New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-30
TIE RING - TIE ACCOUNTS.

TIE RING - TIE ACCOUNTS.
The Committees of the Board of Aldermen
and Board of Supervisors appointed to ex-
anime the City and County finances have re-
solved to invite the following named gentle
men to assist in the investigation:
Royal Phelps, Robert j. cutting
Robert LenO8, VIM a BOOin'
y Bssinger, James BrOWn,
Paul n spoford Courandt Palmer,
Samuel WilIets j. l.. Solomon,
Horace u. ClafllD, john h. IOrter
Seth b. Hunt, Th0s. W. PearSaH
Thos f. jeremiah, VIM. +. Dodge.
If we need any committee at all, this Is as
good one as we can get. Possibly several
of the nominees may refuse to serve, but the
inquiries made by our reporters yesterday con-
vince us, that at least respectable proper
ton of them are ready to do what lies in their
power to discover the mystery of inlqulty
which lies hidden under the Controllers state
ments, and to make fair report upon 1t to
the public. But do we want any committee
at all
What 8 the charge against Mr.. Connolly Z?
He is not accused of directly embezzling the
public funds, or of drawing warrants in viola
ton of law, but of paying exorbtant ana
fraudulent bills, under an arrangement
with Tweed, Hall, and the Board OF
Supervisors An investigating committee, man-
aged as it is evidently the intention of the
Aldermen and Supervisors to manage it, is
likely to discover that all payments have been
made upon regular, formal warrants; that
every item of expenditure is justified by
legal appropriation; and that the cash-boOk
is properly balanced. 1t will discover that
Mr. Connolly has had authority for increasing
the debt, and that he can go on Increasing 1t
If he chooses. But all this is immaterial to
the questions in controversy. The City author
tiles are accused of making extrayagant and
unjustifable payments to their favorites and
confederates, and concealing the figures from
the public. The public demands consequently
disclosure of the accounts, not report upon
them-and only full disclosure will satisfy
the popular cry.
The proceedings of the two committees in
joint session on Monday make it evident that
disclosure is precisely what the City author
tiles are determined to prevent. Alderman
Wotman presented, and the meeting adopted,
O. circular, to be sent to each member or the
committee of citizens representing the object
of their appointment to be an answer to the
"gross," false" and exaggerated" attacks
OF a - partisan journal upon inc CIcult VI 'hO
City, and an examination of the published
statements of " the debt of the City and County
and the condition of the sinking fund" This
is daring misrepresentation of the real state
of the question No exhibit of the debt and
the sinking fund has been demanded.
No attack has been made upon the
credit of the City. There is an
emphatic call for detailed statement Of the
expenditures showing who has received the
enormous sums known to have been expended,
and for what real or pretended services these
sums have been paid. The opinion of the
sixteen citizens nominated on Monday may be
a valuable testimony rs to the management of
Controller Connolly, or it may not; but the
people have not asked for it, and do not I'M
derstand what it is expected to prove. Our
demand is simple one publish the accounts
and let Ia Judge for ourselves But this de-
mand will not be met while Tammany can
find the faintest shadow of pretext for
avoiding it, The Joint Committee on Monday
refused to print the accounts even for the
purposes of the examination, and the sixteen
citizens, if they accept the invitation to Co
Operate" with the Aldermen and Supervisors,
are distinctly warned that they will not be
furnished with copies of the accounts upon
which they are to- pass judgment. The work
in which they are invited to take part is
fraudulent and evasive.