in his heart and nc
In theirs Is unique. They will think OF him as tho
most amiahlc sweettempercd. oblging. CHEEKY and
magnanimous Mayor with whom they have ever Deen
associated in the service Of the public He VIII
think Of them as the most polite, truthful, well
Informed clever and accurate young gentlemen no
has had the happiness to know
The Mayor asled me the other day II I could take
a joke. ! think can
Mayor Hewitt will leave New-York IN a better con-
dItion than he found It In. His influence upon puo-
lie administration throughout the municipal service
has been good. and upon those very accounts which
have served 10 make him dlslilcd by certain poll
tclans Back OF his characteristics there is charac-
ter the cornerstone of which IS honesty. He intends
20 do right and he intends to require other pcoplo
TO do right, also. The great majority OF city poll
ticlans have but feeble moral instinct Many havo
mono nj all, and there Is consequently wide ana
general resentment entertained toward Mayors who
undertake TO compel official uprlghtness. Mr. Hewitt
saws he knows his manners are bad and his temper
hasty ana account Of them he should never have
accepted the Office Of Mayor. But, even conceding
tho OF HIS opinion as TO his manners ana
his temper, the public will scarcely accept the con-
clusion he draws from It. His example as public
officer VIII long healthy influence in this city.
He talked freely about HIS experiences as Mayor
the other day al have been very generally mis-
UNDERSTOOD he said. a and subjected to immense
amount of unmerited criticism. An executive Office
is not suited to me. and knew when was nom-
mated that ought not TO take the Mayoralty In
legislative Office ] feel In my element The hotter
debate becomes the cooler become Now that am
out Of public office Of all kinds and out for good,
can afford say this. Congressional life suited ana
pleased me, hut position such as am now soon 70
renqush constantly presents too many sources OF ex
ASPIRATION for Of my temperament
You see l realize my FAULTS he went on. They
have been illus led too often for me TO be Ignorant
of them. ! remember years ago, when my father
in-law, Peter Cooper, was living man came TO see
him at our Office desiring considerable favor He had
been unfortunate and wanted Mr. Cooper to help put
him on his feet Mr.. Cooper listened to him kindly
and sympathccally, and said he was sorry, ana all
that. But he added, Il scarcely feel that can do
what you wish The so much disappointed
at this refusal that Mr.. Cooper told him that he
might talk with me- Perhaps 1 could see my way
10 help him. Well in he and he told his
story II was a sorry tale, and yet his misforunes
were so much his own fault that, while pitied him,
! was annoyed al Rim. When he had done lectured
him sharply ! showed him how foolish he had
BEEN and wound up by saying that I'd grant his
| request Well, sir he was in tears. He arose and
started to 60 out, but at the door he turned and
suddenly blurted out, I'd id sight rather have
Peter Cooper's refusal than your consent"
!, The Mayor laughed heartily at this reminiscence,
and then told another story Sometimes, however"
he said, Il find myself credited with variety OF
bad temper that I really don't feel entitled 20. The
other evening attended German performance at
the request Of It's managers. Mrs Hewitt and my
/ Will mo
seats in the box there applause in acknowl-
| edgment, / suppose, OF being there AT AL
events served to direct attention to our box, and
| after the performance, as we were coming out,
overheard a gentleman behind us ask the lady with
him. .Dd YOU see the MayorP 'Yes' she said.
Well. what do you think of hml Il don't like him.
was her critical reply. I think he has been good
MAYOR but they say he IS dreadfully cross in his
| familvv That has been a great joke at home ever
! since"
The MAYORS last work Of especial Importance was
| performed upon the Board OF Estimate and Appor-
tionment This commission has for its function the
Lowing Of the cltys taxes-or at least, It IS tho
theory of the law that it has such
! n,,ctior A matter of fact,
| though its part in levying the taxes Is
ONLY about 80 IS per cent I mean by this that the
Legislature has made by far the larger Iart OF the
| budget mandatory. Tho sum TO be raised 10y taAa'oh
next year IS S33 800 10, and Of that tremendous
sum scarcely more than one-third IS within the con-
troll Of the city or its officers All the rest has TO
do with expenditures which have been ordered by the
Legislature and which the Board IS required by law
to provide for, no matter what II or the people may
| think or prefer This has been the case for many
years. In 1888 Mayor Grace gave testimony upon
this point before the Gibbs Investigating Committee
I'm which he exhibited a table showing the sums ex-
pended every year for ten years consecutvely upon
the mandatory orders of the Legislature. lie testified
| that the Board Of Estimate for 1884 had actual con-
troll over only 80 2s5OO0 out Of total tax budget OF
SO ,O76 0OO-al the rest they were bound by Legs
latve direction to put into the levy This Is obviously
wrong II violates tLe cardinal principal Of Home
Rule But when you come to the question Of whose
fault II Is. you inevitably discover that tho city's
representatives I'm Albany. their officials down here
or mghtlcr than every body else the political bosses
Of the two Democratic factions-you inevitably dis
cover that they, and not the legislature are The
clnabIc parties Behind all these laws for the issue
Of stocks and bonds, for the creation OF new Offices
for improvements and awards, and thousand other
tobs TO get at the public. there is alway some prom
incnt boss or clique Of bosses, or some political IN
terest Tho Legislature does not pass these bills
except at the solicitation Of the citys delegation Ihe
Legislature has particular desire to spend the CIT!
money for f. but when tine clty's chosen representa-
tivcs demand local legislation they apt to get It
ON the very practical theory that they know what the
| city wants or they wouldn't be SEN there. The
Legislature I'm other words, does not undertake to
assume that the people Of New York are weak minded
fools and that they elect to be their Senators
and Assemblymen who arc mere thieves. Whether 1t
would be better for the city IL the Legislature did
assume that is another question, but If It did, the
| remedy would consist IN appointing a guardian for
| Ncv-York and not I'm r'fusing IT local legislation
OF course the way remedy this OWL is to elect
| honest men to the Legislature, but that doesn't
seem possible and really isn't so long as the people
consent 10 have their affairs conducted by irresponsi
bic bosses whose sayso IS enough TO give con-
Wet certificate Of election the only thing you can do
is to agitate against the passage Of local bills making
| compulsory EXPENDITURES This may render the
schemes of the bosses more difficult, but It is not to
| be counted for much relief