'The Government of New York State and the new Mayor
of New York appear determined to cleanse the administration of the great city, if they can. An honest Recorder has already been appointed, two leading men in the police have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment, and the Governor has proposed a Bill giving the Mayor power to make a clean sweep seven of elected officials. Brooklyn, moreover, is to be brought into New York, and as this makes a new Charter necessary, it is hoped that new provisions will be introduced making 'corruption more difficult, and investing the 'Mayor with more power. All this is excellent ; and while the native-born Americans continue to attend to the business, we do not doubt that New York will be made at least comparatively pure. The old difficulty, however, will remain. Ultimate power will still be in the hands of the populace, a great section of the populace wants to be paid, and the temptation to pay them for votes when respectable citizens have returned to their money making, will be as great as ever. The whole process of de- generacy and purification has occurred before, and the regime of cleanliness did not last five years. The Americans excuse themselves by pleading the number of the foreign population, but the defence is inadequate. They could confine the right of voting to born Americans just as they confine the right of king elected President. The foreigners could not rise in insurrection, or if they did, the country militia could teach them once for all that they must not abuse the hospitality of the Republic. Better face a week of civil war than perish of dry-rot.
Previous page
