New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-02-07

1t is part of the system under which we live;
and, while we oonsent,to live under it, we de-
serve to suffer all, and more than all, the dis
eraces and depredations it entails. But we do
object to those items in every Tax Levy which
come under the general head Of Contingencies"
-" Contingencies for the Finance Department"
" Contingencies for the Street Department"
and so forth, these irregular expenditures being
vast in amount, and constituting in fact nothing
more or less than a mere personal fund, or
royal "pcnsion list" to be disbursed at the sole
pleasure of the particular head Of department
who has been so fortunate as to secure 1t.
Let each department, we say, pile on Its ex-
penses to the uttermost dollar that its magma
ton or cupidity can reach, and to this-as mat
tiers go-we are prepared to submit but, safter
it shall have thus swclled its estimates for the
ensuing year" to the very highest pitch. we do
most distinctly object to the placing Of bonus
ranging from $3.50 to $4,000 under the sole
personal control of the officer who has already
asked for twice, thrice, or five times the highest
amount that can ever be honestly expended in
such services as he gives to the public.
We desire our legislators to understand that
these contingency funds" should more proper
ly be called corruption funds"-ther object
being to secure to the person having the power
to dispense them either the means of corrupt
ing the public morals, or purchasing the silence
of active but INSCRIPTIONS opponents, or giving
illicit rewards to political and other favortes,
or filching personal gain, supporting personal
extravaganza, and even assailng with base offers
the purity of the very founts of legislation. A
sinecure Of from 50 to So q day, charged to
contingencies" may secure the decisive vote
in convention met to nominate Judge of the
Supreme Court, Sheriff, or Controller; and
it is also lamentable fact that not few of the
baser kind of scribes on our city press, who are
cternally writing "pufiS" for this or that other
local officer, will be found to h0ld--eihcr
personally, or by brother, or some other
"dummy"-one or more sinecure places rang
ing from $500 to $1,000 a year cach-this
money coming out of the contingencies of
the Department which the scribe is employed
to puff" and the "puhS" for the " honest and
indeiatigable" contingency dispenser being the
only consideration that is ever asked or given
in return for such emolumentS!
Under the same head We invariably find all
the monstrous carriage-bills and incidental
expenses of Aldermen. Supervisors, heads of
departments, and their favorte clerks, which
figure every three months so aarmingly in the
Controllers report. For every gay drive up
the Boomngdale road, taken by any "ncmber
of our ruling classes" down goes another item
on the contingencies" For every jolly sup
per at Broadway hotel, we have another entry
labeled "incidental expenses" There is, in
fact, neither deccncy, nor any serious pretense
to decency, in the disbursement of these "glts
from an obliging Legislatures" and our most
earnest hope is that no such items will be
allowed to figure in our forthcoming tax levy.