Arizona republican., 1897-11-14
HE'S LESS THAN KING
An Absurd View of Mayor Elect
 Van Wyck'S Power
AND IT IS CIRCOMSCRIBED
He can Control Only Appoint
 mentS of his Own
The Governor of New York Is a Much Bigger Man and May Re- move the Mayor Upon his Ap- provaI of Proper Charges.


 New York, Nov. 13-There. is a siJupld impression in and outside of the greater city that the new mayor is virtually a king. The assertion was first made aftar the passage of the charter and its signature by Gov Black, but in spite of it, the parties and the people went calmly about the usual business of eleolbing their mayor. Now that he is elected, the same newspapers are publishing news and editorials around the idea that MT. Van Wyck will exercise powers that any king might envy. All of them go to the absurdity of saying that he will control the paying out of revenues far beyond those con- trolled by any present king except the czar of RusSio. The sum is not always given as the same It is sometimes $33, ,O0O,OO0 and sometimes more than twice as much. All of which has been and is as much moon shine as anything tine English news papers have printed about New York
 Some of the London journals have adopted the same or a similar idea, though they do not go to the length of saying that any king in Europe may envy the first mayor. The idea, however, may be long time break ing down, the more because robody here is taking luhe trouble to deny it. Mqunr-o1c,o ;o ming under cover from point to point to escape: the office hunters, wishes that it be maintained. He does net want a bit of glory scratched off his Eitle, even if it does bring more of the office seekers around. None of the Tammany crowd want the claim that he is king den:ed. None of .he Platt men deny it, because the more Van Wyck is advertised as a king the less kindly will be the feeling of the country legislators toward him, and the easier, therefore, the forcing of hostile legislation through any repub- lican chamber Finally rot one of the office seekers but is glad to have the assertion made. It helps him to keep up his own courage with sha idea that Van Wyck can do anything for him, and therefore has no right to deny him something.
 THE MAYORS AUTHORITY.
 The fact is that Mayor Strong is as much a king ip the present city of New York as the mayor-elect will be in the greater eity nha increased authority given to the mayor by the new charter is only through the ere ation of new boards, besides those at present in existence. Beyond the ap- pointmEmt of heads of departments his powers do not go. He can name the police commissioners, but he can not name single official or clerk under the authority of the commits sioners. He can name the fire com mlssloners, but cannot appoint a sin gle fireman. Yet in all the many stories published about the powers Of the new mayor, it is stated that he controls the entire official force of every department, with all the sal aries the list will carry. Propsrly, however, the mayor has To power whatever beyond his own appoint menIts, and he has no voice whatever in the fixing of salaries He can neither cut salaries nor increase, them. He cannot transfer men from one of flee to another. As with the pres elit mayor, the only office he will run from top to bottom is his own office in the city hall. Here he may ap- point his own man, but he cannot get a dollar to pay them with until the board of estimate and appOItionment has approved his acquisition.
 One of the members of this board is the comptroller, an elective officer whose powers are independisnt of the mayor, and without whose vote many appropriations will be vetoed abso- lutely. Another member of this board is the president of the city council, also an elective ofieer, and under no obligations whatever to the mayor for his place. In addition the mayor IS responsible in many ways to the council, to say nothing of the fact that he can do no public bushes: under cover. All his appointments and decisions must be public record and he is removable on charges ap. proved by the governor. Lastly. his power of removal is in force only dur ing the first six months of his fouI years term After that he cannor make removals except under charge: which the governor, as is required b, the new charter, must approve
 The mayors compensation is fixet by the charter at $15,OOO a year, an6 he can never add to this compensa tion. None of the money annual,