The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-23
der the freedom of the city (deodorized) to the
Count de Red Terrier, or the Duke de Marina

lade?
CORPORATION MIsMANAGEMkNT-TnE SADDLE
PuT ON THE RIGHT HoRsE.-Newspaper criti-
cisms ON public transactions, whether legislative,
executive or administrative, are emnently use
full to the country, when they are founded in
truth and Justice and newspaper censures on
public officers, when they deserve them, and
| when they are written in gcntlemanly and fair
spirit, are necessary for the public good. With
out this freedom Of the press the public interests
would severely suffer, and incompetence and
corruption would escape without exposure. But
there is wide difference between liberty and
| RIGHTEOUSNESS Of the press and when these
| criticisms and censures are written in stupid ig-
norance OF with malicious intent, by the blunder-
ing scrbes of such journals as that conducted by
| the Master Tom Thumb of the newspapers
| whose ideas and magnanimity are about equal to
| his siZe-then much mischief is done, the real
| points of the case are concealed in a cloud of
dust meant to blind the public mind, aud the
true culprit escapes in the confusion; the STAN
dard of journalism is degraded, and when the
journalist speaks the truth he is longer
believed.
OF this description is an article which ap-
peared in the Times yesterday, commenting
on the suits brought against the city, and
charging the Corporation Counsel with being the
cause Of the expense inflicted on the taxpayers
AS appears from the public records, this attack
has not only avoided putting the saddle on the
right horse, but has maliciously or stupidity
placed it on the wrong one. The object Of the at
tack appears to be twofold First, to cover up the
real author of the mischief, the late Comptroller;
and secondly, to back up the bill before the
Legislature to abolish the Office of Corporation
Counsel as an elective Office, in order to get the
| berth for some favorite of Tom Thumb or his
associates. Here are the facts, as stated by Mr..
Busted in his printed report to the Common
Council dated January 10, 1859, to which the
| Times had access, if it desired not to SANDER
| public officer, "nor set down aught in malice:"-
or the number of suits commenced aud prosecuted to
Judgment during the year. some twenty five have been
claims against the Corporation for services rendered
upon openings 1t viii be recoected that the clerk
of the Supreme Court is made by law the taxing officer of
such claims, and that in every instance the amount Of
claimant is entitled to receive compensation Notwith
standing this and although there two hundred thou
sand dollars OF the moneys appropriated for street open
unexpended and in the treasury the late Comptr0
er Mr. Fagg persstenty refused 70 pay the claims SO
taxed BY this refusal the city has put to the
pense these several tgations, besides being obliged
pay interest thereon. In this connection, 1t is my duty
also to state that half the suits
menced against the city, and prosecuted to judgment aud
recovery during the last year, have been upon claims to
which there was no legal or equitable defence but which
they had passed into Judgment for the reason as ne
stated that he preferred that form Of receipt voucher
Of
before disbursing the public moneys In this class
Of cases, answers were nterposed and plaintiffs Obliged
10 prove their claims By this means the costs and in
terest have increased the original claim to very great
| extent
From this document it is evident that not only
is the Corporation Counsel not the cause Of the
litigation and the expense, but the suits have been
allowed to 60 on against his advice, in conse-
quence of the persistent refusal of the late Comp
troller, Mr. Flagg to pay the claims legally
taxed by the clerk of the Supreme Court. What
has Master Tom Thumb to say for HIMSELF
ENGLISH VIEWS OF MEXICAN AFFATRs.--The
| tenor of the Queens speech at the opening 0
| Parliament Of the debates in reply, and of the
London journals, show that the British govern
ment have determined to pursue strong course
| in Mexican affairs. 1t is not very evident what
policy they intend to pursue, or which govern
| ment-the constitutional or the retrograde- they
mean to recognise but if after forcing Presi
| dent Juarez to accede to their mistaken notions
in regard to the tariff and other matters, they do
not mean to recognise him and prevent Gen.
Miramon from overthrowing him, their interven-
ton is either machiavelian or the British Minis
tiers have been made tools of by some other
Power We do not believe that England bar
bors territorial pretensions herself, but she has
certainly been led into sustaining another Power
| which has. The French Minister in Mexico is
the guiding genius there and his designs are not
of the simple nature Great Britain claims hers to
be. If they were 50, why punish Juarez aud the
constitutionalists for the crimes Of the French
Minister'S protfgf, Miramon?
These advices from Europe only confirm us in
the conviction that Congress should at once act
on the Presidents recommendations in regard to
Cuba, Mexico and Central America. The ener-
getic tone of the message on our foreign policy,
and the introduction Of the Slidell proposition
for the purchase Of Cuba, are already producing
q change in the European mind. The Paris
Steele comes out boldly and says that the United
States are perfectly justified in endeavoring to
buy Cuba or Mexico, or anything else they
choose. The passage by Congress of the Cuba
and Central American resolutions will put our
foreign relations on better footing than they
have ever been since we have been nation.
THE LOBBY AT WAsHNGToN-A WORD OF CAU-
T1oN.-We hear that the lobby crew at Washing
ton are moving heaven and earth to compass a
few fat jobs in the way Of spois and plunder,
before the expiration of this Congress In this
connection, we understand there are some hall
a dozen hangers-on about the Capitol who claim
each to be possessed Of carte Uanche as special
representative of the New YORK HERALD, and
, who can thus kill or cure lobby job with one
stroke of the pen We admonish all parties con