New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-09-20
round the City Hall took the darn;

their rum aud cigars, their contracts iVi i'''"U,
their fictitious bills against the Treasury Oil
were endangered A single 1ssh OF honest da!-
light into that bats nest. the Tea-Room, created
nrprising CONSERVATION. The call TO arms
was sounded; political differences were laid aside,
and secretly Wings and Democrats frafernized
most sffectionately TO secure the great end-'he
nro,ectiou of their well arranged plans for pecu-
lation upon the public by crushing out the ne
form movement. BY skillful use of the army
Of voters always at the command Of these knav'
ish leaders, and vigorous appeals to old partssus
TO vote the regular nominations they secured
clear majority in each Board of the best friends
of the Corruptionists of lo32. Immediately
after organization when some measures oil reform
were proposed the hollowness OF their parry
zeal was manifested by nearly the whole crowd
wheeling into solid platoon to vote down the
small band of reformers. And so II remains u
this day. Everything that looks IKE reai re-
trenehment is hooted at ridiculed and killed oy
these men: and the few victories which Reform
has won have been of the negative kind secured
only through those provisions OF the Char'el
which demand two thirds, or majoriues Oh al
the members elected, TO; the expenditure OF
money or the perfection of important laws Auu
we are bound to add that some OF the hetoriners
themselves have pursued courses that tended
rather TO aid than to check their opponents. we
know that they were mainly new to legislative
business; but that is no good reason Tor the 'o'
lies and inconsistencies which some have e1aio-
tied down to the present day.
Under such circumstances, where Is the JUS
tice. or even the common decency, OF ridicuing
the Reform movement for its barrenness : None
but knaye would descend TO such dishonest
warfare, and none but fool would CONSIDER sucu
arguments as one remove above contempt
Yet let us ask, has the Reform movement been
so unproductise as the Cerrupdonists would
make us believe Upon careful survey oil the
ground. we come to the conclusion that the Re-
formers-nobly supported as they have been BY
Mr. Controller Flagg-haye not only demonstra-
ted the great necessity for retrencbment but have
done good service toward the accomplishment OF
that desirable end.
So far as the Departments Of the City Govern
under the direction of the Common Council have
done all that could be done to crush out reform.
These are the Lamp and Street Cleaning Depart
ment the Department of Repairs and Supplies,
and the Department of Streets. 1t is these
branches of the Government, with their legions
of contractors aud jobbers and their army of
employees, that form the most powerful immediate
obstacle to money saving; and il is through the
wire pullers of these three Departments that the
corruptionist Aldermen were put in power and
kept there and Reform almost killed last No
yember. These three branches, operating to-
gether politically, can ordinarily control all local
elections and elect or defeat whom they please.
All of them have done their utmost against
reform. The project of cleaning streets by con-
tract was fought tooth and nail by Arcularius
and Glazier to the last moment. The Council Of
1853 provided for the burning of the lamps all
night not for the benefit OF the City, "a, ishas
happily resulted but to increase the expenses for
the first year Of what they then feared would be
one of victorious Reform. In the Street Depart
ment and the Repairs Department the same vim
dictive opposition is found The former, we believe
sled this year for about million by way Of ap
prOyriatioDs Russ Pavement incuded they got
half that. The CrotOn and the Aims-Hou De-
partments are beyond the control of the Com non
Council; the Police Department is or should be
essentially nOl-pOlitica: the Law Department
has no cOh0rt Of voters to manage and the City
Inspectors and Finance Depar .ments are in the
same category. II is in the three first named d.
visions that the trouble lest is there where
nominations and elections have been cut and dried
ever since their organization The COrruptionist
Common Council did their utmost to throw ex-
penses upon the expected Reform Board. They
handed over by their own confession, about
81, 100000 of arrears to be paid this year; they
increased the Police and raised their salaries at
cost Of S2ll, 500 more; they increased the cost
for light BY burning lamps all night about S65, O0)
and divers other less glaring things they did to
overload aud swamp the ship of Reform; and all
this is indorsed BY clear majority in each Board
Of the present misc allied " Reform" Common
Council.
But they have not succeeded. In spite Of this
overwhelming opposition, the Reform principle
has triumPhed, and stands justified by its works.
Through the vigilance and unwearying exertions
of the Controller expenses have been so regulated
that there has been reduction Of fourteen and
half per cent. in the ratio Of tazatiOx as compared
with 1853. This is an absolute decrease of one.
serenh Of the burden on the taxpayers. OF
course the amount of money raised does not show
this but the increased valuation must be taken
into account, and then ii becomes apparent or the
ratio of tax alone proves tin 1853 it was about
l24 cents to the hundred dollars; in 1854 it is
only lQ6 cent? This important fact L. stndi