New-York tribune., 1901-09-29
GOVERNMENT OF THIS CITY
DISCUSSED BY MEssRs RIvEs. CoLER,
MOSS AND HAWLEY IN THE NORTH
AMERICAN REVIEW

The Nortb American Revfew' places before the
voters OF this city q striking EXPOSITION OF IN
conditions OF municipal affairs The powers OF ms
Nsvor and his limitations defined oy George L.
riyes president Of the commission TO revise
the Sew-York City charter Bro = toier'
the present Controller. discusses the hhah-
rial condition and its accompanying problems.
Frank Moss once police commissioner ana
Darr nresident of the Society for the suppress
sor Of Vice Indicates clearly the corruptlon ils'
EXISTS In the Police Department. and waiter nav"
ley contrasts the strength with the NeaAne'' u
Tammany Hall
pv she changes i'm the charter OF 1897. the re-
vision of which will go into effect on January l.
1909 the new Mayor, about the identity or "horn
there is now much guessing, educated OF uii-
educated will have power to remove any OF MS
own anpointeee except school commissioners, mag
istrates and several other officers, whenever III N
his Judgment the public interests shall so reaulre.
The borough presidents will, however nave ~ apso-
lute pouer over affairs of their own dlsuicts'
being elected by the people, and will therefore oe-
priye the Mayor OF much of the patronage fhat ne
now enjoys. thus curtailing his poiiticai power
on the other hand the power of the Mayor mas
been enormously increased by the added power OF
removal. and his responsibility for sood government
has been also enhanced.
In financial matters the Mayor is not TO oe su-
preme. The Board of Estimate ana Apporuoh-
rnent will consist Of elective officers only-the
Mayor the Controller. the President OF the Board
of Aldermen and the presidents Of the five bor-
oughs To bring IL about that the total voting power
of the presidents of the Eve boroughs shall be
less than that OF the officers elected by the CITY
AZ large each of the latter will have three votes
in tho board The presidents Of Manhattan and
BROOKLYN viii have two votes each and the pres-
dents of the remaining boroughs one each- ihis
will give nine 10 the members elected al
large which will constitute the controlling power
sixteen being the whole. This takes from the
AHsvor the positIon Of the important member
of the board and may array him against others
quite as powerful and. perhaps. representing op-
posing political constituencies.
The tenure Of office under the revision Mr.. Rives
ponts out VIII make IL more difficult for the Mayor
TO get competent men accept public office unoer
his appointment particularly since in some cases
The appointee must satisfy both the Governor oi
the state and the Mayor of the city or be removed
II NAV be as II is now that these will represent
opposite political faiths. when between the TWO
stools one must almost surely fall to the srouhu
Probably the most serious difficulty that the
Mayor will have encounter, MI hiNes says Il
The constant menace of legislation by the state
authorities sometimes merely useless ana at other
times opposed to the interests Of the city He
points out that majority of more than $1,000 votes
must obtained by the city in order to assure inc
possession the legislature and that with AlDahF
opposed politically the city administration
,rnpble must always ensue for the Mayor, who can
hardly hope TO effect economics Or to institute
thorough reforms in the two years that he VIII De
IN Office
In his article on Financial Problems OF Great
affairs Of New-York are now regulated by a syS-
tenn adapted TO period when merchants buried
oil lamps In front Of their stores when the moon
was not ginning" The limitation of the credlt OF
the CITY he says, is false that the municipality
is placed in the peculiar predicament of growing
richer and poorer at the same time, because the
borrowing capacity is reduced by the value oil
real estate il owns, and further reduced by the
amount of every bond sold to pay for puohe I'M
movement that will yield a profit on the invest
Sfatp Y,
ON the basis of assessed valuation of private prop
er.v is more than 4o00o0,00o, which reduces tht
borrowing capacity of the city by more than S4o
100000 the credit Of the city rests not on It's
real riches but on the real estate of owners OF
.~,h taxes are levied. He points out that If some
less administration shod give away Central
n :; which is valued at 0oo the city, al
and sold although while it remains the prop
eriy Of the city not cent can be borrowed on it
of The city. which however, Yields revenue and
provides sinking fund sufficient to retire ta me a ma
pes the city or per cent on the original cost
ste9t 9ter cfy should be administered i on sound
o-iless basis and says that such foundation
nothing new in the article ti.,o by M Frank
r. be bur e fs IS oppoTune aT to the earu
ditson of corruption that exists in the Police De-
sSs has demonstrated many times its complete CO.
ordination in itself and with the city government,
a7d its exceptional ability to do what II sets out
20 do" Hundreds of gambling houses and pool
exist. and were openly run unfll fhey were
stts eEed by private persons the city authorities
* attention TO the fagrant infraction of the
laws. snd the police accommodating the gamblers
ia possible. instead of performing
their duty. and compelling them 10 close their
ioors Ignorance of the situation of poolrooms
and other places where the laws broken. he
urges. cannot exist the part of the police. and
ther have shown II by warning these places when
raid is contemplated
The Deputy Chief Of Police Mr.. Moss says
who IS the actual head Of the department. is the
hpou companion Of man who stands at The head
cf GRE of the poolroom syndicates, and he attends
tho racetracks and lays bets with him openly. He
has never attacked place in that mans comoina-
ron-" That pckpockets and highwaymen flourish
and that dsorderly women and swindlers of all
The corruption indicated by Mr. Moss has been
exposed from time TO time. and the government
% 20 city has been charged with fostering this
the methods this great city copied by lesser
ties and the general dishonesty that obtains here
lifey spread all over the country.
ra ammsny has no higher Amin fact. cause
Tor eEistenoe-eEcept 70 make money for those who
CsrfEoi the organization. says Walter l.. Hawley
IN his article The Strength and Weakness of
rarlusn- Hail. 1t aids and abets crime because
"rin2 nais can he MADE 10 pay for assistance in
ash snd can then he frightened into silence. II
fsVns upon the rich and powerful when proferrn ng
snd crushes the weak and poor when they cease
WELD revenue.
The chief voting strength Of Tammany he saws
liss IN backnail favcritisn, ignorance, brutality
ness lies in the growth OF intelligent citizenship
nat will teach voters that safety and good gov
fnrnent VIII be conserved in the defeat Of the
eTi7suon.
4 PROMOTER AND A GOLD RRTCK