New-York daily tribune., 1859-02-08
TuE STREET DEPARTMENT.

For many years past tue Street Department. was
the worst scandal and reprOach on the body of our
Municipal Government Hordes of political con-
tractors established themselves at special spigoIs
of the Treasury, aud used the Office of Street Com
missioner as a straw through which the public
money could most easily be sucked. All tae worst
features If fraud shamelessuess and public profit
gacy would seem to have atta1ei their climax
when this important branch OF the City Government,
disbur.ing annually little short Of Three Millions
Of dollars, was handed over by sformer Mayor to
the special contractor who more than any other,
might be held responsible for the worst and most
slaripg transactions in connection with the then
disputed Office This outrage was at last corrected
by Legislative interference; and on the 2Oth OF
April last, Mr.. Edward Cooper took bis
seat as Street Commissioner, engaging Capt.
s. w. Smith to act as Deputy, and sub
sequents resignng the Office in favor of the
latter mentioned gentleman. We have now before
US report from Street Commissioner Smith, giving
a statement of the condition in which business was
found on the date of Mr. Cooper's appointment, and
setting forth the amount of work done and expend-
itures incurred between that date and the COM
mencement Of the present year. The report is
accom- panied By documents, giving specific ac-
count Of each item Of work done, expenditures
incurred, and amount Of money pad on reqnlstlon
by the Controller Since the 2Oth OF last April
the total expenditures Of the Street Department
draw from the City Treasury have fallen short of
$500 600, while there remains in the Treasury un-
expended balan ,es of appropriations amounting to
within few hundreds Of half million. This Ie-
suit is creditable TO the Department, and encour-
ages hope that the worst crisis Of municipal
extortion is oyerpast. For this result we are IN
debted to the joint labors Of Messrs Cooper and
Smith, and more especially to the system
of " triplicate vouchers" as it is called,
which the latter gentleman brought with
him to this city from the Bureau of Con-
stIuction in Washington. All documents In
yo,ying payments are made 10 triplicate, and so
signed BY the party receiving the money; and copies
of these vouchers are lodged, one with the Con-
troller, ore in the Street Department, and one
with the bureau under which the expense was i'm
mediately incurred. To obtain money wrongfaly,
therefore, the operator would have to booi@lnk The
officials Of three separate Offices, and three full sets
of evidence against him would Be preserved among
papers constantly open to inspection. The busl-
ness of contracting We told, has also been sur
rounded with all possible safeguards, and the con-
tracts ike the vouchers, must be signed in trpi-
cate Each contract contains full speclfica-
tions Of tie work TO be done, and the price is
written out in full-the experience of the past
showing that the greater part of the frauds were
committed by an alteration of the price-dgures in
these instruments. A copy OF the contract is
lodged with tie Controller, TO be check
upon his payments; the contractor has
another copy that be may live up to the
stpulations and the third copy is lodged With tae
Street Commi, sioner who exercises constant su'
peryi.ion over the work. The report speaks with
out reserve of many obstacles which still preventa
completely satisfactory discharge OF the duties
intru.ted to the Department; and argues 81 large
in favor of change of the commencement OF the
fiscal year, from the lat of January to the lst oil
July. This change is obviously needed, aud We
think the Legislature could have no objection to
mskDg il, if the matter were brought before
them in proper form. The report further asks
and argues that al appropriations for the Street
Department should be made specific in their OBJ
jscis. and that only the Street Commissioner
should have power to draw against the same It
il clear that when many men have power TO draw
against the same fund, without consultation or