New-York daily tribune., 1842-07-27
Civ R~treuch nseaL

Il, favor of honest and thorough Reirenchment IN
our CITY Expenditures, that We should encounter
eprnitv and misrepresentation therefor. Our City
paws compensationto to some 1900 persons, and there
are perhaps 800 more whs live sy fees or other
charges paid by citizens for official service. No"
the sloquence Of Demo.thenes. the judgement OF
Solomon, would not convince one vi these two
thousand fInctonaries that his orn pay or p0rqul-
site. should be subjected to the Reforming Pro-
cess. Rctrenchmen; in the abstract all will agree
to be an excellent thing; reduction Of other men
compensation is very well tut do nttopch r1'ne'
unless to increase it. To subtract single dollar
/. conspiracy. robbery and treasos. This j. what
old Stapleton calls Human Natur', and public
journal can never run athwart it without suffering
some Those who are to be benefited by the he
trcnchment are the great body OF the community
and they never thank YOU. They are satisfied with
making vague clamor against efhcisl eIirava-
g.ncc about Ee, TON. cursing the Collector when
he comes round with his increased ,axbill aud then
letting things take their own course. On the oiher
hand. the saarv-rn.n have each distinct, tangible
keenly-felt interest agajnst reduction. Inc hr't
word YOU utter calculated to touch nieir poor per-
quistes, touches a raw. They stop your paper
if they take H. and proceed To make others do 20
if thev can. Thss we find the following in the Er-
press Of yesterday:
Pay Of Wafebnen.
To ts> ES,,sr, JuLY 18th, l342
S.vE FROM OUR FRiESDs.Nsu arr aware sf the zeal
with which the Tribune has advocated clean sweep OF lhe
LOco-Foco Office holders city, and COW d m ssneu'
70 h. plsbed with what zeal Greeley Co. :" ar up
poor but respectable portion OF wig etpec.ah T ria
iscursbenrs refer chiefly to the City "sichneu ihr
argument of the Tribune IT, that the services OF "scbnen
Obtained for less than No" psdte necessusso
these poor men considered for reducing iber
pay II only the PoDs M.N tina; does watch duty driven
by necessity 10 obtain bread for b.. children, ana no. 70
Shall the lowest price which such services can be oba'
ed become the Standard Ih.re are Llen .n,eng us VINO
days prosperity received $500 per year for their sr
vices but whose neceses induce them to solicit from the
Common Council appointments more lsborous, at less than
half their former pay Shall Their necessities establish the
price their present paw So then with good te
oHals of character and capacity clerks IN banks and in
surance companies lcl wui become bdsrrs and office
this city reqrng only the service. Of will have
salary OF than $500 Does the Tribune long for ucb
Administration, would suggest that poor fortunate
should know their friends and that they ought to mark
The man who would degrade them or their services L't
y ybs po1 10 II" Fouer .Sy se Ps5 d .f me
We have given this datribe entire, in order that
our readers may see by what kinds Of arguments
we arc met Our readers already know bow true
j. tDe dsstllOu thdt w Hh'N "'''N"''N' ''~N
sweep of the Loco-F oco office holders &c and
they know whether we have urged that '' the los-
est price at which such services can bs obtained
.ball become the standard We do indeed hold
and urge that the far. 0ssrdge price at which
similar services may be obtained on private account
in any department shall be the standard OF oiilcial
compensation. If the City requires legal services,
we insist that she shall pay for them a. much as
any ctzen would be required TO pay for similar SER
,ices and no more if she requires the talents OF
Comptroller, Surveyor, Printer, or any body else
Every ono can that if the City were to pay her
Printer twenty-five per cent above the usual Price
nf similar work. under TIE preeXt OF being liberal
to her Mechanics, 1t would IN tatc bL;,,, h.r
taxpayers for the benefit Of her tax-conslileIp.
And this is the precise principle involved in the
case under consideration We would pay Cor
poration Counsel the fair market value of first
rate lawyers services; and SO with Printer's .
Celector's, Wstchmsn's, aud all others. Every
dollar above that is robbery Of the public for the
benefit of individuals.
We deeply regret that there is not better en-
ployment and better pay for Labor generally than
Oui, sliC' lUt Is sD-- since
thousands of capable, deserving Mechanics and
Workinsmen new throng our City, who would glad
ly find employment at fifty cents day, we consider
it unjust to tax their poverty and destitution TO pay
those in public employ more than the fair market
value of their services. Our City is soon to be
called on for a State Tax of Quarter of Il Million
Dollars per aunum. and permanent Water Rate
Of three times that amount, making an addition OF
One Million per annum to our public burthen'.
How are these to be borne in the present depres-
sion of business Must not our ordinary Munich
pal Expenses be reduced to the lowest practicable
limit We insist that they must and that the
Wing party stands pledged to reduce them. ii pos
.blc to One Million Dollars per annurn. Now
every man must know that Three TO Five Hundred
Thousand Dollars per anHum cannot come out of
nothing-it cannot be cut of ef "A few salsrics-it
car only be saved by general and thorough Re-
treschment For that Reirencnment We stand
to that we are plcdsed-!or it We shall strive.
whoever shall feel touched in his personal inter-
c.ts, and urge our subscribers to give over The
Tribune.
SheathinS Copper.