582 



NEW YORK. 



I do not admit that misgovermnent in this city is 

 proof of the failure of republican government. Re- 

 publican government, under a wise and well-consid- 

 ered charter, with a proper distribution of power, 

 has not yet been tried in the great metropolis. When 

 the Legislature gives to New York municipal govern- 

 ment in conformity with the general idea of Ameri- 

 can institutions, it performs its whole duty. All 

 further responsibility is on the people of New York 

 City themselves. The people there have recently 

 proved themselves capable of righting their own 

 wrongs. If they_ culpably neglect their own affairs, 

 if they will not give to their own political affairs the 

 same attention which the rest of the people, in their 

 several localities, are in the habit of giving, they 

 must suffer the consequences. No selt-acting ma- 

 chinery can be devised which will suffice to do the 

 work which the people themselves are bound to do. 

 Complicated machinery will serve only to invite 

 combinations of designing men, whose operations 

 c*n be concealed under it. Give to the city a chief 

 executive, with full power to appoint all heads of ad- 

 ministrative departments. Let him have power to 

 remove his subordinates, being required to publicly 

 assign his reasons. The people will try the question 

 whether he abuses this power of removal. Make 

 him the head of the police, in the same manner as the 

 Governor is head of the National Guard, with proper 

 protection for the members of the force against re- 

 moval while faithful to duty. Make him responsi- 

 ble, personally, for all waste or improper expendi- 

 ture, by requiring from him, through the Depart- 

 ment of Finance, an estimate of what money is need- 

 ed for the support of the government and its various 

 departments, before any appropriation is made. Give 

 to the people full representation in the Common 

 Council, and confine it to legislative duties, and ex- 

 clude it from administrative. Give to it the power to 

 reduce estimates of expenditure, but not to increase 

 them ; the power^ to limit expenditure, but not to 

 originate appropriations. Give full power to the 

 Common Council and the mayor to regulate the local 

 taxes, to expend each year what monejr they think 

 fit in cash expenditures, bui limit rigidly by law 

 their power to incur debts. If the expenditures be 

 wasteful, let the people feel it in their taxes, and let 

 them apply the corrective. Make the mayor remova- 

 ble for misconduct by the Governor. All other pro- 

 visions of the charter could be drawn by any one. 

 They are mere matters of routine and precedent. 

 Then the mayor can rightfully be held, as this char- 

 ter says he should be, u responsible for the good or- 

 der and efficient government of the city," and would 

 feel himself to be so. _ Add such provisions as shall 

 secure frequent publication of the expenditures and 

 transactions of the city government, ready access of 

 tax-payers to the city accounts, and opportunities to 

 the people to change their chief magistrate at short 

 intervals, and all the safeguards of good government 

 are furnished. 



With such a charter, the people of the city of New 

 York should be told in plain terms by the Legisla- 

 ture that they must do their share, as the people do 

 elsewhere, in looking after their local affairs, and so 

 contributing their part to the maintenance of repub- 

 lican government. From special legislation on the 

 subject, and from applications from year to year for 

 amendments to the charter, the Legislature should 

 resolutely turn away. I am aware that this charter 

 has been prepared under the auspices of a committee 

 of seventy prominent citizens of New York, who 

 have recently done good public service in another 

 way, some of whom have been conversant with pub- 

 lic affairs, but many of whom are of the class that 

 has heretofore neglected giving any time or attention 

 to such matters. I have entire respect for the inten- 

 tions of this committee, but cannot let its judgment 

 control mine. So convinced am I that great and dis- 

 astrous evils to the city are likely to grow out of the 

 enactment of this charter, that, if I knew every man 



in the city of New York was clamoring for it, I would 

 not give it my approval. 



Another charter was shortly after intro- 

 duced, and passed rapidly through the forms 

 of legislation. It was known as the "Palmer 

 Bill," and was vetoed by the Governor after the 

 session had closed. In giving his reasons for 

 withholding his approval, the Governor said : 



Without discussing the merits or demerits of the 

 general provisions of the bill, and both are very 

 marked, it is sufficient to say that it orders the mu- 

 nicipal election for the mayor, Common Couneil, 

 school-officers, etc., on the 31st day of the present 

 month, and in my judgment it is unwise and ex- 

 tremely dangerous to precipitate upon the pe<>; 

 New York so important an election on such short 

 notice ; second, the election, if held, would be << in- 

 ducted by inspectors and canvassers heretofore 

 chosen under the operation of the registry and elec- 

 tion law passed this session. The laws under which 

 they were chosen expire, and the official CXIM 

 of the officers terminates, June 1, 1872. If for any 

 reason the canvass of any part of the vote should nut 

 be completed on the night of election, May 31st. 

 to say the least, very doubtful if it could be 

 pleted at all, for the reason that the canvassers would 

 be, after that day, by the operation of the law, out 

 of office. Serious litigation would be likely to < 

 between those who are now in office and those who 

 would claim under the new election ; third, assuming 

 as I think must be the case, that no person who is 

 not registered could vote at the proposed election, 

 and that he must be registered in the election district 

 in which he resides, a very large number, of the citi- 

 zens of New York would, under the operation of the 

 said chapter 675 of the laws of 1872, be disfranchised 

 at that election. No citizen, who since the last registry 

 has moved into another election district than that in 

 which he then lived (and many thousands did so 

 move on the 1st of May last), could vote ; for section 

 37 of said chapter (which section takes effect imme- 

 diately) provides that no person registered in one 

 district can be registered in another in any other 

 manner than is provided in said chapter. No regis- 

 try can, therefore, be had under any other law, and 

 none can be had under the law of 1872, for the reason 

 that the sections which provide for a registry do not 

 take effect until June 1, 1872, the dav after the pro- 

 posed election. There is no provision for a new- 

 registration for the election proposed to be held 

 May 31st, and no time to make it if there was. No 

 voter, therefore, who has moved into a new election 

 district since the last fall election, can by any possi- 

 bility vote this spring. An election, which directly 

 affects for good or evil the welfare of a million of 

 people, and which affects indirectly the whole S: 

 to be held on a fortnight's notice, and at which many 

 thousands of citizens are thus disfranchised, cannot 

 be held with my consent. 



Several other acts affecting the city of New 

 York were considered, and some of them 

 passed. Among the latter were two charters 

 intended to secure rapid transit to and from 

 and within the city. One provided for a niil- 

 road above, below, or on the surface, according 

 to the requirements of the route selected, 

 and the other incorporated a company for tlie 

 construction of what was known as the " Gil- 

 bert elevated railroad." Neither of the com- 

 panies thus incorporated has made use of its 

 franchises, or done any thing toward effecting 

 the object for which it was formed. A bill, 

 providing that the Court of Appeals miirht as- 

 sign justices from other districts to court- 



