The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-08

the formidable sum Of ave thousand doliars per year
On "a s s. an g.
eerpsn and Assistants, i psse ali " ''' ''''' .
had lons before existed and 's dSs.. h.a
bsen discharged without salary, ct least for tho
greater portion Of the time, the iocumbeuts Of
mens suits brought by them to compensate them for
toer services Ts duties Of the once for maay
year. fhu ,s2y s xss out
year. in lieu Of all fees or other chagss against ye Cor
porion against any other person pefsos on any
complaint for any violation Of any ORDINANCE Of the Com
In is4s, ordnance passed, wb oh may be found
10 tie proceedings q bo Boards l TO- page 1871 lpro
70 his then salary Of 81, 0 youid receive salary Of
$4,000 per year for tram sntng and the Law
business OF hs hlmsholse Department and for the pro
by law be given to confErred upon the
OF the AmtbouFe the OveTseers Of the Poor the
city OF New Yorx aud it is not little remarkable that
this salary wa MADE 10 to and take effect from
the 9Th da Of Nay, i64S, although the ordinance was
psssed on as 18th OF November, 1s4s.
only on the superstition that political fsvopits Of the
party In power ut the date of the ordinance held the
of6o, OF Corporation Attorney
litre We end office, not Of the highest grade one
Sot generally soue Int for by gen emen
rank commands lucrative practice, receiving the formi
dace sum OF FIVE thousand dollars per sar being the
highest salary pad ont OF city treasury and
exceeding by fifteen hundred dollars the salary then
paid to the Judges OF hyperion Court besides the
efroiuments arising from costs against adycrsaries
suits where he su ,ceeds
Thus the matter remained until tbs departments were
created in lS49 and the ordinances passed
made bureau 10 the law department 1.-the duties Of
the Office not under the latter nances as large
they were und the ordinances OF IS46
The Almshou6e was by the amended charter OF 18ia,
made department. and by the 420th section OF the
ordnance 10 organise the departments, 1t Is made
tie duty Of the Counsel to the Corporation to
prosecute and defend AL actions which may be
brought ~ or against any Of the heads Of the
departments, or bureau, or any Office thereof, for
growing out Of th.ir respective oces except where
y nalty given to the Corporation to the Overseer
Of The ftor q to the Aims House Department aud
ccpt proceedings before justices upon appeal in rua
ton to tssary cases. and the prosecution Of bastady
and atand0pnt Mt bonds.
The duties ncluded in the above exception WERE by
the 42eh section Of the ad ordinances given CONT
nued TO the CORPORATION Attorney.
These duties thus excepted from the duties OF the
for the Aims House to as full extent he under
the ordinance OF le48 which gave him the addition Of
5000 because OF the Aims House duties imposed upon
him by the latter ordnance.
The 42o'h section of the ordinance Of ls4o i'm posed
upon the Cooperation Attorney only such portions Of the
AIms House duties source Of emolument to
him viz: the prosecution of actions whore penalty
V given 10 the Oyereeers of the Poor, or to
the Aims House Department, and with the con
Quoting Of proceedings before justices upon appeal
10 relation TO bastarcy CASES and the prosecution of bas
tardy and abandonment bonds. These duties-many OF
be Of
ton Of the department ordinances which provides in
addition TO his salary, the Corporation Attorney shall
be entitled 10 receive from adverse parties the taxable
costs in all actions in which he may judgments
against them The responsible almshouss duties
such as the bringing and defending all actions brought
against this department. any officer thereof and giving
counsel and advice to it, thrown upon the Corpora
ton Counsel and yet althougho,iy such portions q the
the attorney he Hus
and anxious to retain from Of profit
continued to him ;, the ordinance Of is4s yet the for
midabe salary Of remains together with all costs
and allowances 10 actions IN which be may iudg
m4Dt ~.s
So much for the history Of the Office
In regard to Its duties the committee after careful in
yestgaton are well satisfied that they more bur-
densome and require outlay Of physical or men,
tai effort than those Of other heads Of departments or
bureau.
A)ncst the entire labor is performed by two clerks.
whose salaries paid by tho city whilst the chief Of
cer has ample time for devotion to private interests SO
that the committee believe that heretofore the Office has
been looked upon as mere anecurc with which to re
ward party favortcs This will be the more apparent
shen it is considered that the saare Of the Mayor the
not exceed &c., No viii pretend to say that the
dutfe Of the Corporation Attorney who Is subordinate
ocer to tie Counsel to the Corporation compare in
importance With those of the Offices just named.
The committee in the ordinance proposed at the close
OF this report have named which Trey believe an
the Office.
1t win be perceived that the committee also propose
dsconiinuance of a fees and costs arising from suits
courts OF record either account of violations of city
ordinances, or account Of suits commenced in behalf
Of the Aims House Department The extraordinary
abuse Of this discretionary power BY tho predeces-
Of repetition in the future are deemed suf-
fcient reason for the proposed change Undcr the pre-
have inflicted grievous burdens upon innocent c.cos
and have reaped large private gains wihou any benefit
to the city The course Ct proceeding has been thus
For violating ordinance where the penalty ia S. iu
stead Of prosecuting the citizen in Justices court the
attorney would add together ten violations (olten with
out warning to the thouehtless oonder amounting
$50 and then prosecute in the Court of Common Peas
when the astonshed citzcn would at hasten the
attorneys Office pay the $i2 fee, and get the dis
attorney and not nto the City Treasury AZ the ouiv
object is to secure fee it Ia wonder that instances
where such have been prosecuted com
recn The books Kept By the predecessor of the pro-
sent incumbent will show that nearly all are marked
dismissed" 10 shor the extent Of this abuse of a
provocative designed for more worthy purposes, the
committee would state that in the month of July 1855
the amount received from this alone 81 100
63 and in the month Of AugusI, 1865, the sum OF
$3.50.
20 paIpabe was this OUTRAGE on the community under
cover Of law that Er Hsskns the present incumbent
was sooner installed his position than he at
once abolished the practice and dismissed sub officers
who had been parties to the transactions Mr.. lLaskns
receipts from costs since he took of the Office
have been only 1854 &C. ana this has mostly
IRON suits commenced by his predecessors under the old
system.
Tho committee do not pretend but that there
may 20 usVfhut cases Wneu ~ would be
proper TO prosecute in courts Of record but they be-
eve nevertheless that whore the attorney does not ex
pect fee greater justice win be done to all parties con-
ccrned 50 well satisfied is the present attorney that
the existing laws allowing him fees are subject to great
abuse that he cordially uhcs with the comittec In
their decision that the entire fees Of the Office should 10
the City Treasury and that the attorney should rely
alone on his salary for compensation.
The committee are happy TO bear testimony to the
polite and candid in which Mr. Hashins has as
sisted their investigations into the affairs of the Office
To sub committee appointed more especially for this
service, he gave every facility they could desire freely
laying before them his confidential books and
unhestaingy answering any questions the conaittee
proposed
The committee confident that under Mr.. Haskins'
administration tho affairs CT this important office are
honestly and tsirly conducted Whilst several hundred
cascs hayo been brought into the Office, which under
legal sencton we're subject TO fee, he has prosecuted
only such the interests OF the city seemed to demand
rs viii be by the small amount Of income derived
from this source, already stated Bringing these
before Justices courts the city has criy ed increased
income from them, which, In former years. has zone
into the pockets of the Corporation Attorney.
Under T. L. 1cmlinson, there was paid into the
city treasury in tho year 1851 the off,. S3l5 So
IN the year 1859 ................. ga %
l nder ID u. Sigllcs. for months and