New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-04-19
An EARNEST FARLEY WITH THE RURAL


| An EARNEST FARLEY WITH THE RURAL
DEMOCRATS OF OUR STATE.
| For years, our frequent remOnstrances against
| the prohigate misrule of our City were met
with the stereOtyped answer" You have a
| " Republican Governor and Legislature: They
" control your City Tax-Levies; they half gov
" ern the City and swell its expenditures by
| " means of their State Commissions; we can't
retrench and reform until this outside, anti
Democratic dictatiOn is overthrOwn" Thus
| all our exposures were parted and our remOn-
strances set at naught.
AZ length, all is changed. The government
of both State and City is Democratic in every
part. The Republica rs have not even a veto
in any department. Yet our expenditures and
taxes are sweled year after year /; nothing is
reformed; no abuse is corrected but many
old ones are swelled, while new are constantly
added We are within the truth in
asserting that every fragrant iniquity
that hourshes in this emporium - Tip
ping, Gambling, Lewdness, Theft, and
every form of RObbery-is made to pay toll
in money and votes to the lords Of misrule who
are omnipOtent in this City. You cannot buy
Joint of meat for your dinner or poison your
self with any intoxicating drink without help
ing to aggrandize and fortify the power that
controls our elections and misgOverns us for
| its own profit.
Look at barely two of the fragrant wrongs
| that more Immediately challenge attention:
Laws of our State, enacted long ago, when
this city was but village when contrasted
with its present greatness, have ever since
required revision and scrutiny of her Annual
| Tax-Levy by the Legislature. Preliminary to
| that scrutiny, the Controller of our City's
finances was required to make full, complete,
and particular exhibit of the Receipts and
Expenditures of the preceding fiscal year, so
as to afford data for the Legislature IN passing
upon the estimates sent up as basis for the
new Tax-Levy.
As we write, our expiring Legislature is
rushing through the Tax-Levy for 1871; but
the Annual Report required by law has not
been made, and will not be till after the Legis-
latnre shall be no more. OF course, the scru-
tiny of the Tax-Levy would be farce at
| best; but here is a most important measure
! rushed to it's third reading in the Assembly
without even a reading of the amendments
made by its Committee on Cities to the bill as
| il passed the Senate After this, no amend
ment can be made unless by unanimous con-
| sent, which is certain to be refused. The bill
is to De put on the statute-bOok as approved
in all it's parts by the Assembly; but the AS
sembly is not allowed TO know what 1t con-
| tains till further amendment is impossible
DO you call this legislation
| We write before hearing from yesterday 5
dongs, but presumng that this bill will take
from all future legislatures the power to re-
wise our City Tax-Levies. We do not regret
| this; we say nothing against it. If legislators
could not be bought, this change ought not
| to be made but, since they can be and are
bought, so that we not only have to stand
the rapacity of our rulers, but to pay the
| additional sum which it costs them to put
&" through" their barefaced rascates, we are
| quite resigned to the confession virtually
made by the Legislature that it is too cor
rupt (or corruptble) to be intrusted with
| this time-honored responsibility. We shed
| not the smallest tear over its extinction. But
why was not something devised to replace it
that did not violate and defy the first axiOms
of popular self government
We are sorely disappointed in the Demo-
cratic legislators who represent the rural por-
ton of our State. Some of them bear historic
| names still more have personally achieved
popular esteem and confidence. We have
fondly hoped that these, comforting, if they
chose to do so, with the most experienced and
capable Republicans, would have framed such
| bill regulating the Assessment of Taxes in
our City as its supporters could read in future
years without shame. So with other vital
questions wherewith Party has properly nothing
to do. Hence, we have tried to avoid
wholesale reproaches, and inhammatory ap-
peals. and exasperating imputations. Though
the Legislature was politically against us-the
Assembly, as we feel, made 80 by counting
out the fairly chosen representative of our
City's With Distinctive did not expect nor
seek any party advantage from It's action; and
we should have gladly given it full credit for
any good done by it to our oppressed tax
payers. And, though we seem to have mis-
taken its character and impulses, we do not
regret our course.
Messrs. Democrats of the interior! we think
YOU have been unfortunately represented III
our expiring Lcgslature-that you VIII lose
far more by their acts and non-action thali