New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-09
THE CHARTER CONFUSION PROTESTS.

"
Referring to the activity of the Legislature IA
undolnp the Greater New-IOrk charter, WHICH II
has inst nut through with injudcious nas'e' ~
Tribune recently said that the strahgest i"o' ~
connection with the whole business WIS '"e
foilure Of the Charter Commission 10 pro'es'
against the afront put upon 1t by 'l'e
az its work We do not know whether OF hot 'ie
commissioners were influenced by TINS s!ihPa
thetlc allusion to the indignites which 'he! Id"
ham made 10 suffer nor Is 1t important 10 III
ou,re The interesting and important 'hihs -
,hot seven of them, including those VINO iau
most 10 do with the task OF char'er cons'i "O'o"'
have united in a remonstrarce ana sent " ~ 'no
oho,rmon Of the Senate Finance Comili''ee'
,rhor n,oht with credit If not with Advantage
,o,n tokon This action earlier, but IL IS pe''e'
49,. .hor rover They are right in denonnclhs
q general course of procedure WHICH seeA' "
tbvvort 10 n great extent the operation Vi 'i',''
nort of rho charter which has been most near "a!
commended as a wise provision for lne oiu'''!'
consistent and economical management "a p"
liz improvements. They are rlghl diSo ia 'P'
fvno rs the most fragrant example vi tnc HVe'
la,ure's Inconsistency and folly the ho'oiio"'
Concourse scheme, which appears 10 nave no'
single disinterested supporter. when mas p'en
denounced on all sides as piece OF TIE r"hne''
iobbery. with which Genera! Burnett one OIL Us
nronosed beneficlaries, has just reluseo W NC
any longer identified and which Governor b'acA
oorro+ countenance without defacing MS ne"
record Of firm hostility 10 dsreputapie uhuer'
takings r c.ro,o.
Tho Commissioners letter TO Senator Strana'
hon was clearly intended 10 convince the Legs
,aturo Of their indignation. They say: III 10
.hord,v conceivable to us that the same Legs
.roture which passes the Greater New-1ork
"chorter. with its formal relegation or all sucn
"matters 10 the control of the city, would pass
go measure of this character, In such hagran'
"vio,aton of the principle Of home rule empoo'
,,as ~ ,ho charter 1t would certainly
..ho q narody upon all reasonable views OF con'
..so,idation if every part Of the consolidated CITY
..rora IN no authorized to run itself into deDl
..,n n tho utmost limit in anticipation OF thal
"avent" It would. indeed, but parody never
tholess IS the logical sequence of all the pro-
coedinps connected with the charter The Legis-
,otura has accented that ill-fashioned instrument
not because it was acceptable, but because II
,roS ordered Most of the members OF the Re-
nuhlican majority are not only averse TO an
ohrrnt enactment Of the consolidation scheme,
hut onnoscd. so far as they comprehend Its char
octer n rho charter itself. With misgivlngs
which they made no effort to conceai thev ra'i'
fed the plans Of the managers, but 'nasnucn
as their action was based on instructions anu
not on reason, they arc not ashamed concurrent
" TO pursue a course which is inconsistent WIN
genuine approval Of the charter but not WITH
their traditional attitude toward these metro
potan communities.
We do not mean to assert that the lhdishah'
protest of the Charter Commissioners VIII nave
no effect al Albany. 1t certainly ought TO Drlng
some wellmeaning but easy-going members OF
the Legislature to their senses, and we are nope
full that it will produce that result. In any case
we confidently expect that it will confirm Gov
crnor Blacks dissemination TO identity himself
with the promotion Of reckless schemes or per-
sonal and political ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.