New-York daily tribune., 1859-02-11
RR THOROUGH.


NJ ODdyke has introduced into the Assembly q
very good bill for the transformation of certain
over-eroHn and Flethcric Offices whose incuubents
yearly gain fortunes By their fees, into excellent
places, which VIII simply pay very handsome sails
RES to their po.sessors, leaving the great mas Of
their re5enues to fow into the public treasury,
where they leaitrately belong. But excellent as
NI. Opd,ke's purpose evidently is he has taken
foo narr0w view Of the case, aid has made at
Least two very grave Omissions, which We trust the
Legislature viii efficiently repsir before proceed.
Ing to psss b., bill, as they mOst decidedly ought
to6o.
In the frat place, the wholesome principle shi h
Mr.. Opdy ke proposes to appy should By no means
be limited to the County of New-York. II should
be made to reach every official Of tie State who
derives preposterous Income from the fees aud
perquisies Of his Office. Especially it should be
applied to tie Heslth Officer Of this port 1t is
well understood that tie fatIess Of that office bears
DO sort of proportion to the responsibilities it i'm
pose. or the capacity it requires In fact next to
the shrievaty Of New-York, it offers the richest
pickiDgs in the Safe. This must be changed. Give
the incumbent becoming salary; We dare say
Sc, 600 q yesr would command the services Of
men every way competent for the duties; aud let
the $20, 900 or S2G, 600 which it n)w Yields in ad
dtion to that sum go into the public Golfers. Be-
cause the incumbt ut is sure to be a Republican is
only an additional reason for eating down the ex-
trsvaeant compensation Of the place. II we apply
this wholesome rule Only to Offices held by Dem
ocrats it will look ike punshDg our political anita
ponists rather than asserting a sound principle Of
public policy.
The other omission ofMr. Opdy he is the Shriev-
slty Of New.York. It has been maciously said
that this Office il omitted from his bill by virtue Of
q bargain between Sheriff Kelly and certain Repub.
lcans Who have an interest in hs profits, but We
will Lot countensnce or tolerate such an imputl
tion. We presume that Mr. Opdyke believes that
the heavy responsibilities which the Sheriff has to
assume toward private parties, preclude the appi-
cation Of the rule 70 his Office But we think this
is q mistske; certainly, there is large part of the
Sheriff g business TO whch no such responsibilities
are attached. For instance, the Supervisors Of the
County last year paid the Sheriff over $50, 900 for
serving Jurors summOnses, and this very handsome
sum was coup'ed with no pccuniary liabilities
whatever. 1t is true that this $50. 900 forms only
part of the present yeary profits of the
Office; but We have DO doubt that the $4,000 or
$40 900, which it is believed to'be annually worth
in addition, can be earned without the necessity of
any other dangerous Iisk. AZ any rate, the ques-
tion is not one to be settled in the private chamber
of any member of the Legislature but by fah pub
lie discussion, and authoritative official inysstiga
ton. IT. on positively a,certaining ell the facts,
and throwing upon the subject all the Light which
debate in the Legislature snd tie Press can elicit,
it shall clearly appear to he impossible to render
the enormous revenue Of the Shrievalty in any way
beneficial to the Treasury, We will acquiesce in she
deplorable Decsssity but We cannot let the matter
be disposed of in the private manner which the
friends Of the present state Of things and OF The
rEesent Ste row propose.