New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-29
NEw.YORK AND HER RULERS.

The City of New-York has population OF not
less than 100000 residing within her chartered
limits. while her real popuation-that is, the nun
Der of persons sustained by her industry and trade
-is not less than 1,50O, 900. Her Foreign Con-
merce-ihat is, Der imports from and exports to
foreign countries-reaches an aggregate of some
S4CO, coo 600 per annum, while her trade with the
various portions of our own country must largely
exceed this amount. Though but two centuries
old, and but half century the emporium OF Amer
lean commerce, she is in business and Importance
already the second city in the world and will be
the first within another century if her citizens shall
fully improve thti magnificent opportunities. Let
us, for one moment consider how they discharge
their social and public obligations in the matter of
their own government, and with what result:
Aside from what she contributes, through thr
Custom House. TO the support of the Federal Gov
eminent, the City pays about Ten Millions per an
mum in direct taxes, whereof rather more than One
Million goes to the State, while the rest il devoted
to the maintenance of peace and order and the adj
minisration of justice in the City itself. OF this
aggregate, we spend One Million and Quarter on
our system of Public Schools--much of it layishly,
wastelully; some of it knayishly; but, as the net
result is pretty fair provision for the education of
all who will accept it, we let that pass We spend
nearly One Million and q Half more for Police,
and we have better Police for our money in 1860
than we ever had before-infnitely better than we
ever had till 1S57-yet the aggregate cost is too
great, and the system is susceptible Of improve
ment We spend nearly One Million more on our
Prisons and Aims Houses, yet there is as much
squalid want and more impudent and pertina-
cious beggary in New-York than elsewhere
in the known world In Rome or Madrid, the beg
gar holds his cap in his hand while addressing you,
and receives copper with at least the semblance of
gratitude; in New. York, he hands you letter or
subscription paper and is Disguised at your mean
ness in not giving him more than a palsry dollar
He viii Lot consider that he is one Of cro@d-an
endle,s procession-and that the citizen 80 unfortu
maize as to have had reputation for benevolence
thrust upon him is often compelled to devote a
10 ,ge share of his working hours to the perusal OF
pauper subscription lists and begging letters. No
where else on Garth is there anything like the pro-
pc, ton OF seedy professors wlted doctors or drum
mers clerks hopeessy out of place and strangers in
distress generally, IS in this Aou ting metropolis
Of the New World. "And the cry is still, they
comet
We pyy more than Half Million per annum for
the administration Of Justice, yet our Courts
choked with untried cases and our prisons with al
legged but improved criminals and witnesses. We
pay over One Million year for Water, and in this
case obtain what we pay for. We pay nearly as
much Gin the shape of rents and Of interest on deb
for the use of Buildings wherein to transact our
public business. We are just beginning to pay for
Public Parks and places of free resort and our
outlay on that score will soon exceed One Million
per annum. We are paying not less than CALF
Million per annum for Public Markets, which, in
our Judgment is at least so much dead loss; for if
the sellers of Meats and Vegetables had been left
TO provide their own shops and stalls, like the sell
ers Of Dry Goods and Groceries, we believe the
consumers would, on the whole have been as
readily and cheaply served as under our present
system. In word, we pay enough to provide and
maintain good, strong efficient, energetic Gov
ernment-one that should be terror to eyil.doers
and protection to all who seek to live by honest,
usefl industry-but what do We get for our
money What is the net product Of our Nine
Millions per annum
For Mayor, we have Fernando Wood for chief
dispensers of Criminal Justice, George G. Barnard
and Abraham d. Russell. We spend over One
Million per annum on our Streets, nearly half of it
under pretcnse of cleaning them; yet they are
babitually, VIGOROUSLY, disgraeefuy, dangerously
filthy, when they might be kept clean for two-thirds
of the money now expended on that pretext. The
law says expressly and unquestonaby that this
Street. Cleaning shall be given out by Contract,
and there is not the least difficulty in making and
enforcing a contract which would oblse the con-
tractors TO keep the streets clean, because they
would lose money by doing otherwise. But the
law is ostentatiously, persstently de6ed in order
that the Aldermen and their confederates may steal
q good share of the money. Jobs are got up and
"put through" the two Boards merely as covers
for such division of the spoils; operators divide
with Aldermen and Counclmen who steal and
convey Quarter Of Million at once, and divide
about at the hslves-half TO the nabob and his
agents; half to the City Fathers and their brokers;
10 that, if our Common Council were utterly abol-
isbed, the net saving to the taxpayers would moi
be less than One Million Dollars per annum.
Our great tax payers look on at all this with
stold apathy, or bride the requisite functionaries