Year: 1873

PERSONAL BEARINGS or THE CHARTER.


The Senate Committee still considers the
Charter in secret session, and nothing is known
thus far as to the result of their deliberations.
Argument halts unheard except such as the p0-
tent reasons advanced at demonstrations like
that of the Germans last night, fair but neces-
sarily brief report of which we give elsewhere.
There are other considerations, too. that have
not been advanced as emphatically as they
might have been, which may yet have some
weight, and which it is not at least too late to
submit to the Senate and Governor, for hap
PLY the latter is yet to consider the measure.


1t is conceded by its advocates, with can
dor that indicates greater confidence IN the
success of their plans than honesty of their
purposes, that the Charter is a party measure.
1t is calculated only for the present emer-
gency; it's design is less to establish good
government than to lay the foundation of
future partisan successes. 1t is to put and
keep in office certain men, and to put out of
Office certain other men. Now, who are those
who are to be taken care Oft 1t Is no secret
to any one even remotely connected with
politics and the public service that the
men to be cared for are Thomas Murphy,
driven by public sentiment from the
Collectorship of the Port; John /. Daven-
port, made notorious, not to say infamous, by
his insulting enforcement of an obnoxious law
which threatened instead Of protected personal
liberty; George M. Van Mort, who holds
place at the dictation and is a Republican at
the suggestion of William M. Tweed; Henry
Smith, another Republican of the Custom
house school against whom we have not the
heart to quote his present allies; and score
of other and lesser men whose affiliations with
the dead Ring were as close as their relations
to the new one. The political combination
which supports and expects to maintain these
leaders and this Ring comprises the leaders of
old Tammany expelled by the new organiza-
ton; and it excludes the thousands of Re-
formers who, irrespective of party, followed
last Fall the lead of the Committee of Seventy
and gave victory, or rather temporary advan-
tage, to the CustOm-hOuse


And it excludes also, and the Ring expects
when successful to expel from Office, some of
the most prominent men who acted with the
Republicans in the last campaign. Every Rep
resentative at Albany knows that the design
of the Charter is to deprive Mayor Havemeyer
of power and to remove Controller Green from
the Finance Department; but probably few of
them know that these two officials have as
good and sound Republican records as has
either of the managers we have named who
seek to dispOssess them. Both Mr. Havemeyer
and Controller Green are to-day considered,
and are sometimes called, Democrats, and
that too without any distinction made as to the
sort of Democrats they are thought to be-
Both were members of the party known as
Democratic Republican" before the struggle
for Union broke the party asunder. but with
many others, among whom may be appropriately
named Gov Dix. they have acted
always in National affairs with the
friends Of freedom. Both of them voted
for President Grant and for Gov. Dix at the