New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-02
THE M1YOR'S APPOINTMENTS.

|
| shown magnificent progress IN recent years III
wealth. in resources and in population. Inc
| Offices which Mayor Glroy has been ming arc
more important now than ever before; 'hey
arc concerned with more extensive interests
they affect greater number OF people. lhcy
| could be used in such a way as 10 he OF more
substantial benefit and advantage to the COM
munity than in any earlier year Mr. Gilroy
might have earned the goodwill and the grail
| tude Of every clean minded and public spirited
citizen. But he has deliberately chosen tho
| wrong course ; he is pervcrtlng the tremendous
powers which he possesses to put Inc "or''
element in Tammany Hall on top. Ana Inc
worst element of Tammany Is extremely pad
| Many Ncw-Y Workers hoped that after Mr. "ll-
roy had appointed John j. Scanncll, Joseph
Koch and Michael r. DAILY TO Office in the first
part of MS term he would aim 10 make amends
for so serious cvlldong, and would Try to de-
serve the praise of the community by selecting
| for great places in the city government men
If n wholly different class from that to which
these three belonged The Mayor has pre-
fcrrCd to battle that hope. He has sunk to "a
| low level as was ever reached by Chief
| Executive If the metropolis
III
sideration. not the least touch of a desire To
benefit the community governed Mayor 6llroY
| in most Of the appointments when ne madc
| Yesterday Few of the men chosen 10y HIM Tor
the conspicuous Offices which he has now hllcd
have deserved well of their fcllow-ci'izcnS
Usefulness to Tammany Hall, ability and en-
ergy in promoting the personal interests OF
| Richard Croker and Thomas +. Gllroy were
| evidently the controlling motives in the Mayors
choice Some of his appointments like that
| Of Joseph j. ODonohue for City Chamberlain
| NAV not provoke severe cenSurc, but there Is
| no room for enthusiasm over any one OF them
| Tho Chamberans Office has been used IN the
| past 10 enrich certain favored Tamnany lead
els in violation Of law II Is an unnecessary
Office in municipal government, and the com
pen.aton is grotcsquely cxtravagant. Joseph
J. ODonohuc desired to be Collector OF the
Port IL is little Surprising that he Is willing TO
takc an Office which is practically sInccure
| in the municipal administration, although 1t is
most layishly compensated IL Will be still
more surprising if he puts the salary IN his
own pocket Corporation Counsel Clark, Po-
lice c ,mmissoncr Sheehan and Commissioner
Michael r. Daily have done nothing TO justify
|
is not a single one Of these appointments over
which high minded New Workers can reason
ably expires, qualification. except, perhaps, that
| If DR.. Cyrus Edison as Health Commissioner.
| But the appointment Of John }. Sc,nncl as
| Fire Commissioner for the long term OF Andrew
J. White as Commissioner OF Docks, and OF
Bernard +. Martin as Police Justice deepen the
disgrace which Mayor Gilroy brought on his
| administration by his action in choosing Mr..
Scanncl, Mr.. Koch and Mr.. DAILY for public
Office in January. How long is the Fire De-
pai tment Likely 10 retain its discipline and ELI
| cheney when the iircmcn understand that
cowardy assassination and the collection Of
| Tainmany assessments of the most shame
fnl sort are qualifications for the place
Of Fire Conmssi Jncr? Andrew J. White has
been a highly successful contractor. The, Dock
Department has secured legislation at Al
| bany by which lis opportunities OF cnrlching
favored contractors by the expenditure Of many
additional millions of dollars have been greatly
enlarged. Is it likely that Andrew j. White
| would have consented to leave the Police Court
bench unless he saw Il certainty OF larger lc-
turns 10 himself aS n Dock Commissioner than
as Il Police Justice? II is probable that every
! Talnmany friend Of Dock Commissioner White
| will soon be able To go into racing on great
scale, and to buy the hghcst-prccd horses in
the county. II is only reasonable 10 expect
that Mr.. White himself ere long may take a
position on the turf similar 10 that Of Michael
+. Dryer and Richard Croker
Mayor Gilroy seems to have made up his
mind that he is safe in dcfying decent public
opinion and in filling offices with the worst men
| hon, Lo ,,i,I Il It,n
lie may he pursuing the policy which will Sc
cure another term for him. The people of
Ncw-Yorlk are wonderfully patient. and they
may be willing to endure for years the sacking
and page of the municipal departments by the
most interruptions, greedy and grasping mem
| bers of conscicncclcss political faction. II
NAV be that the voters of Ncw-York will make
| no serious protests when they see 1ammany
| leaders. Tammany Oilicehodcr> and Tammany
contractors pile up vast fortunes in few years
fortunes which must in large part be ac-
qurcd dishonesty They may remain quiet
| and uncOncerncd under the knowledge that the
| city government. ont Of the proceeds of taxa
tion ont of the issue Of bonds and the receipts
| from franchises, il now spending more than
81 o, 900, 900 year, Of which al least -. and
probably 80 per cent. is either stolen or wasted.
| They may consent for years 10 come 70 see the
Tammany plnndcrcrs ama>s great wealth by
dishonest means; they may he willing that the
| Tammany consprator, shall continue to riot
ard rob in the municipal departments a. freely
and boldly as did the conspirators of the Tweed
era But. if not this year. in some future year
there must como change there must be an
uprising like that which sent the Tweed gang
! to prison Or into exile. Mayor Gilroy seems to