New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-19
DEPRAVDrnG TEE CITY.


The Erening Post states that our retiring O
Common Council has authorized tea years
lease of apartments for the Corporation Counsel,
al yearly rent of $1,000. TAe Times adds
that these premises are rented OF Forrardo Hood,
and asks:
what other confidence msn' !. capable ~ prno
ticlne 50 stupendously upon the CiDs iorbearanec
Aud this municipal bond for sLsoo.0U follows close
upon the hecr Of speech in which The same FERNANDO
Wood appears the champion OF l.eloim
The City could parchass entire buildings IN NASSAU
st. FOR less money than u costs TO lease occs ih tho
second story OF that building This therefore. Is a
Tangible swindlc Here IL n for the 'Chsens A.
soc.etion' aud TIE rHIBUNr. This Is - case ana an
opportunity for the Mayor who stopped atmnll leak
by yctoing printing grab This IL case for ali who
really desire and intend 10 btgn the work oi reform
The should bc moved for mnndamus to arrest
the consummation OF the swindIc
Mr. Wood on the other hand, makes this
statements
Il am the owner OF the two slrstory marble build
ngs Nos. rs and III Nassaust. running through to
Theaer alley; being together MY feet wide 10y over
one hundred feet deep, ynlued at s2O0OOO The eorpo
ration leased Of me- three years ago nearly the whole
and the best part of both buildings ior the Use Of the
Law Department comprising roODs Tor the Corporation
Counsel for the Corporni0n Attorney aud rooms
for the Public Adm illustrator. These apartments were
fitted UP at great expense 10 nchpt them to the required
The proposition is 20 renew the existing
leases and Of course. at advanced rates Everybody
knows that rents Of this class Of property have mate
ijalIy risen within three ycors. The stone No. III
Nassan-st leased by Ayres Ames Of me three years
ago at 200 per annum has just been renewed by The
same parties at 81. 900 per annuin and al the same
ratio Of advance other contiguous premises are sought
for. -, -
simllar premises as eligible and conveniently 10
Gated the probability is il will pay much rent. BE-.
sidc the cost Of fitting them and adapting them TO
the object The resolution to renew these leases was
passed by both Boards OF tue Common tonucii having
received every vote bni Republicans included and
has been approved by the Mayor. know oi no obec
tion which be made 20 n, even by partisan, ~
business transaction cXccriirg the not uncommon one
tbst the Dreuses are ned by ubeoient servant
FElSANTo WOOD"
Accepting this statement as true, we find
that
/. II is not denied that the new lease s'o be
for ten yeors though our new City Hall, which
is designed TO obvate the leasing Of premises
for the City Departments, is 10 be finished
within the next year-or, at the very inr'hest,
in 1867
9. The rent to be paid by the City is largely
increased, and is ntne per oem on the present
paper money value Of the entire premises, where
OF q part only are leased by the City-Mr Wood
leasing to another party the ground floor of one
of the two buildings for $1,000 per annum.
Presuming the other TO rent as well, he Will re-
ceiye S26, 600 (and how much more We cannot
say) for the rent Of two buildings which even
he does not venture to appraise above 5000. 600.
Here, then, is a palpablc case OF fagitions,
bareiaced robbery of the City by the chosen
guardians of her treasury. They know great
deal better than TO rent apartments for the Cor
poration Counsel at Sic, 200 per annum for len
years, when the City is TO have apartments
for him in an edifce OF her own within
two years at iurthest. II is hiring for
ten years, at the most inflated Grecnback rates,
premises which are only wanted for two years
at the utmost. We trust some legal means VIII
be found to stop the consummation OF this
wrong; and We call on Mr.. O'Gorman, a. a
public officer elect by the votes Of honest men
and earnest reiormers, to reuse his signature to
this lease, and do his very utmost to invalldate
II.
The Times intimatcs that Mr.Wood, private
citizen, ought not to profit by this robbery,
because he supported Mr.. Heckcr for Mavor'