New-York daily tribune., 1858-04-19

The Legislature has interpolsted into the Annual
Tax bill Of our City al item covering tie payment OK
Mr. D. D. Conoyer's salary. ard the salaries of his
subordnstes, officers Of the Street Department
during the ptndency of the contest between him
Gd Charles Deyn-a'so os bis legal expenses in
contestipg the claims Of Deyln. II, as We under.
sts1d, this item is simply permissory-tnat is it
simply enobcs our municipal authorities to pAJ
COnover and bis subordnates, If they see ft, with
out requiring them to do so-we have Ne sort Of
objection. Mr.. Coroser and bis associates have
rendered the City great servi:e in eIP''ing tue
Wholesale yllanies whereof the Street Department
Las been the arena, aud We believe our taxpayers
vii gladly zee them paid for this services The
work has been dOne--we believe we'll t0ne-and
The City bas largely benefited By it. ifso, the City
should be wiling to pay. Bat paying salaries to
Mr. Conover and his subordinates, with fat fees to
his lawyers-we shall want TO think of this. Did
the City ever employ them Surely not. Gov.
Kirgsppoi lted Conoverin defiance 6f our municipal
rulers: so if these salaries 70 be paid the Stae
not the City, should pay them. But, in fact, Mr..
CoDoyer solicited the appointment, and took the
rsk Of being able to hold il. So did bis subord-
lates. They bave played and lost aniwe see no
reason that the City should pay two sets of officers
Let Mr.. Conoyer be- fairly compensated for the
great public service he has rendered in unmasking
the Street frauds; and let hu pay his lawyers and
subordiDates. We see no other justif.ble course.
But The Sunday Atas-whch sustains a pretty
intimate relation to Mr. George Weir, whe as the
Assembly's Chairman of the Committee on Cities
and Villages, foisted this Conoyer item into the
city Tax bi,l-eives the following explanation of
bis conduct:
"Our unde.st andDg Of the matter il, that the pro-
priety CT aRn5tr Of ftnls rhici make up The tar ry
re7y queStoH06e; and that those finally reported
BY Dir. Neir were agreed upon a. a compromise Of
tie political interests involved. Qbe item of slOUOO,
inserted by tie Common Council, to defray the ex-
pebses of Mayor Wood IN contestiDg the Metropolitan
Police law sId very large sum under the head OF
"arearagef for the payment OF cla ms against tue
City, contracted by the old Commissioner of Repairs
arc Supplies, and by Mr.. Deylin waile Conover was
Acting street Commi'sioner, were 9ohoxious 10 tne
Republican members Of the Assembly, and especially
10 the Governor. TLey ccntended that Mr.. "ood
ives TO be ndemn'fed for his expenses IN contestiog
the Police law, not oaiy should the Pohce COmms-
siorers in whore favor the nit deciced, be fully
iDdeulifed but that Mr. COnoyer, who was appointed
Street Commissioner by the Governor in good faith,
should he made whole, and his subordinates Pa'd
Mr. Couoyer had been 'dctiRs Street COmmls ioneE
uld.r co'or f title, decided 10y Judge Peabody,
ard hi. -ubordnstes had performed actual duty while
those of Mr. Devlip whose pay there was none to dis
pute, had dOIe nothing
Tie political party to which Conover belongs had
the numerical force n the Hou-s to put IN or strike
ont any item in the bill. The political friends Of M
Var lad some items in the I'LL that Mey 6td not reh
10 see disturbed and therefore the arrangement OF the
details required the exercise of dp matte talent and
Judgment TO secure the safety OF the apropratlols
mace by Democratic Common Council. Had Mr.
Weir reiused to report the appropriation for Cosove
a big patty fight would have been engendersd over
tie appro pr alton FOR the payment Of Mayor -" oods
lawyers ard sererai other ttHg' unaecessary - p1
ticuIari-e In this view, and with a design OF ant
uected with the nistbevous legisla ion OF the Black
Republicans in 1851, the Committee on Cities and WI
lspes through Mr. Weir, its Chairman, reported IN
faytr Of autkori-iRg tue Board Of Supervisors 10
rsise money to pay tue legal expenses OF eK-hayor
w cd and The Police Commissioners, as well as those
NJ ,be Governors Street Comuis soner, aud he sa,4
lies # lis suboiduates. We think Mr. Welr wa.
fully justified in GcceoiDg TO the amendments pro-
p seo."
That there are some items in the Tax Levy
which are. as The Adds observes, very question
able, We cannot doubt; but We trust there are
pore so uDquestonaby, inexcusably bad as this ex
plapatiop. The $4,000 payment to Wood is
cboker of Itself; but the pretense that the Repub-
icans required tset to this, is positively insult
;pr We trust the Mayor, Common Council and
Supervisors will look very SHARPLY into all these
..yery fashionable arrangements for the ssisfic-
tion of everybody elie at the expense Of our tax
payers.
The aversion of faint hearts to "yulsinOus salt
L.. % oh .fr - ha,x