New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-08
TILE M1YORS MESSAGE.

York is governed by the Mayor and Common
Council, in fact it is not, and he depends
upon the long budget of statistics appended TO
prove that legislative interference in our local
affairs is injurious. He finds the net city and
county debt to be S3O,001,S7s of which $1,000
900 are for the Croton Water-works, s1OOOOOOO
for the Central Park, and S14445,OOO for
expenses created by the war. The tax
levy of 1866 was $1G,950,767. The rate of
taxation last year was but 2.3O on every
hundred dollars less than that of Philadelphia
Brooklyn, Albany, and a number of other cities
mentioned in the message. The argument
based on these figures is, in effect, that as the
rate Of taxation is comparatively low, ana that
of the whole tax levy the State required about
S3,000,OOO, the legislative commissions, such ms
the Police Board and the Board of Health,
about $4,000, 900, and tho city and county, ex-
GLIDING interest and redemption of debt, oniy
about S5,0OO,0OO therefore it is to the interest
of the people that the whole revenue should be
controlled by the city. If these are not the
Mayors grounds for wishing the constitutional
Convention TO restore TO the Common Council
the power it formerly possessed, we are at
loss to understand the meaning of his Honors
argument.
But such n comparison as this is manifestly
unfair. 1t is not the relative amount of money
distributed by the legislative commissions and
by the city that tests their respective economy,
but the application Of the funds. The Legisa-
ture wisely gave TO the Board of Education, the
Board of Health the Metropolitan Police, &cp
the more important and expensive departments;
these necessarily required the greater proper
ton of the revenue for the year the real ques-
ton is whether had the Common Council and the
Mayor controlled the schools and the police
their administration would have been less ex-
pensivei If every taxpayer cannot answer this
question. the schedule OF the general expenses
of the departments controlled by the Common
Council certainly does answer it, and not in a
way that sustains Mr. Hofiman's argument.
After dcducting the salaries of the police,
school teachers, Board of Health, Park Commits
sioners, Fire Department &c, in fact the bulk
of all our Offices we find the salaries OF
the City Government amounting TO 1911 ,3i9, and
$4,000 were expended in stationery, and
$4,000 in printing for the Common Coun-
ell. This is not very good evidence of wisdom
or economy, nor do we know what are included
in the miscellaneous items" which swallowed
S747, 100 of the nearly four millions set down TO
general expenses. We have repeatedly ex-
posed the corrupt contracts and extravagant
appropriations of the Council, and but the other
day noted their unjustihcd donation of $500 to
each officer under their control, in addition to
his regular salary. We need not repeat these
Details it is enough that iNlr. Hoffman cannot
assume the superior economy of the Common
Council because it only expended $5,000,O00
while the legislative commissions spent $1,000
600. while he ignores the difference of pur-
poses, and of the benefits the city derived
His general charge against the commissions
should have been sustained by specifications of
their bad management; this he has not attempted
except in the single case of the special COM
mission for tho improvement of the
Broadway pavement, matter involving $312,-
793, and the alleged extravaganza in this case
is not yet proven. The very decrease of the
rate of taxation to which he refers is proof of
the value of the reforms we have begun with
the aid of the Legislature.
Mr.. Hoffman would undo all the good that
has been done. He would place tho Treasury
completely under the control of "a Councilman,
of whom, last year, but six were known to be
honest. The majority, as Mr.. Parton well
said, "were about equal in experience and
ABILITY TO the management of an oyster stand
in market" and we have yet to learn that
the new members are any better The Coun-
cilmen are VIGOROUSLY elected by the worst
classes of the city and well represent their consti
tuents Mr.. PartOn's moderate analysis Of the vote
which supports the "Ringn assigns 10000 votes
to the grog-shops, 10000 10 the criminal classes
10000 to the gambling houses and brothels, and
10000 TO the men controlled by office-holders-
total of 10000 votes pledged against reform
Mr.. Hoffman says that he possesses the conf
"of the city," but, with these figures
uncontradicted, we wonder that he should
boast of it. This power we cannot fight sue
cessfully without the help of the Legislature
and the disgraceful record of past years is good
reason for agreeing with the Citizens Associa-
ton that the abolition of tho City Council
would BIO better than its present rule. With
the evidence before it, the Legislature will not
be convinced by Mr.. Hoffman's argument, but
will rather take from the Council more of the
power it abuses. We may expect it to create
this Winter Board of Public Works, and per-
haps even Board of Revision, and the Con-
stitutional Convention will certainly strengthen
system which in the Board of Police Com
missioners, in the Paid Fire Department, the
Board of Health, and the Board of Excise, has
already done so much for the prosperity and
reputation of the metropolis
IL Ia NOW the common oxrnpetattap that tho