Year: 1875

The most important duty Of the next
Legislature IS the enactment Of a charter for
this misgoverned city. Legislation was ex-
pected last winter, but Governor hlden had
other irons in the fire which absorbed his
attention and chose to postpone charter re-
form. He was hoping that both branches OF
the Legislature of 1876 would be democratic,
and preferred that the charter should
not be touched until the changes could
be radical and thorough, in accordance
with democratic ideas. Governor Tilden has
been disappointed in the political COM
plexion Of the Legislature. Instead Of gain
ing the Senate he has lost the Assembly and
next winter both houses will be controlled
by his opponents. This destroys his hope
of reconstructing the city government IN the
interest OF the democratic party, but we
think it favorable to reconstruction IN the
interest Of the taxpayers and the whole
/ people. With a democratic Governor and
republican Legislature that is 70 say, with the
\ power to pass bills on one side and the
power to veto them on the other-the city has
complete protection against the passage OF
another partisan charter, and the occasion is
favorable for remodelling the city govern


ment on a permanent basis OF Justice order,


economy and municipal Independence.


If the Legislature is wise it will forestall


a veto by adopting such Of the Gov
| ernors ideas as are sound and de-
\ fensible. He has more than once
made declaration of fundamental prin-
ciples on this subject, and the Legislature
should not hesitate to take him at his word.
He cannot veto bill embodying his own
published views, and a Legislature which
honestly desires to give the city good gov
eminent can accomplish this object without
crossing the known ideas Of the Governor on
any essential point. When the Tweed char
ter was pending Mr.. Tilden went to Albany
to make a speech before the Senate Commit
tee on Cities in opposition to it, and, 50 far
as the public is aware, he has never changed
the opinions which he then expressed


One Of the points on which Mr.. Tilden
insisted with great emphasis was the ne
cessity Of complete separation between city
and State politics By holding the municipal
election, not only on different day, butat





different season Of the year. His remarks
on that point are 50 pertinent to the present
situation that we insert 50 much Of them as
remains on record in the condensed report
Of his speech sent by telegraph on the day
il was delivered. This charter" said Mr..
Tilden, lis deficient in another
spect, in that it makes the election
~ obar+nr of4;aarg aoinnidapt Nth tba4
Of the State and federal officers. The mu-
nicipal election Of million Of people is Of
sufficient importance to be dealt with by
itself, and by 50 doing you can avoid the
mixing Of municipal interests with State and
national interests" We fear that this idea
sound and self-evident as it is, will never be
acceptable to city politicians and the office
seeking brigade. But considering that the
city is democratic, is likely to remain demo-
cratic, and that most Of our municipal Off
GERS are pretty certain to be taken from
that party, it would be good
stroke Of politics, as well as
wise thing in itself, for the re-
publican Legislature TO make this change,
which the Governor has precluded himself
from vetoing by the strength and decision of
his past advocacy.


1t may be worth while to explain to the
republican Legislature how spring election,
to which Governor Iilden is so fully COM
mitted, would be for the advantage Of the
republican party. Everybody has noticed
that the fulness Of the vote in any election
depends on the number and importance Of
the offices to be filed. We have had
long experience Of the fact that the
largest aggregate vote is polled in the year
of the Presidential election, when we
choose not only President, but
a Governor, members Of Congress and
a multitude Of local officers In the
years when we elect only Governor,
members Of Congress and local officers the
aggregate vote is smaller, but is still large.
In the years when we choose neither Presi-
dent, Governor, nor Congressman the
popular vote falls To its lowest point But
these variations in the State at large are not
accompanied with as great fluctuations in
the vote Of this city, because the
local offices are prizes Of sufficient
value W chLA Oub pIcbLy lull NOJe. InS
scramble for city Offices always helps the
democratic party Of the State by adding the
city patronage to the other incentives to
electioneering activity A democratic candi-
date for Governor or for Congress is power
fully reinforced by having the city Offices put
into the scale in the same election as a make
weight in his favor. The consolidation Of
democratic interests which takes place in
every election binds the local candidates and
the general candidates in mutually sup
porting league, in which each is assisted by
the strength of the others. If this powerful
makeweight of lucrative local offices were
struck outof the general elections the demo-