New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-22
4 .NEU BROOM.

The retirement of Commissioner Brennan
from his place at the head Of the Stlcct-Clean-
inc Department is not at all surprising The
wonder is that he has held on so long. lie has
never pretended to like his work and we doubt
if he ever claimed to understand it. He is an
amiable man. with a large capacity for the
enjoyment of leisure ard tranquility ana thcfe
is scarcely another Office under the city gov
eminent for which he is more thoroughly DIS
qualified than that which he has been en-
dcavO,ing to administer for nearly three years.
We say this without any feeling OF hostility
toward Mr. Brennan as an individual lie has
come pretty near filing some OF the pubic
places which he has held during the last two
decades, and he possesses not few c>t'mahle
traits of character Tammany VIII prODabl!
continue to take care of him, and we say With
out hesitation that would rather see VIZ.
Brennan taken care Of AT the public expense
for the rest of his life than most Of his aS>o-
GATES in the municipal administration.
But it must be admitted that his Commits
sonclship has been comparative failure all thc
time. and a total failure at times when special
obstacles needed to be overcome. The Mayor
formally acquitted Mr.. Brennan of the charges
brought against him by the City Club; but he
has informally acknowledged that the place
was altogether beyond his capacities, and that
-, change would have to be made so soon as
opportunity offered. At last the convenient
season has arrived and this tolerant com
munity has a new Commissioner OF street
Cleaning in the person of William > Andrews
who for reasons better known to the lew than
10 the many. is willing 10 exchange the presI-
dencv of the Excise Board for a FAR more
laborious place. Nobody can by any stretch
of imagination conceive of this aS an ideal
appointmcnt Mr. Andrews's record and re-
pute are not such as to supply an absolute
ouarantae that he will be a decided improve
ment even upon his PREDECESSOR He certainly
has ability and intelligence. and he may pos
scss unsupported powers Of organization and
administration but he has never shown, per
hans because he has not had chance 10 show.
executive capacity of a high order; and cXccu-
five capacity of a high order Is absolutely
esScnt al to the performance OF his new duties.
That was the chief trouble with poor Brennan.
He was willing to combat his natural procliv-
tiles and work hard but he didn't know and
couldnt learn how to get effective work out
of others.
We have implied that there was no con
elusive reason in the fitness of things why the
Mayor should have chosen Mr.. Andrews for
this stupendous job but neither do we see any
particular advantage in protesting against the
appointment If it had not gone to him 1t
might have gone to a worse man, and under
Tammany rules could scarcely have been cV-
pccted to go to a better. We do not mean to
condemn Mr. Andrews until he has earned
condemnation. lie has had adversarics who
have accused him of many things, but he has
never been accused of lacking brains. The
people would rejoice to see him improving the
opportunity to perform public service OF great
magnitude and Importance, and TIE TRIBUNE
will praise him if possible.