New-York tribune., 1901-04-24
PRETTY GOOD PIECE OF WORK.

So far as its provisions known and under
stood the revised charter. modified by the sup
Elementary bills passed yesterday, is essentially
the work of the Charter Commission. The legis
lature has. indeed, made and left in 1t a consid
cradle number Of changes, but only few of
them are now supposed to be of much impor-
tance. The final attitude Of the lawmakers can
therefore be justly said TO have been on the
whole respectful TO the commission and to the
intelligent judgment of the community whose
confidence the commission enjoyed Under the
stress of political feeling Mayor Van Wyck and
other Democratic leaders will doubtless con-
tinue to assert that the city has been betrayed
at Albany, and in the coming municipal cam
paign Tammany will make the most OF that
accusation. But it is not likely to prove effec-
tive. There will be little difficulty, we think,
in convincing the people that most Of the mis-
chief which was confessedy at one time threat
ened averted before adjournment through
the influence of public sentiment.
The Mayors veto message, aside from one or
two Incorporate expressions, was an instructive
and creditable criticism of the charter as ii
reached his hands To be sure many Of the
faults on which he laid particular stress were
already in process of correction, so that he was
deprived OF the satisfaction of appearing as
a discoverer and original critic; but even in
respect 10 those disagreeable features of the
instrument his remarks were generally deserv-
ing of attention This was especially true of
that part Of the message in which he described
and condemned the amendment relating to the
city magistrates of Brooklyn, and it is to be
regretted that the legislature did not yield to
the conclusive arguments Of reason and pro-
priety and strike 1t out. Nobody denies that
its origin political, and that 1t is expected
tfa ID
a political advantage. If that is an excuse 1t
is assuredly not justification. and we do not
believe that the result will be fortunate in any
way. But with that one exception no clearly
discerned abuse of large proportions is left to
disfigure the charter.
OF course, this is not equivalent to saving
that the readjusted scheme of municipal GOV
ernment is sure to prove wholesome and salts
factory to the people Of New-York In the
nature Of things a charter, like a constitution,
must be experimental; and, moreover in this
instance intelligent and disinterested opinion is
divided. The Mayor. for example was able to
produce an impressive argument in opposition
TO the novel manner of constituting the Board
Of Estimate and Apportionment to the public
school chapter and to several other features of
The revision. But there is no trace Of jobbery
about these provisions In the main they
iecei'eu the ueiipeldie approval OF the COM
mission, and few citizens are so competent as
Mr.. Rives and his associates to estimate their
value. Even if they work badly the legislature
which passed them will not be seriously cen
sured for having accepted the judgment of
those conscientious and careful students of
municipal affairs. The new charter unUuestion-
ably embodies the main principles which in
recent years have come to be regarded as essen
tial to the prudent and efficient government of
Il great city. 1t concentrates power and fixes
responsibility, and will therefore presumably
make the correction Of abuses easier 1t GER
tainly will not introduce a municipal millen-
MUM, but we may fairly expect it to improve
the conditions under which we live and reflect
credit on those by whom it was framed and
enacted.