The New York herald., 1870-01-04

what no officer or nobody should have IN any free
themselves as TO oo.scI ana amount instc.sd OF
Deng 5uporuinaCo Ia These respects W tile eiocleu
sty au.nor.ses @ we ~ nave every srouad Tor peiey-
Je:I the entire expenses ol our puo io alairs 10 mo
SUPERVISION and Control OF Inc city government.
kothilg siort of inns VIII satisfy the pcoeo
the clty from u SERIOUS caliSGrOpAe
THE p An OF rti.. CHATTER.
had the honor ~ serve as president OF the body
by wnum the cnarter OF The oonso u.lleJ ciLy MAS
framed. It's lesa ADVISER ana actual author, tue
distinguished gentleman WHO represen;s portion
oi our county IN the sta selaie, devoted 10 iS pan
his ripest wisdom as Statesman, well as MS legal
abiity 10 It's sirUc.uto. IL Us Iianed upon the
model OI the constitution Of the Stuee, wHlcn the
people nave now Ay,.n e.idorsel W lnsir vuLes IN
tiis Lave cscet0n. IL was AOL nollepOdge OF aeon
gfaous enacluents, bat cO1s sLens narlnolii0is
system. AS SrelL iea1lre Was lae u.rc1s eccllou
ny Lne whole peope'o ali executive oilicers anu, ny
Districts 81 oi representatives IA the ie.lsatve
bfthcn. For Governor read Mayor, iUr State
Engineer, Canal commissioner, Comptroi.er,
treasurer, &c., :eau street Commissioner,
Comptroiier, AUDITOR Chief OF Police Ac.; for SEN
atc ana As.emDiy, Aldermen, and " VIII be seen
that our Guy charter Ws exactly ta0aeilci upon taaG
work ol our wiscst Statesmen tue Organic law OF
our Stale. Under It tue CiGy was wen governed una
taxes, already low, vera yearly necoanng less as
me city grew NJ populD0on Ind wealth. The taxa
ton oI loo5, lnlcuaIey 4lJer Inc cuar1cr went 10
operation was Si,3oJ,o,J. In 1875 IL naa iauen ~
less than SlIU0,vDv, ald IN ls,J only el ears ago,
u hau iasien is low as Sl.2jVudd. iiel bsran Gle
stcau VI oels reduced tho Ca&es al Tn rate VI
HAL To three luarLers oI non every year, unpli
hcW tAicy GAGctu su,Vu,vUu we tilS self uOuhc
ln.I ~ ouni o outlay W Dora0w'as SoVU UJo more
upon top oi $lo,uuv,uJO Ne owed last year.
kGSroRATaON oe THE OLD u.AKrER.
ihese facGs prove 70 my Liliu tiiat reform we
neeu IS siinpD 20 go bacx W our orieaal Ter,
mouehed a.reIy after tie constitution. Let oe cily
legislative bouy aanurize All tiL l. Go pe ,olo and
appropriate every dollar tAaG Is 60 be expended.
Les eaea aeparbaeat have It's elected hetd fesgoa-
5Dle 70 VIC legislative bodJ, eAlendlns no money
DdC sueh as they oider. TINS ~ stem nas wulAea
Me II. The state, AND ia Bro0ASn Tor ave Years sub
sequeut 10 consolidation we Dl ,,acLieai prooi gpAL
IL ~ as ecoloaneai III opera ioA a. WAS wise ana
CONSTITUTIONAL Al ucSign Under H. as ulier tne StaLa
and iedcrlt guyerlmenCs tnaic was clear
uivision beLWeen INC Legislative AM eXeeuCvc
onicers. Tne Co.ltn ssio,s uy wlic.l tle cnarser
scienic las been v.ulaled aud me city piunseu
uepL ana cxtravaga,lce, lre each llouslr,us uli-
American compound or legislative aaa executive
luucions IL Onc nudy. 30 lar as sue uuIes le.s
latiVe they auoull beoug 10 the municipal e..lsi1-
tusc. % lar as Jlcy are executive, oilc nsai OF
eaca uepaftncnG, uov special BOARD, snouu eAer-
else luehi. u one oiiccr Tan DO secretary OF War
OF VI tae Navy. al our wnoie COUNTRY wnere is Iie
need or more tnan Que o1cef ~ tie mead any one
executive aepafGmenG vi tas elEy soveraAienSg
Senatc ana Assembly M the Stala De.olg IN every
city 10 tne Common Cuuuau thereof; aad
tnose powers ressored BY reyiving inc original
chaiLer oi eolsoi.oaiol anu aualng neW
elective mead iur each depart.nenL ere
ated since Lnat tune, on the same footing
0f responsibility to tie Common Louucl. u5 the lucf
Oi the Polce Or street Com tneh ucruped,
VIII make our ciLy government Wll0G IL Was wnen
taxation was one ala a per cent instead vi four,
inouS aad waen tae people OF tae city mad over
CITY government ana every Qepartinsa thereof
SAINT control tney sun nave over every oeparIneaJ
oi the state government. Senator Murray, WAC,
with myself Ll0 otiiers some siill living, irauled
Lne consolidation charter justified In ie plaa ~
lta economy III wUlainS, and reJocc amid mis-.
IorI1neS ,lie Guy A.3 epcrlenced eparlng from
tnab faithful itntattOu o. ble state goecrnuen lnag
We nave al lasI LEGISLATURE III MS lnuence
VIII DC pOleut III Clearing Away sc Inconsistent ana
rnlnous ''aeliinents'' lnat aavc peea i.tcsei
" uuxing the ast l0ur years
DOUBLE CHARACTER OF COMMISSIONS.
Tne SPECIAL laws aJder WniCn lAese coaiused ana
abnormal coiDnissions, pariiy legislative, par.iy
executive nave Deen created nave CON alnsl few OF
the cheeks anu sale guards tnas surrouud the
expenditures ana powers OF the Couiuon Gouncll,
While tney nave contained none wnaIever or tae
Of power tlal attlca uni ,ne charter
10 tue C0mpli oiler. Street Commissioner ubner
elccsed head OF q 0cpartmeat. lne aoap,e caarsc.
ter 0i commission saves 10 Ifo.l cecAs both ways
IL mas the powers OF Do.h branches OF the city gov
cfunenL and Tie Limitations Oi neither. IL votes
away money III It's legislative capacity wnnout
pelng bound 70 pubiisn lts minutes or beng re.
sllctel 10 500 Expenditure Yllnous previous aotIce
thereof Aud III lts executive caracter IL c.,rgics on
work Without any e,slsaiv I've body to supervise lis
ings, suca as every e.ectiye nead Of depaf,uely
II subjected to py the Connon coIn1.,. 80
InereIQre II Chs c0in,iilsslons mad always acted
strictly within their lawful powers they must nute
been ex.ravagant, because they Were incoagfGOus
~ Constitution ahd Irresponsible Ia deia, eithef
the pnotlo authorities OF me people. EuJ some oi
them nave grossly and wantoniy exceeded the iega,
powers they procured Tor themselves, boldly sei
AZ defiance the palnest requirements ol the law Dy
walch lhey were constituted. ! might multiply an
Stances OF tlis. but co9iine myself III oroer not
weary you, 70 sIngio example, Lat o! the Ptuspecs
P3rk CuDinlssiou brief abstract OF the history OF
winch ~ hereto appended. From tna glance Ut tho
laws under which Lie Park Commission mas been
acting you "ili perceive tnai II gigantic CONT
dence operation At the cy's expense iiau been de-
signed from the iirsC the Legislation ana tie policy OF
the Commission couu not well have other lnsn
tney have been. Jhe intention avoNed anu origi-
naly incorporated in legislation was 10 improve Al
cost or $500, park one location While
a
la aaotner location at cost, adding l,erest, OF nine
millions aIiu ior the completion OF wiich we are 10
De asked 10 add other Iujions more, with 10 Detsr
assurance that ten or twelve millions VIII END the
JOB IDan we at Drs5 nal that oDenall ol a. million
wolid suffice. J would fam hope tnat tle scneme,
d. developed, Was nOt concocleu from the start 10
be revealed cy degrees III aii It's deceptive aad
Iageous proportions IN later iestslavlon but how
ala tile inlrd ctTeet Commissioners KNOW, several
years III advance OF any plpc Suggestion TO tBat
eject that lnrd street would not need Improve
meat aDoVs NINTH ayenue1 Ihis Indicates, no iess
tnan the twentyfoiu multiplication OF cost OF I'M
prOyement LnaL the Para COn,mlssou from the be-
sinning had one project IN their minds, involving
totally diIlefent scheme from .haJ FOR which ney
obtned Inc Legislative sanction. AT least S,Ooo,cJD
Cn the Ninth avenue extension aiohe~smignt nave
been saved 10 the CITY IN Duying Tie properly, by
tssIng in that iand originally, nad the pubic known
then what the Thlrd street COMMISSION evidently
knew. for they obtained their at the same day
tn3t the PARK Commission obtained their oriRiaai
law.
raE PARK COMMISSION 4RRAIeNED.
This evidence OF a long contemplated moulding Of
lnclted by The eitTe neglect al the commission to
improve the part or tae PARK cast or Flat5nsn ave-
nue.. On the SIDE we Ind ~ known To The Third
Street Commission from the beginning, that the PARK
wOulu extend 10 Ninth avenue, though the law fixed
Its boundary at Tenth avenue. On the other side
we find The PARK Commissioners refusing from the
beginning To improve the east side though tne Law
required them to improve Ilat part equally with The
other. In Washington PARK we nnd an explicit
msndatory law OF improvement utterly dtsregarded
and Instead oI the Improvement proposition made
70 sell But sun more Indicative or the ngh-handed
legaitJ Of the whole course OF this commission has
been tnelr fnanner and extent oil drawing money
from the city treasury. The law plainly pro-
vided that their expenditures should pass through
tne city Treasntcrs office In the same way as bills Of
the Street Commissioner or any orer department..
Then there would have been public knowledge or
now every dollar WAS expended. and the Common
Council would have mad check on the accounts.
But the commission has Drawn its money Dulk
from the CITY treasury, rcndericg no account In
detail, and ~ one period previous my Mayoralty
IN 1868 tney had drawn no less than x6OO,Oo0 IN
excess OF the outside limit then permitted by law.
Az stated above this one account nas added TO our
city deDt no less sum than "a, 23s, 600, besides
Oo0 raised IN the ia Des aud Tor interest. s IL
surprising that our local expenditures, Ia money
paid and money borrowed, have reached $1,000, 900
month when such irresponsible bodies trampl.ng
% nf