The New York herald., 1871-10-04
BRITISH OPINION OF THE COR
PORATION OF NEW YORK.
IFrom rhe ran Mani Gazetfa.l l

:.
II an illegal issue 0l bonds OF the New York Cor
poraton has really taken place on xne scale attri
nIted % TO i, Engiisnmen are likely 70 have nearer
body. Great efforts have been made to sell these
bonds In Germany, and some have not improbablJ
which tie rev Yorksls
have taken as the drop which last made their cup
time the accounts at length reluctantly published
Dy the municipal o1icers, though represented on
an sides as incomplete and purposely CON
mechanism OF those simple contrlvances for pundeI
which the citizens OF New York have long known to
mously increased taxation ard OF great fortunes
suddenly made by everybody connected with tine
@ o. Inc city ans system now exposed
certain trading firms and all the principal members
anu ofncerS OF the corporation. The New York news
paper TO whose courage and energy the exposure
is due extracts from the published figures the fact
tiar IN two years sum equivalent to about three
quarters OF million sterling has been paid for ad-
vertsements and for printing papers In the nature
Ofblue-bookS and 1t asserts tnaJ about half million
out OF TINS amount M has been paid to drnis whose
functionaries. The expedient OF establishing q
newspaper solely with the object Of lIng 1t with
c0luSiye advertisements deserves special mention
public lie sSs SH1a ads
the Corporation. In other words The paracipators
IN the swinde must have questioned Chelr own acls
ana, indeed they naG made assurance dou6ly sure
more hlghly paid than any judicial funct0narley In
voted By the Corporation moi of New Ss YORK. wv '
few. though not all, OF tue causes which have
frauds deserve notice on this sde OF the Atlantic
One or them has unquest.onably been the excessive
multiplication In the United States OF administra
tive bodies formed on the parliamentary model. 1t
Is remarkable that this accumulation or Parliament
Vile, who has words too strong for the value OF
system which began by giving popular organ
ization to the township, and went on to apply the
same mode OF government to larger and larger ter.
torlal areas till II eliminated IN the Congress Of
deserve much OF De TocquevilIes praise SO Ionr M
they are confined to populations comparatively poor
and Of comparatively simple manners are proving
extremely Ill adapted TO so much or the American
people as is collected in great and wealthy cities
In the first place an excessive number OF popular
bodies cannot he properly watched. Most English
men find 1t quite enough to observe the proceedings
OF Parliament, and at most take some small degree
parish yestry. But citizen OF New York may have
his comfort and fortune most seriously affected at
nlies-tne Congress of the Unted States. the IeUs.
lature or his own state and the Common Council OF
New York. II Is impossible that public attention
Should be strongly or continuously attracted to all
these bodies, and it is acknowledged by Ameri.
cans Of New York that the corruption gene
unanimously imputed to the New YORK Corporation n.
s mainly the consequence OF the secrecy with which
Indifference and neglect. Again, Is one OF the de-
rects OF popular government which has not perhaps
been as much noticed as It ought to be- that it re.
quires the cooperation OF so very large number OF
persons. Just, however as the Quantity OF interest
and attention which ls available for the supervision
men beyond temptation IS limited. f fne eus American n
shall also he extremely honest men, and the simpl
truth Is that tney are not to be found.
OF American institutions that they placed
opportunities for gain In the hands OF more
o Goua exens ae
danger Dy providing that American administrators
should s be pad tor Their trouble But this security
public service ceased bear any proportion to the
magnitude OF the private interests which had TO be
ing paid as compensation for his time or trouble to
q member OF the New York Legislature or 10 an Al
M GERMAN nc, or common CouLcmsn OF the Corporation
he may make oy Illicit trafio; and thus, according
70 the general belief, he soon sets about get
llng himself paid on a scale corresponding
TO- the practical importance OF his duties.
I,le true reasons, then, why New York is plum.
clans Is more than exhausted 6y the demands Of
the Washington Congress and the Albany Leuisia-
and very busy, have no sustained observation TO
spare for the proceedings OF body OF men who ror
begin wiin are trusted to levy and cXpend local al
taxes amounting 10 some millions sterling. Wnen
10 these incompatible facilities for Illicit gain are
added the advantages OF an electoral body consist
ing largely OF ignorant 1rishnlcn without spark OF
American public spirit, and ofa system of local TAX.
alton which, by the exemptions II allows 10 the
masses, takes away from them all interest In econ
omy, u becomes rather wonderful that the sudden
fortunes Of the New York civic functonarics are nor
even more colossal than they have been supposed to
be- "
These New York Corporation frauds have chiefly
elected from English writer's exclamatons OF horror
at the vIcousness OF that democratic state VI society
towards which, shrek as we may, we are iievcrthc-
less Fastening. IL Is not, however, absolutely i'm
possible that we should guard aguins. some pi inc
mistakes which the Americans prove to have made
in 80 far as they intended tnci institutions for rich
communities no less than poor ones We NAV at
least hesitate before we multiply bodies OF parlla-
mentary character beyond the capacity OF the
country to supply men above corruption 10 mi them
watch and control them. We have already
100 much or this multiplication, ard we arc
ID Danger OF having more. 0ncs own parish
or oorougn Is 80 close as 10 force itself
on ones observation; the Imperial Parliament Is too
large to escape 1t. But who mas interest TO spare
for the multltudinous bodies which IL mas been pro-
posed 10 place between the two2 VINO is 10 give
hts mind at once TO the Sanitary Beard the B0aid
OF Guarulans an1 inc County Financial board?
Only tho other day we had school boards elected
through the whole country, which the Englsli pnD-
lie has persisted In regarding small paranlcn,s
AMI Which certainly put on q great many parlla-
nlcntary airs. There Is even an agitation goiux On
Tor the establishment or local licensing boaf,iA All
thcso, ~ must DC remembered, arc bodies in,eD,cd
10 spend the money OF tic country, or 10 deal viii.
them declines, as II ussurcIly will, wi.o Will
undertake 10 say that men III tic .ypc OF
New York Common Councillors will not be found
among their mcinbersy There is. at al events, one
gigantic schcme. now adjourned through The post
ouglit clearly not 10 he rcsume tiu tie example OF
New YORK has hccn taken u ilcart, and t! We us
tnctly understand what We are doing The GER
tainIy anomalous ami Irregular, bni ucilhcr cor.