Year: 1870




The reconstruction Of our city government
AZ proposed in the bill reported to the State
Assembly yesterday by Mr. Frear Is matter
which we hold to be Of such commanding i'm
portance to the people Of this island that we
publish the bill in full for their information.
We presume that it is substantially the new
city government agreed upon by the chiefs Of
Tammany. It corresponds with tho hints
thrown out by both Governor Hoffman and
Mayor Hall, each in his late annual message
1t is evidently framed upon the ruling idea Of
Prime Minister Sweeny-'let us not tear down
faster than we build up again" The scheme
is. that foreshadowed by Mayor Hail. 1t
makes the Mayor the responsible head Of our
city administration, and the Board of Alder
men the municipal senate for the confirmation
of his appointments, removals and suspen-
sions


The bill provides for thirteen city depart
pents, the managing boards Of which are to
be subject to the Mayor and Aldermen. Be-
yond the heads of these several departments
there are to be no material changes in the per-
sonnet or working machinery of any of them.
The Street Department and the Croton Depart
ment are to be merged into one, to be called
the Department of Public Works. The Park
Commissioners are continued In Office during
their present term. There are to be five Com
missioners of the Police Department, and the
City Judge and Recorder are to be two Of
them. The policemen are not to be disturbed,
except for cause. The Fire Department will
be under three commissioners, but the present
efficient firemen and the steam engines and
horses win be retained. The old volunteer
infantry system will not be restored.


Nor will the excise be absolutely abolished
There will still be an excise board of three
commissioners and the license fee to liquor
sellers will range from thirty to hundred
dollars. Liquor shops and saloons will not be
allowed to keep open later than one hour past
midnight, nor must they be open again before
four in the morning. This arrangement allows
q reasonable margin day and night to the
thirsty citizen and the enterprising retailer.
But liquor shops must be kept closed all day
Sunday and on election days, though the harm
less beverage known as lager beer may be sold
at all times in gardens not less than quarter
of mile from any place Of public worship;
while at the same time, be it remembered,
reasonable ingress and egress shall be allowed
to those liquor shops in which the liquor sellers
have their domicies.


Now, this concession to the churches in re-
gard to the lager beer gardens is something
for which our church-going people ought to be
grateful, because the sacrilegious vocal music
OF beer garden quarter of mile off will not
disturb any church worship except on extraor-
dinary occasions. Nor will the lager beer peo-
pie have any right to complain Of this compro-
mise, because where beer garden is within
quarter Of mile of place of worship the
garden or the church can be removed little
further of, you know. The worshippers of the
Jolly King Gambrinus will have reason espe-
cially to be thankful for this--that under the
new charter they will no longer be compelled
to travel to Jersey on Sunday to enjoy their
lager and their music, and the same may be
said of whiskey. Verify, the millennium Of the
democracy is at hand, and we are on the verge
of revolution in our social affairs as great as
that which in England followed the return of
King Charlie after the oppressive rigors Of the
ssPraise- God Barebones" Puritans


Nor are these good things coming to be
limited to this new city charter We are to
have new election law, for instance, under
which the bothersome farce of registration will
be dispensed with, and half the canvassers and
inspectors will be. elected by the people and
half by the Board Of Supervisors, and all will
be democratic. This plan viii put an end to
election disputes and make everything run
smoothly. The republicans, with their State
commissions over the city, have held for q
long time the whiphand over this metropolis,
and still our Corporation rings, corruptions
and spoliations have gone on from bad to
worse, and still our democratic city majorities
have increased. Now give the democrats
fair trial and let us see how they will come
out. They may fail; but they may, perhaps,
delight and astonish our taxpayers and law
and order people with their retrenchments and
reforms. At all events they are in fair way
to outdo the radicals Of Congress in their
work Of reconstruction, and such is the spirit
Of the age.