New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-18
THE GOVERNMENT or CITIES.

THE GOTTRNMENT or tIIIEH.
A subcommittee Of the Committee on Cities
| Of tho Constitutional Convention has reported To
thc full committee the outline Of a plan for the
hctter government Of the cities Of the State. This
is q subject Of vital importance probably the
most important subject with which the Convcn-
ton has to deal Every serious effort. therefore,
to settle the grave problems which II Involves
| Is worthy OF earnest discussion, both In ana OUT
| of the Convention The particular plan now re-
| ceiving the attention OF the committee IS '~Pr
cially deserving OF careful consideration. HIS
much as II Is understood to have the geherai
approval of ma Ority OF the committee Inc
government Of great cities Is the point AT WHICH
republican institutions have come nearest 10
breaking down. and this constitutional 'oh'tu
ton will accomplish II great work IT u sh'i
succeed In dcvisng rational ana chi'l'"'
scheme Of reform In municipal administrations
whether il accomplishcs anything else or MOI.
The plan outlined by the subcommittee mas
three main features. 1t proposes 10 give c''irs
larger measure Of home rule, separate local
elections and u permanent police force protec'eu
against the manipulation of political bosses. III
orr opinion. the project for largely extending
the operation OF thc principle OF home rule y
one with which the Convention needs 10 proceed
most carefully The theory OF complete i"cai
control of local affairs is attractive one, bnt
Il has not always worked well IN practice. Inc
city Of New-York In recent years since II passed
wholly under The control OF Ialnlhany Hail. mas
been saved repeatedly from great disasters by
the intervention Of the Legislature. Excepting
for this superior power the TammaDy scheme
for constructing a speedway through Central
Park would have been accomplished, the liar
l,,1t fh,.lf
a nromenadc on the river side. and The City Hall
would have been demolished. Every one OF
These projects was dear To Tammany but hate
full 10 The people, and every one or them w"nid
have been nut through IL the Legislature had
not prevented. These are only examples Or Inc
constant danger TO which the most vital III
tercsls 81 Il great city are constantly liable III
the hands OF selfish. ignorant and tyrannical
local rulers We do not say that the question
Of home rule does not need 10 be- settled Oh
different basis from that now existing But we
do say emphatically that the Constitutional Con
yentlon will threaten great masses or people
with serious injury II 1t proposes an amendment
| practically preventing an appeal 10 the L"eis-
lature against schemes Of local injustice and OPP
preston
| Separatc local elections also are not panacea
for municipal diseases. though 1t has lately been
the custom Of professional reformers to describe
them as such If they were a cure-a, the evils
from which many cities In the State OF New
York suffer would have disappeared long ago
There are thlrty-four cities in the State only
seven of which hold their local elections ut the
time OF the general election In November. Ii IL
especially worth remembering that the city VI
TROY. which has suffered from profgate. vio-
lent and dcspotic machine quite as badly as the
city Of New York has suffered under Tammany.
chooses its local officials the first Tuesday of
| March, Not even the wave OF popular indgna-
| ton which has swept so many corrupt local ON
| Gals out OF power during the last year was able
! 10 cleanse the local government OF Troy last
sDring 1t IS likewise to be remembered That
| the city Of Brooklyn, on the contrary, was re-
deemed last November. the people who there
rose to take the government Of their affairs Into
| their own hands once more being helped, we
believe, by the general uprising against the
| Democratic bosses OF the State. We do not
mean 10 say that such Illustrations IA these
are conclusive but they do, al least, suggest the
| thought that government cannot be purified by
n change OF dates Stronger civic pride and
higher sense Of individual responsibility are es
sentia to pure and efficient municipal admins
tration. If separate local elections throughout
the State will tend to develop these indspen
! sable qualities among the people, let us have
them by all means.
The general suggestion Of permanent police
force for large cities has our hearty approval.
Early last winter The Tribune expressed the
opinion that this was matter important
enough TO be dealt with by the Constitution and
not left either TO the partisan tinkering Of sue
cessive Legislatures or TO the absolute control
OF such a body as Tammany Hall. We were
not converted from this belief by the derlslve
assertion Of our Mugwump friends that the Con
stitution could have nothing TO do with sub
feet like that Of the police. nor were We per
suaded by them to support their fatuous meth
dds Of police reform. The plan proposed by the
subcommittee does not go into details, but II IL
understood that It's supporters are IN favor OF
placing police administration In the hands OF
n commission created In such a manner as 10
insure the permanent representation OF both
parties Several alternative plans for carrying
ont this principle have been considered. The
one which we should approve would be that one
which would carry 1t out most thoroughly. un-
der the deliberate and consistent authority OF a
State Board rather than through the joint action
Of successive Mayors and their chief opponents.
Large cities, containing multitudes OF recently
pat,,.alized voters and subject TO other unfavor-
able conditions. are especially liable to that sort
of temporary craze which few years ago came
near installing a Socialist In the New-York
Mayors chair Constitutional provisions should
seek to recognize not temporary ebullitons OF
/ A..k ~