New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-05


mhnst punish the guilty We must recover the money
PACK 70 the city treasury.
there be no law 70 do IL, then persistently agi.
Iae, aeitaso, agitate, till at last you get law IL
Ms G,tsens Of ths great city are In earnest they
sO 0e resisted there rs power like the power OF
and wtS tSs l.
wrath We have seen il in this Country, gentlemen;
we nave esen II in the war Of the Rebellion; let US
Mr. President, move that a committee be sp-
70 report resolntions expressive Of the senti
m me Of this meeting, for Its consideration when
sne concluded some one in the audience
which were given with win
- The President appointed o. such committee: Jamea
Foley Henry Nco Joseph T. cHoats 0 ana W sSan
ington X. Vermilye.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
Joseph II. Choate then read the following resolu-
TONS remarking that he presumed they needed no
preamble. IApplausel.
Resol5ed, That the taxpayers and citizens Of New.
York have learned with establishment and alarm that the
than doubled within the last two and half years.
that the d. OF tns SS cHS
more than was when the MsSF TOOK as Se
ana that there s and Claims
the City and County which viii amount to many millions
and County treasury unless the present financial officers
are removed or their proceedings arrested.
regard to the use and expenditure q this
enormous sum and the fraudulent incorporation Of
the public money which have been made against I'm, Inc
officers with oontemptuous denias OF any power TO inter
fere with ppant with ssansG Ssmes to-
garbe and confuse the residue and y the other
implicated with utter silence which CONFESSION VI
Resoired That the facts and figures already disclosed
compel u.s. as they must al honest ana renecshg ne len
wrongfuy taken from the public treasury that mohs
Of dollars have been paid to few Tms ana
this with the procurement or connvance OF persons
the present Charter that eIorbant rents paid for
military armores and offices, and In several instances
the long and continued conceament Of the accounts of
the City proper furnish ground TO believe that tne &C
inS and viii show that the same men who have squsn
dered stolen hundreds Of thousands OF the
moneys still engaged in similar frauds and peeua-
Resolved, That the public officers now directly ar
William al s weed now Of the Depart
ment of Public Works. sometime President OF the former
terim Board, who had VIGOROUSLY controlling infl-
ence in the first of these Boards and shared In the acts
of the other and who from his relations 10 parties IN
ordered to be paid open to the suspicion not only
the punder Richard B. Connolly the present Control
Ter Of the CITY, and A Oakley Hail. the present Mayor
Board which sanctioned the psymant Of several millions
dollars consigned the warrants and consented to the
pose IL not arrest and unless these officers can meet
the charges by other evidence ana On eTe REM pleas
of the City OF York. and the material interests Of Its
citizens win demand that they quit or be deprived OF the
offices which they have dishonored and the power they
Resolved That we have a right to and DO demand a
pendures for the past two years and hail. and Of the
real and pretended liabilities Of the City and the County
of including Its funded and Its floating debt
Resolsed This demand is not simply to show whether
Sssd 81 the soa
for every payment whether the books OF the Con
has been collected from taxes received from revenue and
borrowed upon the credit OF the City and what has been
done with the to Saa
esolced That the citizens Of the City have also right
ana the Of the city
T h S cf y
value received by the CITY who are sspresented by the
to what extent any members Of the present City Gov
eminent are concerned in real partnerships under fc
RessVsd That any legal remedy which avail
able to citizens at large to fully ascertain and disclose
s upon
public treasury should be resorted to- and that no such
tered so as to enable citizens and under
proper restrictions and regulations to call officers in
and to invoke the arm of justice to discover fraud in pub
lie officers, and to prevent or redress the dishonest
RBesGisea That We appeal to the next Legislature of the
state to repeal the charter and laws BY which the pres
their power and to give to the City Of form
I such a sns ID I5 TO
an honest and efficient administration Of the laws.
entreSted TO make the reform Of their own
the controlling issue at the next elections support
the state-no matter what may be his party name-who
10 not known to be both honest and nsorruptbie ana
whatever may the consequences. to reform the City
of New-York; and that our feOw-ctzens throughout
evils which concern them hardly less than ourselves
Resolved That the public credit character and the
vey demand that its Citizens be kept fully and
santy informed Of the issue Of any public stock bonds
property OF the City Its citizens and further, that
legal provision should be made for preventing any such
issue not especially authorized exceeding the amount
specifically appropriated for that purpose by means II
necessary Of officers to be elected by the people Of this
CITY such manner TO secure the representation Of
the whole people, the minority as well as the majority
Resoired That the thanks of the community are due to
the public newspapers who have contributed to enghten
the public mind and form and give utterance TO public
opinion upon these issues and especially to Ihe keto
York Times for its fearless and searching Investigation
and the public accounts and Of the conduct
Of the present officers Of the City.
Resolved, That Executive Committee OF 10 members
appointed by the President Of this meeting, whose
duty win be to take such measures as shall be necessary
expedent to out the objects for which we are
assembled, to demand full exhibition of all the
accounts Of the City and County. and an explicit
the preenses upon which the large payments of the
past two years and half have been made to enforce
remedies which exist TO obtain this information
II It is refused and to whatever Of money
have been fraudulently eloniously abstraced and
also to press upon the Legislature and the Governor OF
the State such measures Of legislation and action a. ma
he or proper enforce the existing laws and
to supply their defects and TO the causes Of the
present abuses and finally to assist sustain and direct
united effort by the citizens Of Eew-York without
reference TO party, 10 obtain good government and
honest officers administer IT, and the said Committee
hereby authorized to call upon all citizens 10,
erested good government to contribute such funds as
needed execute the powers nrusted 70 tncin
and also to IN vacancies and add to their number
The resolutions, as read, were adopted unaaI-
mously, and Oswald Ottendorfer came forward.
SPEECH OF OSWALD oTrENDORFEk.
Mn. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW CITIZENS: l have