The Republican journal., 1871-09-21

receipt In 1u Is sent with every paper SuDscrlOerS
in arrears are requested to forward the sums due.
hS- In sending money, state THE POST OFFICE
| TO which the paper is Sent.-aH
New York City Affairs.
We remarked some time since that the
| financial affairs of the city of New York
| specially interested the residents and prop
| ertv holders of the municipality. who are
undoubtedly competent to manage them !;
| and that if frauds existed or We're impend-
ing the people and the courts of the locali-
ty We're amply able to redress those
wrongs. The loose talk that has been
made, the charges that have been brought,
and the general attempt to saddle the re-
sponsibility of assumed frauds upon the
Democratic party Of the country. are
simply ridiculous. The charges were
made by the New York Times, after that
paper had lost good job of corporation
advertising. No specific act of robbery
was alleged against either Of the parties
named; but long tables of figures, taken
from the Comptroler's books We're pub
lished; and it was claimed that excessive
| amounts of money were paid for services
rendered or articles purchased. 1t ap-
| pears, however, that the larger sums of
money We're contracted for under the
dtspotic rule Of the Republican Commits
sioners, and We're ordered TO be paid by
Republicans.
As we anticipated would be the case,
the accusations against Mayor Hall and
the other city officials have been brought
into the Court, in the shape of an iniunc-
| ton to restrain them from eXpending the
money of certain departments. The
Mayor denies, in the most emphatic man
ner, the charges made against him. The
applicants have as yet been unable to
bring evidence of their charges, and it is
believed that they will be unable to do so.
In the midst of the excitement it was
discovered that the office of Comptroller
Connolly had been secretly entered and
the vouchers of the year 1870 stolen and
carried away. OF course the charge was
at once made that the Connolly had HIM
self committed the robbery, to screen his
acts but it lost force when the Comptrol-
ler produced a set of books in which the
missing vouchers were all recorded I'M
media;ely upon the discovery of this
burglary, the Mayor, who seemed to share
the suspicion that it was the Comptroiler's
act, requested that official TO resign. lie
declined to do so, saying that resignation
would be confession of guilt. when he
was not guilty.
The hearing upon the petition to make
the temporary injunction permanent
one, took place before Judge Barnard,
and was concluded last Friday, by the
granting of the prayer of the petitioners.
Judge Barnard said
1t is charged against two of the defendants.
the Mayor and Comptroller, with having paid
dishonest claims. knowing them to be such.
The Comptroller, the citv's financial officer. is
entrusted with auditing and paying almost all
the bills, and even after rendition Of judgment
he still has the power to appeal and has para
mount and supreme power, and it is on him,
more than all the other officers together, that
the people rely for the prevention of frauds. 1t
Is not possible to appropriate OF take single
dollar from the Treasury, if he sees that bills
coming into his office are properly audited. 1t
it is no excuse to say that his subOrdnates NAV
deceive him. 1t is possible for them to do so,
but ii is a crime if it be done.
On paying these various claims of outrageous
character, bearing on their face the appearance
Of being little better than highway robbery, it
was his business to have examined carefully
the vouchers and satisfied himself that the
charges We're correct and the services perform
ed, and if he failed in that he failed in his duty
to himself and to the citizens, and was guilty of
criminal negligence. With regard to the duties
of the Mayor, he says his duties are merely
mechanical, and that he signs warrants as pre-
sented by the Comptroller, and although that
may have been his practice, and presume it
has been for years, to sign checks without look
ing, and have myself as Commissioner signed
checks for millions without knowing they were
correct, yet the community expect, OF at least
hope, that whenever an act is required to be
done by three or four persons in certifying bills,
they will not rely upon others, but will see to it
themselves. | am not justified under the cir
cumstances, in saying the payment of these bills
by the Comptroller and raising of bonds by the
board of apportionment authorize me to say
that they are entitled to the confidence of the
court so as to permit them to 60 in and spend
more money. Having failed in consequence of
Jny not 10 allow I W onother oa, 10 y he y an,n f
the treasury or another bond to be issued until
that board 1t NAV be said II that latin in con, p
Of granting this IS, order the city and county gov
10 do with that. have plain duty % to perform: t
not pleasant one, but one Which ! cannot
for Injunction it is nv duty to grant it. If is
said that there is remedy for the purpose of
of no no such legal remedy, and wherever there is
no no remedy agalnst & robblns .he community it is
medy, and if none existed the court ~ would be
Justified IN resorng . TO any means IN its power
things. Il is dscreditable to the city. We ali
naoG e ol ~ ehe va ef tbs al near whether