The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-05-13
Our Legislative and Corporation Corrup-
tiOns-A New Constitution the Remedy.

Our Legislative and Corporation Corrup-
tions-A New Constitution the Remedy.
The party journals have had great deal to
say ABOUT the corruption of the last Legisla
ture, and if we are to credit their charges and
counter charges, majority Of the members
who were at Albany the past winter ought to
occupy cells in the State Prison, without the
hope of an Executive pardon. But the crimi-
nations and recriminations Of the organs of
these State plunderers, which are only repeti-
ton of the old story Of the compliments that
once passed between the pot and the kettle,
excite but little attention. The people have
grown so accustomed to hear Of legislative We
nality that they pay no heed to new develop
ments. The evil has been growing in its pro-
portions year after year, under the benign
influence OF the lax constitution Of 1916, and
has progressed, pari pdssu, with corruption
here in the city government, until honesty
| among officials, either at Albany or New York,
is as little looked for as it would be among the
denizens Of the dens and cribs of the Five
Points. The manner in which the taxpayers
of New York have for years been robbed by
the several municipal '.rings," has passed into
a proverb. The Court House job, the corpora
ton printing, the street cleaning, and in fact
all works undertaken by the city authorities
have long been VIGOROUSLY made the means Of
plundering the people. The only difference
between the present time and few years since
is that now the charges Of malfeasance hereto
fore limited at are openly and boldly made. 1t
has recently been publicly stated that a Mayor
Of the city and members Of the Common
Council were paid twenty-one thousand dollars
for leasing building on Nassau street at high
rent for city purposes. Not long since, in o
law suit in which the city was interested, the
pleadings charged that forty thousand dollars
had been received by another Mayor of New
York and the Board of Aldermen in considera-
ton for street cleaning contract Corruption
has grown so bold and defiant Of late that no
effort is any longer made to cover 1t with o
cloak ofhones.y, and no fears seem to be enter
tanned Of Its consequences.
This recklessness has been mainly brought
about by the advancement of set Of grogshop
politicians and ward DULLES to Office within the
past ten years, who have had no characters to
lose, and who, secure in their influence over
an elective judiciary, have been Indifferent to
public Indignation. These men have filled the
boards Of the COMMON Council and have held
control Of most Of the city departments. They
have been just the sort OF negotiators to treat
with our State Legislature, and year after year
they have been sent up to Albany as the rep
resentatives Of the corporation, TO buy up men,
bers Mt SO much head, either to secure or de-
feat legislation. II is notorious that the old
Street Department, under Boole, with its hygi-
enic guard, was kept running and robbing scs-
sion after session by bribing and corrupt
ing the Legislature. Nor Is this rascality
confined to the corporation Of the city
OF New York and it, several municipal
rings" A new source OF legislative profit
has sprung up with the political commissions
that have more recently been created and
placed in authority over some Of our city de-
partments. The scbeming politicians and lobby
| spectators who have controlled these bodies
have not been far behind the city corporation
10 attempts to bride our representatives q.
| Albany into extending their powers and In
creasing the profits OF their Offices The two
sets Of corruptionists together have contrived
to raise our local taxation to over twenty mil
lions Of dollars, to support their dishonest ex-
pcnditures at the State capital Nor is this oil.
No sooner has the Legislature adjourned than
the city is flooded with new schemes of plumber
devised by the corporation robbers. At this
moment there are eggs in the process OF incu-
baton in the mesh Of the Common Council
which might supply the hungry Aldermen and
Councilmsn with gold-laying geese for the
next ten or twelve years. There are
plans for cutting up streets, which
would Affect II carried out, some nhsen