The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-03
Tie Times and Our City AdEinistratisn
The Disease and the Remedy.

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simplest remedies is apt to lead him to a
course of treatment fatal to the patient Such
is the zeal of our over-excited contemporary the
Times, and such Is its lack OF discretion in its
proposed treatment Of the alleged Wholesale
and shameless corruptions of our municipal
administration. In its money article Of
Wednesday Of last week the Times says
"A morning paper intimates that a
league is being formed among the great
taxpayers to resist the further payment OF
taxes while these bad men mayor Hall,
Comptroller Connolly, &C., remain in office,
refusing, as they do, to account for the
money which they have already received
and pillaged themselves or suffered TO be pill
LACED by others" that ''we have also heard OF
such purpose on the part Of the taxpayers;
that although 1t may not yet have taken
shape, the fair inference is that not only the
taxpayers, bat the property-holders, upon
whom unjust not to say exortionate street
ass essments have been levied, will join the
league for common defence"
Then, In regard to the effects of this stop
page of the supplies by the taxpayers, while
our highly inaamed contemporary admits that
this proposed action might result in the sus-
pension of ''the payment of the interest on
the city and county bonds, and thereby
embarrass the savings banks Of New York
and Brooklyn, which have invested the saw
ings of their deposltors to the extent Of fifty
millions of dollars in such bonds" we
city and county credit, and serious inconve-
nience to the savings hanks, may be endured
for a season if they should be fol-
lowed by summary and thorough reform Of
administration. In its leading article OF Fri
day last the Times returns to this proposition
in this fashion eve have reason to believe
that a large number of the most influential
citizens 10 the community have agreed to call
! public meeting and to resist the payment Of
any further taxation until the present rulers
of the city have been forced to render an
| account of their stewardship and then we
are informed where subscribers to this move
ment are enrolled, and that ''over one thou
sand names, including those Of many eminent
merchants and bankers, have already been
subscribed"
This unlawful and revolutionary action is
thus proposed and encouraged as the shortest
method of overthrowiug our present city gov
eminent, charged with certain wholesale spo-
liations of the public money. As among the
inevitable consequences Of this violent remedy
for the evils complained Of 1t is admitted by
our revolutionary contemporary that there
will be "a humiliation of the city and county
credit and serious inconvenience to the savings
banks" and all concerned therein but what
does all this signify If, by suspension of the
payment of their taxes, our ax-payers compel
Mayor Hall and his colleagues to retire or
''render an account of their stewardship
This is simply the remedy Of anarchy for the
| alleged disease of corruption. 1t is declared
that our city authorities are guilty Of fraudu-
lent practices and of spolations that have be-
come intolerable, and that, according to the
rule of fighting the devil with fire. it becomes
necessary on the part Of our tax-paying cit-
zens to repudiate their just and lawful indebt-
edness, to become delinquent in the payment
| of the interest due to the hundreds of thou
sands of Industrious and honest men and
women concerned in our savings banks, and
to reduce the citys credit to the level of that
of Mississippi or Arkansas in their worst days
of reputation, and to set the example here
for a general partisan reputation of the
national debt.
The municipal corruptions complained Of
are due to the irresponsible mixed commits
sions established over this city by the republi-
can party, and abolished, with the aid of the
republicans, by the party now in power over
the city and the State. The astounding
frauds 80 heartily denounced by the Times
are an old story to the HERALD. Our remedy,
however, was change Of our city govern
ment in the lawful and regular way, and that
change we have had. The same remedy-the
| only remedy admissible-is open to the Times
against Mayor Hall and his official colleagues.
Instead, however, Of the constitutional method
| Of correcting abuses, real or imaginary,
as they now exist, our contemporary would
have US take the short cut of the Paris Com
mune In the reputation Of our existing gov.
eminent. If we are not mistaken, in the first
stages of our Southern rebellion one Of oul
city journals, dissatisfied with what 1t con.
sidered the temporizing policy of President
Lincoln, suggested the alternative of popular
coup d<tat and the substitution Of our amiable
fellow citizen, George Law, as provisional
head of the national government. OF course
the hint was universally regarded as vicious
absurdity but this TO our taxpayers is of the
same kidney.
The credit Of the city of New York is good
its bonds are in request everywhere. Upon
its good credit the city is marching on with
giant steps toward the first place among the
great cities of Christendom. The proposition
of the Times, If carried into practice by ouI
taxpayers, will inevitably destroy the city's
credit, and 50 disorganize our municipal affairs