New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-20
aROrT PEFORN1TORY EXPERIMENTS

mort PEFORMfTORY EXPERIuENIS.
por,hlicons have been given control Of one
h,,nch Of orr State government. this year.
solo,v hv ,he oil Of multitude OF Dem
,crotic voters in revolt against recent Dem
ocro,ic methods The results OF Il previous
o,oc,ion had been deliberately falsificd and re-
.orsod hv th, action of Democratic judge
whom the Democratic machine thereupon pro-
,osod to vindcatc and reward by election TO
the highest court Of the State The Democratic
ogisIoture thus secured had Systematically ar
ranged for corrupting the ballot-box and steal
ing the results of subsequent elections, 10y
crashing The election machinery and destroying
the bipartisan character of the boards OF eiec
ton inspectors. Tammany had previously done
IN. same work in this city by destroying the
bi-partisan Police Board, under which, under the
rule Of all parties, the present generation oil
NEWCOMERS had grown up. 1t was asainst
those acts first in stealing the Legislature, and
then in destroying the safeguards against steal
inc, tho elections. that respectable Democrats
revoltcd in sufficient numbers 10 give h'Pu"
leans control Of the Legislature.
What then is the clear popular mandate TO
This legislature? Plainly it is commissioned TO
restore the stolen goods;-to undo the robbery
berv was to be continued. 1t Is commanded 10
rostore 70 the people n pure ballotbox and an
honest count Of the same, and 10 rescue the
police of this city from the control OF Demo
cratic Board. If it does these things. Demo
cratic Governor dare not interfere with them.
Should he do SO, the people would deal with INN
as they dealt with Maynard, but with greater
emphasis since his defiance Of their PLAINLY
hn mn fi1Urlut
When the Legislature proceeds beyond these
nloin popular mandates, ii enters upon less Ger
| tain ground. Many Of us, for example, believe
| in tho theory Of 4 single responsible head for
| the police force, and, indeed Of single re
| snonsjble. head for almost any municipal work.
| TO the end that the people may know who Is at
for,t II their will is not eXecutcd. and hit him
| ot the polls. But the almost uniform practice
| in municipal and State legislation for quarter
| Of n century has been in another direction IT
Yenublicans undertake now To venture on OK
| ncrlmcnts suggested by even the best Of munic-
| ipal reformcrs and legislative THEORISTS 'h's
| are confronted by two difficulties:
The moment they pass outside the plain.
popular mandate into the field Of experiment,
| they liberate the Democratic Governor from 'h''
notice which the people. have served upon him.
| and give him a chance 10 bubble, find 1allit,
| throw dust in the eyes of the public ana
| safely use his veto.
| . They NAV seem to some 10 be clutchlng
ca cerly at their accidental power TO enter I'M
! hidden upon the tasks which the people may
have meant 10 commit at the same election
% a Constitutional Convention soon TO as
semble.
| Should the Legislature undertake revolution
ary reforms whether with regard TO the Police
| Board or any other feature of the municipal
government Of this or Of any other large city
passing entirely ontsde the grievance which
! the people resented at the polls, and entering
upon fields, as yet untred, however promising
| they are liable to be met with the popular con
| dcmnation for running before they were sent
| and undertaking a work which had already
| been committed to another body chosen by III,
same electors at the same time. If there are
grave changes to be made in the municipal
government Of our largest cities grave depart
urcs from the general practice Of The last quar-
ter of n century, the people may expect tina
these will be considered by the CONSTITUTIONS
Convention they have elected. and, perhaps. II
dine time. submitted 10 the popular vote for ap
nroval or rejection. In this view The Repub
lican Legislature will be wise if it makes haste
10 obey the plain, popular mandate laid upon it
II NAV be less wise if in vcnturing further
ofcId it undertakes in advance the possible
work Of the Constitutional Convention.
We have sympathizcd with much Of what ha
onpearcd in the journals Of both parties in In
last week or two on the possibility Of grca
improvements in die method Of police govern
mont In This city. But we are not so sure tina
If Is wise for the Republican Legislature at thi
session 70 90 far beyond undong the wrong. III
DESTROYING the bipartisan character Of the CON
mission,. that constituted one Of the series q
crimes which the people resented and col
damned nj the last election If more Is TO b
o,,ou,n,ed there seems great force in the rccen
s,oyestion Of on x-District-Attorncy !
"Tbo Commercial Advertiser" that the bcS
nolico management we have had in this city 70
over Il quarter Of a century was under til
motronolitan system with the chiefs chosen 4
Albany Another proposition glibly put fo
w,r1 n vest the whole police management. il
c,nding the control of elections. in single hca
and allow Tammany TO choose that head seem
-, I'm ,he present condition Of things In hi
ci,r obviously inadmssle. The people In
ma sucb reform as that in mind when the
. o,ectcd this Legislature There can be lltil
doubt that I'm any reorganization larger pow'
over the ordinary peace work OF the pole
might wisely be given to the Superintendent
And. finally, we have little doubt that II tn