New-York tribune., 1868-04-22
The TfX-LETY.
CITIZENS ASSOCIATION OF NEw-foRK,
No. sl3 BROADWAY, April ls, 1865. }


bills of the City and County of New-NOrk have not
set reached the Senate of this State from the Assem-
bly, and that il is evident that sufficient time will
hardly be allowed for the proper investigation of
those bills the Citizens Association begs leave to ask
your attention to the proprety of protecting the tax
PAYERS who are to be assessed under those acts by
YOUR official power of veto, should the abuses of
previous years. in the passage of those acts be re-
peated in this
The Controller estimates that the total tax to be
raised in this city this year will be $21 29S972 43.
But this estm ate is based on the sums he has
mended as necessary for the years expenses Since
the Tax-Leyy acts were introduced into the Assem-
bly,, great number of persons have applied TO the
Committee of that House for appropriations to be
added to the levies. which, if allowed. would swell
that total two OF three millions of dollars more.
OF this vast sum the following win have TO be
allowed as matter of course:
Fy,st: For State purposes $5,5Gi.46.
Second: For the State Commissions under speclai
Jaws, about $4.OO00OO
But the balance, or about sll,5OO,OOO, rests alto
gether in the discretion of the Legislature and may
bo decreased at their pleasure. This S 5OOOO IS for
the expenses Of city and county officials for city
and county purposes for the year 1863. About 81
100000 of it are asked for by the Common Council,
and about 81 900 are asked for by the Supervisors.
But there will be additional asked for by the
officials for various purposes, The Common Council
will demand 100000 more, and the Supervisors are
said to want $2,OOO,OO0 more.
The two taxlevy acts cover items amounting in the
aggregate to about $ll 100000.
These vast sums to be used mp for all the various
purposes on pretense of which many millions have
been heretofore expended The necessity for such
expenditures the public is now very well informed
Of and the cry general that need exists for such
extravaganza.
The Citizens Association has appeared before the
Committee of the Assembly and demonstrated
against particular items, urging that the sums
demanded by the Common Council and Super
visOTs should, in some cases, not be al
lowed at all, and in other cases, but a
half or even quarter of the money asked for should
be given. If the Legislature will cOnfine the city
and county officials to the amounts which are abso-
lutey needed, reduction of $3OO00OO will be made
in the taxes of this year. But to act nelligently on
the suggestions of the taxpayers. TO examine these
levies critically. and reject what is extravagant in
the estimates, requires time The Assembly and SEN
ate should have month at least to devote to the
work The State Supply BILL which does not call for
more than half the amount of taxes, is taken up
by the Legislature in time to devote careful examin-
alton to it; one month, and sometimes two months,
are employed upon it; but the custom heretofore
with the New-York tax bills, involving ultimately
over $ 100000 has been to dispose of them in
two days.
1t is plain that this custom is to be adopted again
this year. The city tax levy was introduced into the
Assembly three months ago. and the county tax levy
about two months ago, and yet the Committee to
which they were referred only commenced to investi-
gate them last week, after you had sent message to
the'Assemby on the subject. Neither of these bills
has been yet acted upon by the lower House Should
the members desire to vote undeTstandingly upon
them they will have no time unless they shorten the
period which the Senate should be allowed for the
same purpose There more than l20 different gen.
eral items of appropriations in these eyes and each
of these items is when investigated, subject of as
much magnitude as three-fourths of the bills intro
duced annually into the Legislature. To understand
what sums are really required for our local govern
ment demands the part of the members of the
Senate and Assembly knowledge of all the opera
tions of the City and County authorities. not only
for the past year but for the past five years; know
ledge of the condition of wharyes and piers, of
our streets roads and avenues of public printing
and advertising of the workings of our departments,
of the state of public works and buildings of the
necessities of the public offices, of the lighting and
cleaning, the water and sewerage systems, the
clerical forces, and the ordinary routine bus-
ness of the municipality. The conduct of each
department by the chief of it, his precautions for
saving money or his careessness as regards economy
are all directly before the Legislature for their in
vesgation. When the Controller asks this year for
$S47 1856 GS-lOO for his department. the Street Com
missioner 81 915 $50 for his the Corporation Counsel
t7j431 for his, the Legislative Department sex, 800
for theirs, the Mayor $47,j0O for his the Board of
Education $2,9OO,OO0 for theirs, the City Courts
tl90 02 for theirs the Board of Supervisors s. 10000
for theirs and when the taxpayer who have to pay
all these sums represent that they are extTavagant
nd tla Iao ic1o sit
to determine which party speaks truly in the mat
ter-whether the officials trying to get too much
or the taxpayers trying to give them too ttle
and the responsibility lies with the Legislature for
erey dollar IL 0llOrs WkGt is economical and just
In this investigation il is not only the sums asked
for which the subject of scrutiny by the Legsla
ture, but the public officers who ask for these
Gums are also on trial before it. They must
give an account of what they have spent
and show that it has not been wasted The
people, from whose pockets the money Is taken,
stand before the Senate and Assembly and accuse
these public officers of wasefulness and of worse.
Such grave charges of misconduct are implied in
every application for a reduction of the Tax-Leyy
estimates and yet these accused officials not only
make no effort to have full and deliberate invest-
CATION but sanction and permit the bills to be so
held back and retarded that no thorough investiga-
ton can ever be made. IL is time that the Legislature
aoke 10 sense of its responsibility in regard 10 the tdTe
of Nec- York City, The right to fx the amount and
authorize the imposition of the tax has been reserved
by the Senate and Assembly.
The Legislature declines to give such power to any
local body or board for fear the people would be OPP
pressed 1t declined to enact law bill introduced
this session to permit jury of Taxpayers to fix
the yearly taxes lest this too should be abused But
what justice is there in reservng this right and this
mower and then exercising iHhuTiedlg and imprOr-