Year: 1874

The Political Charter Tinkering


BiIl-What VIII the Governor Do
with Its


The bill to give the Mayor of New York the
power to appoint all heads of departments in
the city government without the confirmation
of the Board of Aldermen, and to make the
Police and Park Commissions consist each of
four Commissioners instead of five, is now in
the hands of Governor Dix, and awaits his
signature to become law. It is undisguisedly
party measure passed without regard to
the wishes or interests of the citizens of New
York and against the protest of the Mayor and
the Common Council It reverses the princi-
pie of the charter passed by republican
Legislature one year ago and approved by
Governor Dix, in which the confirming power
of the Board of Aldermen was held to be
necessity Of good government It was carried
through Legislature of unsavory reputation,
by the undisguised lobbying efforts of New
York Custom House officials, the United
States District Attorney for the Southern
district, and other federal ofice-holders.
It is one of those bills which
the Mayor and Commonalty of New
York, representing the people of the
city, have by deliberate Legislative act, called
upon the Governor to veto. It was introduced
within few days of the close of the session,
when no time was allowed to the people
whose city government it radically changes
either to examine and discuss its merits or to
protest against its passage. It has no prin-
ciple to recommend it. Even the pretence
that the chief executive officer of the city
should possess uncontrolled authority over
the subordinate heads and be held responsible
for their character and acts cannot be raised
in justification Of such bill while the re-
moval of the persons he appoints is not also
placed in his hands. In view of these facts
we do not regard it as by any means certain
that the bill will receive the approval Of the
Governor.


The object of those who favored this tinker
ing with the year-old charter is to prevent any
change in the present Police and Park Com
missions in case the democracy should elect
Mayor and Board of Aldermen in New
York next November. The principal of these,
so far as the public interests are concerned, is
the Police Commission. But this Commission,
as it now exists, has been pronounced by the
republicans themselves as inefficient, incapable
and corrupt. Mr.. Russell goes out to-day,
and his place will probably be filed at once
by the Mayor and Aldermen. The majority
of the present Commission will remain in
power, and the bill now in the Governors
hands provides that they shall not be inter-
fered with by the appointment of fifth Com
missioner. Thus much for the consistency of
the bill as measure of police reform. But
who can tell whether the venerable and
vacillating Mr.. Havemeyer will appoint
Custom House republican or Tammany
democrat in Mr. Russell's place? And what
security have the industrious District Attorney
and other of6ce-holders who have lobbied the
bill through the Legislature in its dying
moments that they will not lose the expected
fruits of their labors even before the bill be-
comes law, if, indeed, it ever does reach
that distinction2 We shall not be surprised
TO find this eleventh-hour political job turn
out as such tricks generally do, to the discom-
fort of its authors. However, the bill is not
yet law, and we are quite confident that il
will never become law unless Governor Dix
believes that it is demanded by the interests
of the city.