New-York tribune., 1895-12-12

EDWARD LAUTERBACH
| FREDERIC f. COUDERT. JAMES C. CARTER.
| opinion on the question was. He thought the pur-
port of the discussion from the very wording or the
subject not whether the separation were possi-
! BILE but whether It were practicable His position.
he said. that 1t was practicable.
| 81 admit" he continued. "that it is difficult to
| bring about. 1t requires great amount OF pupIc
spirit on the part of the persons who are to make
the effort. We know that persons in society. bus-
ness having great variety of personal con-
Germs on their hands do not feel that they can
devote a great part of their time to public service
They do make the effort and the consequence IS
that the control of the municipal politics slips into
the hands Of those who might say are not wholy
worthy of the position.
The great National political parties exist for the
purpose of carrying out the details OF the National
Government There are certain great political ten
dencies some in one direction and some IN another
the tendency In one direction supported by the
Democrats and in another by the Republicans.
Now those parties are necessary for free govern
| ment II Is necessary to have this division OF
thought They are the safety of the Republic, and
they are the great fields where the ambitions OF
| men may display themselves But why Is it that
they have anything TO do with municipal affairs?
| They have nothing to do with the local government
| OF cities. There is Republican way nor Demo-
cratic way OF cleaning streets or administering JUS
tice or doing any of the things that the officers
| OF the municipality are elected TO do.
Mr. Carter proceeded at great length to
crticise the voters, whom he estimated num-
bered 2OC00 persons, who attach themselves
| TO political party from mercenary motives.
| The votes. he said, were purchasabe. not Dy
| money perhaps, but by the holding out OF in
ducements of bestowal Of some kind of office II the
party to which they attached themselves were sue
cessful.
THE NATURAL RESULT.
|
a class of men whose purpose 1t was TO exploit and
nurvev those purchasable votes. They negotiated
municipal patronage with the party leaders for party
votes. Mr.. Carter drew as the effects OF sucn an
arrangement a picture of municipal corruption ana
pointed that by this exchange OF municpai pat
| ronage for votes were put In Office VINO not
only abused their trust. but prostitued their
power deplorable state of things that was
due TO the alliance between the National par
ties and the purveyors of the purchasaDie votes
Such an alliance he characterized as demoralizng,
destructibe and weakening to the best interests OF
municipal life After comparing the local govern
ment system of Great Britain with America TO the
advantage of the former, he concluded with an
earnest appeal wipe away the partisan surrouhu
ings of the municipal elections and government.
Edward Iauterbach who followed, caused burst
OF laughter by announcing himself as one OF those
purveyors and exploters OF votes, whom Mr. Oar-
ter had so severely condemned. But so far from
II being a dsgraceful position. as declared by the
previous speaker II was a matter OF prde u MIN
~ he his efforts in this direction he the means
of holding the members or the party cieaVihs TO-
gether in loyalty to Republican interests.
Proceeding to discuss the subject at issue he said
nartlsanship In America must exist long as the
country Itself existed. Annihate the party spirit
from the American system, and there would be
nothing left to supply the needs of government;
it would lose its best attributes Mr. Lauterbach
declared In unqualified language that II the inter-
est
hands OF the great opposing parties there would
parties there could be no America The Constitu.
ton Of the State in its enacnents for the control
of the elections recognized the TWO Leading partisan
organizations of the country.
The speaker seemed to have the sentiment IN. OF the
the Repub leans in the recent election to the Ca
lOery by which i had oeen humbussed into agree
SIf we had he said kept to straight and
good Republican ticket, this city would have been
He maintained that nominations must be settled
by representative conventions, and ended by argu-
.ng thai to deprive a party of its municpa! inter
experience and potentiality.
SPEECH OF FREDERIC r. COUDERT
Frederic Il. Coudert. who introduced as rep
resentng the Democratic party prefacsd his speech
with many pointed and humorous illusions to the
deductions of the preceding speakers. He criticised
and rdicued at some length many of Mr.. Carter's
principal arguments. and likened the suggestion of
eventually to bang up against rock" New-York.
lie contendcd was the best-governod city In the
country had the best water supply on the globe had
- fire department that the admiration OF the
world possessed police force that was, in spite OF
the abuse evelled at II, efficient as any in the
United States and lie ended this list OF advantages
by saying that its population. Notwithstanding its
rapid growth was less trying TO keep In order than
that of any other existing community He at
iibuted all these benefccnt results to the partisan
character OF ia goYernm The people of this
city had. he said. tried tho party scheme and
had found it wanting, and had expressed them
selves emphatically wanting a reversion to the
old state Ct things. They even, he added with
a geam If humor, willing to take their choice of
either lauterhach or Croker although it is a diff
cult choice to determine which pei haps"
r. VI Shepard. of Brooklyn. devoted the greater
part Of his remarks to criticism OF Mr. Carter's
vauntea superiority OF the English Sysfe.n He
po nted on, IN detail the unfarness and inequality
of the comparison. and then proceeded TO EXPRESS
himself IN sympathy With the maintenance OF the
partisan character OF the municipal government
which. he said, with the eLm.r ton az the off'ce-
seeker and the who thought his vote carried
q vested interest N some Office would provide the
best and most efficient form OF local government.