NEW YORK CITY. 



641 



In the case of Sheriff Alexander V. Davidson, 

 charged before the Governor with malfeasance 

 in office, the proceedings were dismissed by 

 Grov. Hill on the 3d of March, on the ground 

 that sufficient cause for removal from office 

 had not been shown. 



Changes In Offlee. On May 9 the Mayor had 

 occasion to make a number of appointments, 

 araon^ the first to be made without confirma- 

 tion by the Board of Aldermen. His selec- 

 tions were as follow: City Chamberlain, for 

 a term of four years, William M. Ivins, for- 

 merly his private secretary ; Commissioner of 

 Jurors, Charles Reilly; Park Commissioner, 

 term of six years, Matthew D. 0. Borden; Fire 

 Commissioner, to succeed Cornelius Van Cott, 

 term expired, Henry D. Purroy, already a 

 member of the commission ; Fire Commissioner, 

 to succeed Purroy, un expired term of two 

 years, Edward Smith ; President of the Board 

 of Taxes and Assessments, to succeed Thomas 

 B. Asten, Republican, term expired, Michael 

 Coleman, Democrat, former Supervising Dep- 

 uty in the department; Dock Commissioner, 

 to succeed William E. Laimbeer, James Mat- 

 thews, previously a Police Commissioner ; Po- 

 lice Commissioner, to succeed Matthews, John 

 R. Voorhis, previously Dock Commissioner; 

 Dock Commissioner, to succeed Voorhis, Joseph 

 Koch, formerly Democratic member of the 

 State Senate; Commissioner of Charities and 

 Correction, Dr. Charles E. Simmons. In June 

 the Mayor made charges against the assessors 

 in the Department of Taxes and Assessments, 

 and secured their removal and the appointment 

 of others more satisfactory to himself. 



Investigation of Municipal Affairs. During the 

 autumn a committee of the State Senate made 

 an investigation of the administration of the 

 affairs of the city. Evidence was obtained 

 tending to show that the commission to select 

 sites for new armories in the city, consisting 

 of Gen. Alexander Shaler, commander of the 

 First Division of the National Guard, and also 

 President of the Board of Health Commission- 

 ers, and the Mayor and Commissioners of Pub- 

 lic Works, had, through the corrupt collusion 

 of Gen. Shaler with private parties, paid an 

 unnecessarily high price for the land, part ot 

 the purchase-money going to the benefit of 

 Shaler and an agent who had acted as an in- 

 termediary in the transaction. The evidence 

 was submitted to the Mayor and District 

 Attorney. The former made it the basis of 

 charges against Gen. Shaler for his removal 

 from the Health Board, and the latter laid it 

 before the grand jury and obtained an in- 

 dictment against the same officer for malfea- 

 sance in office. Pending the trial on this indict- 

 ment, the Mayor's charges were not pressed. 

 The trial of Gen. Shaler in January, 1886, re- 

 sulted in a disagreement of the jury. The same 

 committee collected a mass of evidence against 

 the Excise Commissioners, which was also 

 placed at the service of the Mayor and Dis- 

 trict Attorney. The former framed charges 

 VOL. xxv. 41 A 



against the commissioners to be laid before the 

 Governor of the State, on which he was asked 

 to remove these officers. The principal charge 

 was that they had granted licenses for the sale 

 of intoxicating liquors to persons who kept 

 disreputable resorts. The Governor ordered a 

 special inquiry by a commissioner of his own 

 selection, the result of which had not been an- 

 nounced at the end of the year. The District 

 Attorney took no action in the matter. The 

 general results of the investigation of the Sen- 

 ate committee were submitted to the Senate 

 in a formal report soon after the beginning of 

 the session of 1886. The committee had been 

 urged to inquire into allegations that the con- 

 sent of the Board of Aldermen in 1884 to the 

 franchise 'for constructing a horse-railway in 

 Broadway had been obtained by bribery, but 

 it failed to take up the inquiry. 



Municipal Politics. The Tammany organiza- 

 tion took a prominent part in securing the 

 nomination of Gov. Hill for re-election, which 

 was generally opposed by the rival Democratic 

 organization known as the County Democ- 

 racy. Tammany took ground directly against 

 the Civil-Service Law. After the State Con- 

 vention it endeavored to secure a union of 

 the two Democratic factions in support of a 

 single county ticket. Its County Convention, 

 after nominating George 0. Barrett for the 

 Supreme Court, postponed further action and 

 appointed a committee of conference. The 

 County Democracy declined its overtures, de- 

 claring that the principles and methods of the 

 two organizations were diametrically opposed 

 to each other. 



The Tammany candidates were elected, with 

 the exception of Ransom for Judge of the Supe- 

 rior Court, Sedgwick being re-elected to that 

 office. The total vote of the city for Governor 

 was 200,338, of which 123,603 were for Hill, 

 75,364 for Davenport, 1,215 for Bascom, and 

 156 for Jones. For Sheriff, Grant received 

 74,151, Jacobs 65,506, and White 58,489. 



Underground-Wire Commission. The commis- 

 sion provided for by act of the Legislature to 

 supervise t;he laying of electric wires under- 

 ground was appointed in the month of June. 

 By the votes of the Comptroller and Commis- 

 sioner of Public Works against that of the 

 Mayor, Charles E. Loew, Theodore Moss, and 

 Jacob Hess were named; the candidates of the 

 Mayor being Prof. Charles F. Chandler, Frank 

 L. Pope, and John P. Townsend. The commis- 

 sioners held their first meeting on the 20th of 

 July, and appointed Mr. Loew president and 

 Mr. Moss secretary. Sixty days were allowed 

 for the submission of plans by the companies 

 owning and controlling electric wires, but no 

 plans were submitted by them. Three hearings 

 were given for the consideration of plans pro- 

 posed by others, but nothing had been decided 

 upon at the end of the year. 



Street Railroads. The consent of the Board 

 of Aldermen was given in 1884 to the con- 

 struction of a horse-railroad in Broadway be- 



