The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-31
FTsuds I'm tho COmptroller's OAco-The Conn
nnitts<s Of Invcstix ation-ThsS tanding Conn
npitrec Of Humbug.

| m1Sto&S Oh SsAAoS4OsA-AhAO 0to0010R COM
nsitsee Of HumbuK.
The city is witnessing at present the humiliat-
ing spectacle of three committees emanating
from the Board of Councilmen engaged in the
investigation of certain special rogueries on the
part of officials, and a "Standing Committee on
Frauds appointed by the Board of Aldermen,
for the avOwed purpose, at least, of bringing to
light all the frauds, corruptions and petty larce-
MES which are supposed to exist in the admins
tration of municipal affairs. The very assump-
ton that such a committee as this If Alderman
Clancy's-this standing Committee on Frauds
is a necessity, is a standing reproach to the
| city. We could make up our minds meekly to
endure the opprobrium if we thought that it
would work any good, develope "a single piece
of corruption, bring any offender to justice, or
arrest the stream of public robbery in its course;
but it will not. 1t is in truth standing COM
mittee of humbug, got up, not for the purpose
of exposing crime, but of shielding it. Per
haps it may drag forth some great depredator
to the public gaze, but it will be only to afford
! better opportunity for smaller ones to make a
| haul in the confusion
1 We publish to-day report of the proceed
! ings before the Committee of the Board of
I Councilmen yesterday, who are investigating
the charges Of fraud in the Comptroller's de-
partment, whereby the city has been plum
J dersd of $4,000, as is alleged-overpaid on
contract of $4,000, and $4,000 more on
| another contract. According to Mr.. Flagg's
testimony, he appointed a protege of his own to
clerkship in his Office, and entrusted to him a
! portion of the duties Of the Auditors impor-
tant duties, prescribed for that officer alone by
the ordinance. Being friend Of this young
mans father, as he states in his testimony, he
had implicit confidence in his integrity and
placed him in position where he could, as is
alleged he has done, appropriate the money of
the city to his own use. Confidence in his in
tegrity, Mr.. Flagg! Although you knew that
he lived in the first STYLE had house in the
country. kept yacht, fast horses, and all the
other delicate accessories essential to the life
of fine gentleman, and yet maintained all this
style on q salary of twelve hundred year!
No sooner does the HERALD announce that
startling defalcations have been discovered in
the Comptroller's department than Mr.. Flagg
comes out with charge against his own APP
pointee, Chemung Smith. rushes before the Dis
trict Attorney, and has him arrested on charge
Of conspiracy to defraud the city OF ten thou
sand dollars. So far from being the faithful
watchdog of the treasury, We fear that Mr..
Flagg is but the keeper of a pack of sorry
terriers, whom, it would seem, he lets loose upon
it occasionally to pick the very bones of the
public deposits. 1t is quite clear that Mr..
Flagg's reputation as a financier is bogus. He
knows nothing about accounts. and is entirely
unqualified for the responsible Office he holds. If
anything were wanted to confirm this, il is sup
piled by his evidence yesterday before the COM
mittee in the Smith case.
We expect nothing from any Of these COM
mitees. They are all humbugs alike. They
merely give the public glimpse of the frauds
on the city treasury. The causes which gave
| birth to them, and the consequences which are
certain to accrue, are the saIae-the plumber of
the city finances.
The expositions Of fraud with which we have
been favored arose mainly out Of the Street
Commissioner dispute. Conover and Devlin
have each revealed just as much as they thought
necessary for their own purposes but neither of
them have divulged one-half the rascahty of
which they must both be cognizant. If we could
get few unaltered chapters oQt Of the history
of the Street Commissioners Department, what
delicious paorceau 1t would bel What an in
structive lesson would ii not afford Or the rising
"Fagins" of city politics!
There is one very striking circumstance in
connection with oil these charges of fraud, and
that Ia, that in no single instance has the late
Mayor, who was asserted to be the father of oil
the corruptioqa, theft aud wickodness of which
this city was1she unfortunate victim, been
| implicated Neither in the scrutinies Of the in
vestigating committees, the mysterious devc-
opponents of the Comptroller Department, or
the charges and counter charges Of Conover
and Devlin, has a particle Of anything like an
imputation on the public integrity of Fernando
| Wood appeared.
| Meantime, any one who places reliance upon
the efficiency of all these committees TO put a
stop 10 the system Of plumber Of the public
| funds and the gross fraud which characterizes
our city government, Is following an igHis
ytatms.
There il but one remedy for the evil. and that
is what we have often urged before-a radical
change in our municipal governments as close
an assimilation as We can get to the system Of
the federal government. A controlling power,
clothed with sufficient authority 10 make itself
felt, and bound by responsibility which viii
insure good behavior, Is what we want not the
divecta membrd, with the head and the limbs al
ways at variance, which We now call city go
vernment.
THE New YORK OFFICE BEGGARs-"DotBTE
DorBiE Ton. AND TRoUBLE.'-Ofice begging in
New York is q permanent disorder, and is pro
ductive of more mischief and misery than cho-
lcra, yellow fever and smallpox combined. Our
/ Nnru NnrL nlfico l.onnara aro Ike Tho h.r.l