Year: 1879

| eighteen or twenty years when the citizens
of New York did not justly consider them
selves the worst governed municipality in
the civilized world. In all this long Pc
riod of gross and fragrant misgovernment
there has never been q time when the mu-
nicipal administration has sunk into such
helpless and hopeless imbecility as in
the scandalous reign Of utter con-
fusion and blocking cross purposes which
prevails at present. We have gone through
one period of greater corruption and worse
deprivation of official morals, but we have
never had such spectacle of sheer impo-
tence and checkmating folly as that which
at present disgraces the city. The infamous
Tweed Ring of course bears off the palm of
villany in sheer knavery 'none but itself
could be it's parallel" But the Tweed regime,
corrupt as it was, was not imbecile. 1t was
able to accomplish whatever it undertook.
Instead of municipal anarchy we had a
city government, although q government
which paid enormous tolls to corrupt
and corrupting oligarchy. But if the
Tweed Ring was q set of scoundrels they
were capable scoundrels, and during their
ascendancy there was no deadlock in the
local administration like that which at
present excites the scorn and derision of
sensible citizens. No doubt administra-
tive confusion is better than admins
trative corruption but why need we have
either? Why should it be impossible for
the first city on the American continent to
have municipal government at once pure
and efficient? Is there no middle choice
between rascals of capacity and well mean
ing men who keep things in perpetual
and contemplate muddle?


Excepting pecuniary corruption, which
nobody suspects in the administration of
Mayor Cooper, what could be worse than
the existing deadlock in city affairs The
ineficiency of the Police Commissioners
whom the Mayor undertook to remove was
notorious; but one of them is kept in Office
by judicial action, and another whom the
| Mayor displaced, would have been restored
by judicial action if the Mayor had not pre-
vailed on Governor Robinson to appoint an
extraordinary General Term to head off the
expected order of q judge of the Supreme
Court If Mayor Cooper's new appointments
to fill vacancies in the Police Commission
| had not been made in the interest of
political faction the Mayors position before
the public would be stronger and more re-
| spectacle than it is. His selection Of two
young men who are plant tools of MI. Til
den was an abuse Of the appointing power.
He should have sought out citizens Of
weight, standing. of political independence
and proved administrative capacity to take
the place of the incompetents whom
he turned out. He would thereby
have vindicated the sincerity of his
wish to reform the department. In point
of fact there has been no reform; the streets
are as scandalously dirty as before the
changes were made, although dirty streets
were the chief head OF accusation against
the removed Commission There is pre-
cisely the same reason for turning out
Messrs. MacLean and Morrison that was
alleged for turning out Messrs Nichols and
Smith. The condition of the streets is no
better under the new Commissioners
than it was under the old, as
all citizens can see for thems elves.
What, then, has been gained? Moth
ing has been gained for the health, clean
liness and good order of the city; but Mr..
Tilden, who runs the Mayor, has gained
two subservient tools in the Police Com
mission, who prove themselves able to
cause deadlock in the appointment of in
spectors of election. There is prospect
that this deadlock may prevent the holding
of an election this year in the city of New
York. No citizen can vote who Is not
registered, and there can be no legal
registry without inspectors. The Police
Board stands two to two, the two repub-
licans refusing to vote for the proposed
democratic inspectors, and the two demo-
publican inspectors. Cnless this tie vote
is broken there will be no possibility of
conducting legal election, and the city
will be deprived, not only of its voice in
State affairs. but of its right to elect it's
local officers. A law which permits such a
danger carries its own cond demnation on its
face, as does indeed large portion of the
existing laws which relate to the govern
ment of the city.


The loosely drawn provision of the city
charter under which Mayor Cooper acted
in removing the recreant Police Commits
sioners is signal instance Of the clumsi-
ness of Albany legislation bearing on the
local government of New York. The
Mayor followed the charter as interpreted
for him by his legal advisers, and yet he
has barely escaped judicial nullifcation
Of his action by the intcrposition OF the
Governor in appointing an extraordinary
General Term of the Supreme Court. 1t is
the scorn and scandal of our legislation
that it is so unintelligible to the officers
elected to administer it that everything they
do or attempt is subject to dilatory litiga-