The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-18

6Jhto ibbucb, uuu hlVST bnhL Dy municipal tRHueH.
Tho community 10 not sufficiently developed
along your lines to divide itself into one act OF
parties on national issues, into another set OF
parties on State Issues, and into still another set
Of parties on municipal issues. 1t never has
been so In this country, 1t never has been so in
any other country, and 1t certainly will not bc
so in this city during our lifetime, IL ever. The
political associations formed for tho one pur.
pose, generally speaking, carry and prevail
through the whole domain of public life. The
result is that our local parties are Judged by
their national fitness and our national parties
very largely judged by their local fitness.
And we must make the best OF what VIC have.
II party responsibility has become, AS your
friends assert, a mere name, IL Is due to tho fact
that instead of recognizing tho existence OF and
necessity for parties, you and your friends
neglect all party duties, do all in your power to
weaken party responsibility, and then com.
plain OF the unsatisfactoriness of party govern
mcnt.
Nothing can be more misleading than tho as.
sertion that there Is no relation between party
government and the government of the city of
New York. This is best illustrated by tho fact
that you, yourself, have seen fit to go into State
politics ut this Time by nominating candidates
for legislative office, and quito properly. IL not
quito sincerely. You and all other students of
the problem know that the cry OF home rule for
citics in this State Is q mere pucrility, so long rs
our Constitution docs not protect our charters
against legislative tinkering. Almost every
step OF Importance in municipal government
has to be taken conformity with the legislative
branch Of tho State Government, md it Is
impossible not to SEQ that a Mayor OF
New York who is hopclcssly out OF sympa-
thy with and does not command the respect of
either of the great parties in the State, can
never expect satisfactorily to start this new
great government agoing. or to be listened to
with either confidence or respect concerning
proposed charter amendments by those parties
which he has falsely asserted have nothing to do
with our government. and yet without tho aid
of which nothing can be done with our govern
ment.
You, as we'll as any one, know exactly what
the Republican party has do o for good govern
ment in this city. II not. permit me to recall a
few Illustrations OF what it has done within
your memory and mine:
1t passed the New York charter Of 1873.
1t secured the constitutional amendments
with reference to city government.
1t gave Brooklyn its now famous charter.
1t gave the metropolis the Greater New York
charter.
1t passed the bill reforming the New York
County Clerks office.
1t passed the bill reforming tho New York
Registers office.
1t passed tho bills reforming the Now York
Sheriff's office.
1t passed all tho new park and small park
bills.
1t passed the Ballot Reform bills.
1t passed the election laws OF both New York
city and Brooklyn.
1t passed the law reforming tho New York
Aqueduct Commission.
1t exposed and fought corruption through the
Fassett Committee and reported the fullest and
completest measures with regard to municipal
government ever proposed by any party-the
passage OF which was defeated by Gov. Hill,
whom many of your friends were then support
ing.
1t gave the Mayor of New York the unre.
stricted power OF appointment.
1t made the COMPREHENSIVE elective.
1t alone made possible the defeat OF Tammany
Hall three years ago. and passed all the So
called Lexow Reform bills.
1t prevented the present administration Of tho
city from mourning Indebtedness up to the con-
stitutional limit.
1t passed the bill reforming the Department
of Charities and Correction ana separating it
into two departments.
1t passed all the Rapid Transit bills. the pur.
poses of which have been nullided by Mayors
opposed to the Republican party.
1t has passed every measure looking to the i'm
provement of the boroughs OF Bronx. Brooklyn,
Queens and richmond which have been secure
for the past ten years.
1t has has never stood in the way Of any meas.
ure of actual reform.
1t is entitled to the credit OF your own and Mr.,
Strong's election.
With such history behind 1t. with the knowl.
edge that your own administration in Brooklyn
and Mayor Strong's administration in New
York were due entirely to the Republican party,
| and that ultimately the Renphlicap =, , ~ =. ~
titled to the credit of such good as they may
have accomplished. it is impossible to under
stand why, IL your fricnus are sincere, they
should now seek to turn the government back
into the hands of Tammany Hall.
1t is too late for you to retire from the race.
The only thing which can be expected Is that,
seeing the hopeiessness OF your cause, and
recognizing that every vote cast for you is n
vote thrown away. your constituency may pre-.
fer the welfare of the city to your personal ad.
vancement or to the justification of your thee.
ries. 1t is to be hoped that they will realize that
politics is not a counsel of perfection, but the
art OF the attainable. 1t seems strange that
rather than have had you elected to the Mayor
atty upon the same conditions as those upon
which you were elected in Brooklyn, or upon
which Mayor Strong was elected in New York.
they and you should have preferred to divide
the vote. which, consolidated, could have Sc
N~~ 'SNSAoh - Nsc CioSlIoh I'll II
other reputable candidate, and have saved the
city from the menace OF Tammany.
There are only three possible explanations:
First. that you are fighting fanatically for an
alleged principle. be the consequences to tho
community what they may.
Second, that you feel 80 confident Of an cleo.
ton that you have taken grounds which will
enable you, when elected. to set up a purely
personal government; or.
Third, that. cost the rest of US what it may.
you have determined that Tammany would be
preferable TO party government by those Repub.
licans OF whom you nevertheless claim TO be one.
There are many thousands of us, Mr.. Low,
who wish as sincerely for reform as you,
and some OF ue who have fought the battle
quite as long and made quito as many sacrifices
for and honest contributions OF effort to the
cause, who regret to find you busted as you are,
j write as / do because n sense OF impending
calamity compels me TO do SO, in tho hope that /
may thereby aid in preventing it. Yours sin.