New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-06

Some Of the salaries paid BY our City Govern
ment, or collected frou the people in the shape of
feee, are % enormously disproportioned to tss
TO yield ample fortunes to the occupants even
within q single term. The Sheriff, County Clerk,
Register, or Corporation Counsel Who cannot make
hundred thousand dollars in q three years term
and that without interfering with his ordinary phi
vats business, is considered decidedly slow. OF
the operations of the Sheriff and his depu les, the
public krow very little. No reports from that
Gift e are made, or legally required to be made.
Tho business 10 conducted altogether in secret only
tAoee unfortunstes who are sold out under eIscu.
tons knowing anything Of it, a,d they very LITTLE.
The emOuments are enormous; some say at least
SIS, coo year for the Sheriff alone, and as much
more for bis deputies. Whatever the sum may be,
it is accounted the rchest placer in the city dig.
aines, and many an aspirant has spent $50, 900 TO
get it.
The County Clerk is another over-fed ofhoial,
for whose per,onal benefit the people disburse
$50, 900 year, where $1,000 would be ample
remuneration. The duties of thi, officer, o. gen.
orally performed, are to accept iuvitatons to
drink, talk politics. serve on Nominating conven-
TONS keep fast horses, &c. The Register is the
exact duplicate of tbe County Clerk 10 expected
to do the came things, and makes about the same
amount Of money. With a few exceptions Of
clerks without whom the business Of these Offices
could not 90 forward. the patronage is bestowed
upon partisan favorites as the reward for votes in
H.
ments a the polls.
The Corporation Counsels is another fat berth
on which are fixed the longing eyes Of the reckless
and tho brsHess of the legal profession. There Is
little patronage at the disposal Of the Counsel and
ostensibly no fees; but such jolly salary First,
he gets $500 for general services; then ST, 800
in lieu of fees, then s. 900 for clerk here; then
$4,000 a. Counsel to the Supervisors; making the
snug amount q $2O 600 year, the recipient being
at liberty to pursue his private practice all the
while, and hire extra counsel" when the Corpo-
ration has anything to do, Is in the Lowber suit,
where Daniel f. Sckles pocketed few thousands
while the Corporation Counsel was employed prsc-
tically against the people.
Aside from these conspicuous instances, we
notice that the aggregate of salaries has been in
ere ssed from $3.50 900 in 1854 to S59. 900 in 1889,
or nearly double in FIVE years, while the service
required has scarcely increased at all. reduction
in the number of clerks and tho cutting off Of all
snecures should b. the first business of the City
Government; to be followed BY an equitable grs-
duation Of pay to those retained giving fair pay to
all. but not enough to induce men to sesl Office for
money. There is no reason why the people col
lectisely should pay more for q specified service
than the same people in detail; there is no justice
in ssking your street sweeper TO perform hard
days. worn for 8 dollar while your Aeh OF
bureau pockets ten dollars day and literally does
nothing.
As for the county Offices, the Legislature must
deal with them. Everything like fees and per.
quistes skould be prohibited under severe penal
ties. Give the Clerk and Register $4,000 = year
and psy the required number of clerks such sala-
ries a. they would command in counting. house;
and let the surplus fees be paid into the county
treasury. The business Of the Sherlff's Office
should be organized On the same plan. BY judi
cious system of revision, half million Of dollars
might be saved to the people every year, while the
public bunHess would be amply paid for and better
done.
We published, few days ago, In illustration of