New-York tribune., 1869-03-26
WHAT rs 4 PARTY ME1SURE,

We hear the cry repeated time and again
that the bill now before the Assembly for re-
constructing the Board of Commissioners of
Taxes and Assessments in this city is not a
party measure, and Republicans can safely
vote for it. We print the bill, so that our
readers can judge for themselves:
The people OF the State Of NewYork. represented In
Senate and Assembly. do enact as follows:
sEcToN1. Within ten days after tho passage of this
act the Controller Of the City OF NewIOrk shall appoint
four Commissioners OF Taxes and Assessments for the
City and County Of New-York, who shall hold their
ments being made the terms OF office Of the present Com
mssloners OF Taxes and Assessments for the CITY and
mssioners shall thereafter be appointed by the Controller
Of the City OF New for the term OF i've years and
Assessments shall be filled by the said Controller for the
remainder @ OF the nnexpired term The sad Commits
now provided by law for the removal OF shorifs.
SEC. 2. Upon the appointment OF Commissioners OF
Taxes and Assessments being made, provided in the
preceding section, the several offices, clerkshDs and
Former Commissons Of Faxes and OF the Cy
and County OF New York shall become vacant The Board
Of Assessors shall hereafter consist of four Assessors
The said Commissioners shall have authority from time
time appoint and fix the compensation OF such clerks
discharge OF the duties of said department aud said
Commissioners respectively shall receive the
eectusl discharge of their duties the said Commission
e are hereby authorized to employ counsel at an annual
salary TO be fixed by the Board Of Supervisors OF said
county.
3. NO new surveys or the wards OF
e % sily shall be prepared for the use OF said Com
under the authority Of the Supervisors
SEC. 4. This act shall take cn-ot Immediately.
Now ii there ever was bin framed in the
interest of political ring, this is one. It's pur-
pose is nothing but the emOlumcnt and ag-
grandzement of Tammany Hall. AS soon as
the bill passes, the present Commissioners and
all their clerks and employees are to 60 out of
offt fha in IN ha
pointed by the Controller, who of course is
one of the TammaDy magnates. The Controller
is to fill all vacancies in the Board, and to
make new appointments as the terms of the
Commissioners expire. Thus it is assured that
the Board shall be composed, at all times and
forever, of Democrats and creatures of the
Ring. The Board will have power to appoint
all its clerks and other assistants; so that they
will no longer be equally divided between
the two parties as they are now, but
will all be Democrats. What is worse the
Commissioners will have q right to employ as
many clerks as they please, and pay them tchat-
eUer they Ike. There is absolutely no limit,
either to the number or the compensation of
the employees The patronage thus put at the
disposal of the Ring is absolutely princely.
The Board, moreover, is authorized to employ
counsel, at an annual salary to be fixed by
that virtuous body the County Supervisors
and the same incorruptble officials are en-
powered to make for the use of the Commission
ers new surveys and maps Of the wards of the
city. Ofcourse this work is susceptible of almost
any conceivable outlay. 1t has heretofore been
done by the City Surveyor at cost of about
$4,000 year; but when the Ring undertake
to do it, at their own price and in their own
STYLE we leave our taxpayers to imagine what
will be the result.
This bill, in fact, will create for the Tam
many Democracy an almost inexhaustible cor
ruption fund. The chief members of the Ring
are pushing it with all their might and we
repeat what we have said before, that any
Republican who votes for it viii expose him
self to grave susnicinns There may be few