New-York tribune., 1900-12-04
HOPE CHARTER WON'T PASS
DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS LOOK FOR OP-
POSITION AT ALBANY COLEk
PRAISES THE DOCUMENT.

/ Many Of the Democratic officials Of the city yes
terday expressed the belief that Few OF the changes
! In the city charter recommended by the Charter
! Revision Commission will be passed oy the Legs-
! la:ure this winter. Il don't believe said Com
/ missioner Kane of the Department of Sewers.
that the Commission viii be able 70 recognize the
charter amendments after they have been thresheti
ont ND at Albany" Several OF the off1cials said
they believed reports they had heard that Sena-
tor Platt and ctaer Republican organization lead
ers had determined not to permit most OF the
| amendments TO pass
| Controller Co:er said yesterday that he thought
! the Charter Revision Commission had done good
work particularly in trying to clear away funda-
mental defects I'm the present charter. Cne snch
defect. he said was the confusion which the char
ter exhibited I'm respect the question of centrali
cation and decentralization.
II ought 10 be manifest to every One' the Con-
troller said that there certain functions Of
government which in any city. no matter how
large must be highly centralized. unless you have
a mere federation of independent municipalities
constituting one city only in name. and having
separate tax rates. These functions suca as
relate 30 finance IN all its aspects including the
assessing and collecting of taxes. the conduct Of
the city's law business. and matters of public
safety represented by the departments of police
fire and health. On the other hand. In matters
Of local concern there cannot be. long the
city's tax burden and the of its credit are
properly conserved. too great degree of local
autonomy"
The Controller expressed approval of suggested
amendments to abolish one chamber of the Munich
pal Assembly and OF the city departments
and TO make one-headed commissions. far pos
sible but he said he was opposed TO the plan of
separating Bellevue Hospital and its subsidiary
hospitals from the control of the Commissioner Of
Charities. II believe" he said. that the admin
istration Of unpaid board of trustees will prove
comparatively inefficient. and powerless 10 with
stand the influences which, through the Medical
Board will seek 10 make Bellevue a mere adjunct
20 certain medical colleges.
Miles II. O'Brien. president OF the Board of Edu-
cation. said yesterday that he was opposed to
the charter amendment 20 abolish the -four mills
provision of the Davis School law. lone of the
chief merits of the provision. he said ''is that
IL goes far 10 separate the schools from politics
The tea cheers knOw there will be money enough to
remunerate them decentiy. To strike out the pro-
vision and make them again dependent annually
upon a Beard would be 10 throw them over into
teachag. l should Ike see a more perfect equal
zation Of salaries but not at the cost of upsettng
John T. Oakley. the vice-president of the Coun-
eli. said: II am heartily in favor Ct the proposed
pal Assembly. The plan of having two houses in
the local Legislature mas proved failure think
1zg members OF a Board Of Aldermen too many.
The Board would be cumbersome.
Dr. John I. Nagle Chief Of the Bureau OF Sta
tstics, who was In the Health Department many
years. said: Il think II would be a mistake to have
only one Health Commissioner. The Health Board
has a wide field Of operations and many functions.
For administrative action one Commissioner might
capacity in the adoption Of the Sanitary Code and
mas judicial functions as we'll The Board has so
with conditions in the crowded districts of the
tending primaries and conventions Of political or,
ganizations would be unconstitutional said wei
known ofhceholder at the City Hall and even II
would not permit II TO pass"