New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-16
HoW. no GOVERN CITIES.

The Senate Committee on Cities which was
charged last year with the duty OF investigating
the conduct OF municipal governments through
out the State, has made comparatively DlleI
and highly suggestive report to the Senate
| Elsewhere we print such an abstract OF u as
will enable our readers to perceive its tendencies
and the scope and character of its recommended
| tons. BY far the greater part OF the report re-
lates directly and exclusively to this city, ana
| il must be acknowledged that the evils OF gov
eminent here are clearly and fully stated, ana
| that the remedies offered are at least good so
| far as they 90. The committee IS persuaded
as the result of its general inquiries that one
of the chief reasons of bad government IN our
cities is special legislation. Each city is organ
lied bv q charter of its own, each differing from
every other and when experience has developed
the desirability OF changes they are patched
upon the original act here and there until IN the
course of time it becomes as absurd and inhar-
monious as crazy-quilt And as each Guy
charter is now of this character, and similar TO
the charters of the other cities only IN that tney
are all mutiform and contradictory, the tangled
condition of the law and the impossblllty OF any
rational comparative study of municipal methods
are alarming The committees recommenda-
ton that constitutional amendment be adopt
cd aoplying to municipal corporations the same
legislative restrictions which now forbid the or
eanizaton of commercial or other societies under
special acts, and directing that the Legislature
be required to frame general law under which
cities shall organize meets, beyond doubt, the
views and wishes of the people. 1t will be
wise, not only because it will create larger
measure of home rule and general method OF
CITY government, but because it will remove from
the deliberations of the Legislature one OF the
largest sources of political intrigue and corrup-
| ton.
In dealing with New York the committee is
less satisfactory, not because its suggestions are
| bad or its grasp of the situation is weak, but
| sjmnIy because no such thing as a satisfactory
report can be made of our affairs until the de-
partments can be opened inside out and the
whole infamous method of Tammany rule eX-
posed. The committee finds that we are gov
erned without sense, honesty, system or shame,
and all that is true that the Mayor is an auto
crat that the Common Council is usually as
useless body of public ruffians as organized
society could anywhere produce; that our tax
| laws are absurd, conflicting, and full OF oppor-
| tunity for favor or preiudice that our excise
| laws are q confessed humbug; that waterfront
| rights are hidden in confused laws and admin
! Uttered with small regard to justice that the
entire municipal service is bad; that the public
accounts are mysterious, and fail to show how
the $40, 900, 900 annually raised for the city
revenues are spent. Upon each of these sub
| jects the committee makes recommendations, and
good ones 1t doesn't think well of making
Mayors dictators it thinks the Common Council
should be made representative and powerful or
il should be abolished that the tax laws should
be so revised as to make their burdens felt
equally; that the excise laws should be iea-
sonable and possible Of execution, and that the
Dock Department should be enabled to enforce
its rules. All this is good, but not sufficient
1t treats symptoms but it doesn't get at the
evil. Nor could any law do that. The trouble
here is with the people. So long as the people
Mace their affairs in the hands of society
formed for the acknowledged purpose OF gather
ing and distributing spoils they cannot expect
ANYTHING else but disgraceful result. What
ever the laws may be, craftsmanship Is not
equal to the task of framing laws that will pre-
vent Tammany from pundering so long as Tam
many's grip is en- the treasury.