Year: 1872

L


crnmcnts


Many of the most prominent and worthy
members of the original Committee of Seventy
have proclaimed, through the columns Of the
HERALD, their appreciation of the high personal
character of William Butler Duncan, the pro-
posed candidate for Mayor Of New York, and
Of his eminent qualifications for the position.
Some of them, whose political attachments
are evidently stronger than their affection for
reform, object at present to pledge themselves
to support him by their votes, indicating that
they may go with the political machine if 1t
should require them to declare for any other
candidate; but all agree that Mr.. Duncan is a
gentleman whose election is desirable, and that
it would be a good omen for the city should
such nomination be made by powerful po-
litical organization. This being admitted, we
think all our readers will give us credit for
| honesty of purpose in earnestly pressing the
name of Mr.. Duncan upon the democratic
party for its acceptance. In SO doing we have
but one object in view-to secure at this event
full crisis in the career of the city chief
magistrate whose integrity is unquestionable,
whose capacity is admitted, and whose char
acter and position would insure the harmony,
efficiency and honesty Of all the municipal
departments.


The HERALD commenced the discussion of
the Mayoralty question some months ago,
when the attention of party journals was con-
centrated on the management Of political con-
ventions and the chances of Presidential
tickets We entered the field thus early in
order that the people might have ample oppor-
tunity to canvass the merits of the names from
time to time suggested for nomination, to
reflect upon the importance Of the interests
involved, and to obtain an insight into the
designs and intrigues of the several cliques,
factions and individuals who would be cer-
tain to contend for the prize. We resolved
that we would do our best to defeat the
schemes of the political wire-pullers, who were
evidently anxious to postpone the Mayoralty
nominations till the eleventh hour, in the hope
of depriving the people of the power to sue
cessfully oppose any candidates forced upon
them through corrupt bargains or selected
through evil influences In carrying out this
policy we have been careful to ignore all per-
sonal considerations. We suggested and urged
the name of John Grenvile Kane, ono of the
|.present Dock Commissioners, for the office,
because we knew him to be q gentleman of
education, integrity good social position and
remarkable executive capacity, and we should
have been gratifed if either of the great
political parties had seen fit to adopt him as
its candidate. But we put forward also
number of other names, all supposed to be
unobjectionable, and should readily have
given our support to any acceptable nominee
who might have entered the field with fair
prospect of success. Later on in the campaign
however, the danger of dissensions in one
party and of corrupt trading and bargaining
in the other began to loom up in the distance,
and it became evident that the people were
likely to be used as shuttlecocks, to be tossed
to and fro from one political battledore to the
other. We then recognized the necessity of
concentrating upon some candidate whose
name would command attention and respect
a candidate who could not fail to enlist all
honest reformers and all good citizens in his
support. William Butler Duncan was pre-
epinently such man, and his availability
was the greater because of his well-known
democratic principles The democracy is ad-
mittedly the strongest party in the city, and
can only be defeated by its own fatuity in
making improper nominations or through
corrupt bargains and fraudulent voting under
cover Of national election laws Of doubtful
expediency. With honest candidates in the
field and fair expression of the peoples will
the democratic majority in New York is un-
questionably many thousands We should
support Mr.. Duncan just as readily on
republican or reform as on a democratic
ticket, for with the HERALD, as an independent
journal, men are everything and parties moth
ing. Nevertheless, we recognize the propriety,
all things being equal, of the election Of
Mayor in political accord with the large ma
jority of the people of the city. Not to do SO
would be to ignore and outrage popular sover-
eighty. Mr.. Duncan being honest and capa-
BILE is the more acceptable because he is a DEM
ocrat, and hence we urged his selection upon
the leaders of the democracy. For some time
the nomination was absolutely refused, but
there is now, we understand, prospect of Mr..
Duncan's acceptance in the interest of the
city, not of the politicians, and we call upon
the reformed democratic party to give evidence
Of its regeneration by placing his name before
the people as their next Mayor.


The republican partisan organs, as matter
of course, object to the endorsement of Mr..
Duncan by the reform associations; but the
fact that they are republican organs-that their
columns are filed daily with fierce and bitter
partisan attacks upon all who are politically
their opponents, that they denounce all demo-
Gratis and liberals indiscriminately and would
refuse to accept any candidate not of their
own political stripe-should preclude any sim
n1,I az x,Isl.