Year: 1877

rOnoge OF the ceutIui BoScIuhchss
enormously increased during and since the
war, has given the President SO prodigious a
power TO influence elections as to constitute
formidable peril Of itself President Grant
could have secured q third election, or, at
least, q third nomination, had it not been
for the indictment of Babcock and impeach-
ment of Belknap just in advance
of the election of delegates to the
Republican National Convention. But
those dangers were trivial in comparison
with that which now assails our political
system. The business interests of the
country cannot endure recurrence of the
convulsive strain which is now put upon
them. Order, stability and quiet are the
fundamental requisites of business pros
perity and commercial growth. Such a
state of things as now exists tends to under
mine confidence in Presidential elections and
reconcile the country to extreme methods of
relief If this exciting contest should run
the present year the country will be apt to
think that a system which brings such evils
is not worth preserving Party passions
must be hushed if we ore to maintain our
free institutions.


Street Cleaning and Technicalities.


The streets are just now in o condition of
very decided uncleanliness and discomfort.
No pretence has been made by the Street
Cleaning Bureau to do anything for the re-
lief either Of foot passengers or road travel
since the first heavy fall of snow. Police
Commissioner Nichols, who is at the head of
the bureau, informs an evening paper that
the law stands in his way, that there is no
appropriation that can be devoted to the
removal of the snow, and that to use for
one purpose an appropriation intended for
another purpose is by the charter made
misdemeanor punishable with imprison-
ment Following out this theory the Police
Commissioners addressed communication
to the Board of Apportionment asking the
transfer to their department of some one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars of un-
expended balances, to be used in removing
the present distractions from the streets.


We are now at the commencement of the
new year. and the appropriations for 1877
are as yet untouched. The street cleaning
bureau is charged with the duty of ''ceusing
all streets, avenues, lanes, alleys, cutters,
wharves, piers and heads of slips" in the
city, ito be thoroughly cleaned from time
to time, and kept at all times thoroughly
clean" This power seems ample to, cover
the work of removing the filth that at pres
ent fills the streets and makes many of them
not only not ''thoroughly clean" but dan
gerous and almost impossible. Under the
recent financial management of the city
Police Commissioner Nichols might have
met with embarrassments in using the ap-
preparation made for street cleaning for the
purpose for which it was intended. But we
had supposed that Comptroller Kelly would
not be likely to offer distractions to the
Police Department in the performance of
what is clearly its duty, or to refuse to pay
Commissioner Nichols acquisitions on any
technical grounds. If the additional sum
asked for is needed before the streets can be
rescued from their present horrible condi-
ton it should be transferred without delay.
But we can see no reason why the street
cleaning bureau cannot clean the streets in
1877, as required by the law, through the
use of the appropriation set apart for that
express purpose for that year.