The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-20

of its 'nhab tants than even 'the largest CONNER
cial ely of Scotland"
Now, we challenge these Protestant Popes to
point out in the whole New Testament single
text of Scripture commanding the observance of
Sunday at ALL "The Bible," they say, ''and the
Bible alone, is the religion of Professionals" But
they have derived the observance of Sunday
not from the Bible, but from the Fathers and the
traditions of the Catholic church. Why do they
not keep it as Catholics do?
SOME SERIOUS WORDS TO Our NEW CONTROL
LER.-We must confess to some slight misgivings,
produced by the passive facility and unquestion-
ing ease with which our new Comptroller, in his
letter, dated January 81, to the Board of Coun-
cilmen, suggests the propriety of acknowledge
ing and liquidating certain judgments, to the
amount of nearly one million of dollars, obtain
ed against the city. Perhaps Mr. Haws does
not trouble himself to ascertain in what manner
these judgments were Standardization by
fraud, collision, or as the result of an honest
trial and decision.
Now, the golden rule Of doing unto others as
we would they should do unto us il, beyond con-
troversy, one of the most commendable precepts
in thu Christian religion; but when it is pro-
posed to exercise such benevolent propensities
at the expense Of other parties, we would
suggest some little hesitation-some show of
Investigations before putting the great maxim
to such extraordinary use. We doubt very much
whether it was intended to be applied by comp
trollers of cities in the payment of judgments
under such referees as we have in the city
of New York. 1t is true that the Charter of
1857 gives the Comptroller power to ''settle
and adjust all claims against the Corporation
but, in justice to the suffering taxpayers of this
city, we must contend that this indiscriminate
allowance of all sorts of claims, without so much
as asking in what manner they are pretended to
have arisen, is not the exact kind of SETTLING
and adjusting which the trainers of the Charter
had in view.
Ex-Comptroller Flagg was oftentimes justly
blamed for refusing to pay anything to anybody,
no matter how good or valid the claim; but we
must protest, even more energetically against the
opposite extreme of giving everybody every
thing that everybody sees fit to ask. Neither
the amazing facility with which accounts can be
settled by this latter process nor the trouble and
annoyance which must result from resisting pay
ment of claims presented, should be allowed to
influence the Comptroller in his course of action.
His position is by no means one of ease and COM
fort and he must make up his mind to undergo
vast amount Of unremitting and perplexing labor.
Mere bookkeeping ability, though an essential, is
one of the least essentials Of his office: he must
understand the laws and ordinances of the city,
the machinery Of the departments and the
various devices and expedients heretofore re-
sorted to for obtaining illegal access to the city
funds.
We caution the Comptroller against the fatal
mistake of supposing either that the city will
submit quietly to the payment Of million of
dollars on claims for the most part fraudulent,
illegal and fictitious, or that the clearing away
of these unexamined judgments will leave
him fair field for future economy and research.
Far from it: a thousand more Judgments, based
on an equal amount of truth and Justice with
these, will spring up the moment the present
matters are disposed of; and he may rest assured
that the greater facilities he affords in the pre-
sent for settling" them, the greater will be the
demands on his good nature and inexperience for
the future.
These remarks are thrown out with the most
amiable intentions in the world. Mr.. Haws is
Just commencing the exercise of an important
Office, which he is to hold for term of years
and therefore the initial steps of his policy
should be carefully scrutinized and criti-
cised by the press and all his other friends. The
Common Council-and this was generous to
political opponent-have afforded him largely
increased facilities in the way of well paid cleri
cal assistance; and the public therefore have
right to expect that, thus armed, he will face the
music of his position, and turn front of ada
mant against the peculators and veteran spoils-
men who are hungry and athirst for the public
money. These judgments, we believe, were sent
in to try his metal, rather than with any hope
that the State Legislature would sanction such
an impudent and high-handed scheme of spolia-
ton as is presented on their face The Common
Council, having full confidence in the Comptrol-
Ter, did not examine them; but, if we understand
Mayor Tiemann, he would rather have his hand
burned off than permit it to be made the instru-
ment for signing warrants on the City Chamber
lain in cases of such gross and fragrant wrong
We publish, in another column, a complete
list Of the Judgments given against the city,
with the names of the creditors. very in
teresting catalogue it will prove to the tax
payers.
IMMIGRATION INTO THE UNITED SrATEs-In
another column will be found q document of
considerable interest, being lucid and COM
plete synopsis of the immigration report for
1858, which has just been transmitted TO Con-