New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-23
sENSU; lllI,S OF the KEEPERS.
SITUATIONS BOUGHT AND SOLD.
Grave Charges against The Governors
RIOT, RUM AND ROBBERY.

The Alma House Department Of this city, after ten
v..rs Of trial. has been found woefally wanting. Oh
s;naps IN the necessity which existed for the renova
ton and reform of the od imperfect and corrupt sys
,sm pn5er which we are told "hcentiousness, dsor
der. and filth reached dsgrsceful hight" it was
intended TO make it model institution. With ths
view, ten gentlemen, among the foremost il the
rsr Is Of philanthropy in city, created Board
Of Alms-House Governors. These gentlemel honestly
and earnestly desiring TO discharge their duties TO the
pubic framed socb sy stem of checks and balances
se wac well calculated cansummate their Wishes,
and establish the Department upon practical, nom
psrtsan basis at safe, economical and etectual
The members Of the Board were themselves selected in
eQus numbers from IT, two great political parties, and
the body was 80 constituted that upon their withdrawal
their places were be SLED by Others OF the same po
liical preferences, elected by the people, go that
neither party should preponderate, nor usnrp the con-
troll. TIE Law gave the Board the appointment OF
WaIdens and these positions wers distributed equally
between the two parties. But it was also wisely Or
Ained that the Wardens should select and appoint ali
their subor6inates the Clerk of each us tuition
Who kept the accounts of the supplies furnished and
used 90 that the Wardens able to hold each ind
vidusl under them to a strict personal account.
Thus syssematized and cOmpacted, cthe Department
worked larmonioutly, being administered honestly,
and TO the public satisfaction But after few years,
when by the terms of its organization most of the
founders had retired to make for successors
leeted by the people, cass of began TO seek adj
mission the Board who setuated by other than
unsel6sh, philsnthropic motiveS-men, in fact, who
seeing fat pckpgs in prospective looked less at the
honor o. the position, and the good tbs they might
chieye than at the emoumeDt that they might covery
crib from the CHILDREN of poverty and crime.
Hinder the Giseraceful administration OF such IN
wo,hV per,ops the department 10 which in It's infancy
and prime strangers from far and near were directed
by New. YoIkers with pride and pleasure, as branch
Of our local Government which was honestly and
faithfully conducted by pubicspired citizens, In the
MIDST of municipal shortcomings Of tls most fragrant
character has so far fallen from ts high estate that its
oDdition may best be expressed by saying, as was
said OF ts predecessor "hCeDtousBess and disorder
have reached dsgraceiul hight" and the pubhe in
terest again demands radical reformation.
The first step toward this stale of demorazaion was
10 over de that provision of the organic law wheh
gave tie WardeDs the appointment Of their saberdi-
mates. This was not done openly but effected in
secret and in manner quite as eAectua as if the law
had been repealed. Each institution was under the
charge of Warden aud each Warden was under the
thumb Of Committee Of the Board of Governors.
Tine WsrdeDs found that the Dewly elected Governors
had incurred obligations to their partsans which they
THE WardeDs) we're exPeeted to discharge. The re-
result was that, TO win favor with their Committees
the Wardens weakly consented to appoint and remove
at the pleasure Of their s1peOrs Theneeforth all sub
ordinate and discipline, all order and system, all
tp0Bsibiy and accountability ceased, and chaos
The history Of the institutions for the pas two or three
Year,, could be faithfully presented, woald show
degree of DISCRIMINATION, absolute disregard Of de
eeDcy, Of the most deplorable character.
IL the palmy days Of the Department when people
from abroad courteously shown through the in
sttutioDs, II was customary 10 extend 10 them mod
es. hospitality but when the staid and
tive members of the Board had been replaced by
ba--room DO iticans, this custom degenerated into
scenes OF not ard inemperance. No longer seeking to
instruct and awe the visitor with spects lie Of the rim
funess Of wrong doing, and the punshment awaiting
HansgrefsoDs sgsinst the laws; no longer pointing
with pride 10 the generous manner in which che CITY
provided for the oucast, orphan and criminal Of her
population, they only sought TO minister 10 their own
depraved appettes and to show those who went with
them how low it was possible for the servants Of the
people to sink themselves Thus in the Of time,
ga visit TO the institutions" became synonymous with
drunkenness and debauehery.
The Governors collectively, or in Committees, used
70 visit The islands 70 supervise the dongs Of the Ward
ems, and direct the making of repairs advise to
trenehment end economy, and generally thai the
public service was faithfully performed lin Sd dong
they called for carnage or two 10 rids 10 SX'yfrst
street or 0Sehundred-and twenty street, and
when their duty to the public done, sat down to
dinner with the Warden, and discussed their affairs
over generous bottle and fu-havorei Havana, the
public did not complain There were no hoStelries
The islands the bIaciDg air tbereasout wonderful
sharpener Of the appetite, and it was apparently no
more ihsn tight that the Governors when On public
service should eat at the public expense.
But for years past this order Of things has changed
fos the worse. Instead Of going to their work with
viii, in quiet Committee each member now holds it TO
be biz right to visit the institutions whenever he
pleases, whether business calls or not, and TO take
aleDg com panies of his friends, sometimes twenty or
thirty in number in carriages hired at the public ex-
pence, and 10 dire and wine them az the cost of the
city, ordering the liquors and ysnds bis individual
responsibility, and directing the Wardens in advance
topfepare the feast Some Of the Wardens have been
eoneed 70 prepare three four large dinners day,
nearly every dsy IN the week, and Sundays in par
ocuiar fort Governors and their friends whom they
Hsst wait upon and serve ike common laclueys On
these occasions scenes Of dforder ocenr az which even
the very eonviets cry shame Five Governors al time
N the Penitentary, have drank themselves drunk and
then, qoarrelng over their cupe they have called each
other common thieves and whoremssters and wound |
mp by getting into fight, peltiog each other with |
gafses and The remnants Of their dinner smashing the
furniture and then, banging their hats upon the .Ioos
49,, have rolled un1ef the table IN soao ~ a..