New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-24
OUR CITYS FINANCES.

We copy from The Times Of Saturday its
long threatened extract surrephtiOusly taken
from the Controllers books, showing the pay
ments throughout 1869 and part of 1870 to
certain specified firms for furniture bought
for and carpentcr-work done en- the New
City Hall, ArmOries, &C., amounting in the
aggregate to s5,663,8fo SO. Although no
proof is adduced that this vast sum, or
any part of it, was stolen by two or by
four of our chief Municipal rulers, it
seems plain that money in large amounts has
been paid out of the City treasury for which
no adequate consideration, if any at all, has
been given. Suppose the time covered by
these accounts to have equaled two full years
or even two and a half-it is not cOnceiv-
able that so much money has been honestly
expended for the purposes specified. Strike
off Four Millions of Dollars, and still the
total expenditure for these purposes would be
very large-nay, extravagant.
Who has pocketed the odd -Four Millions
We do not know, but mean to find out. a
fact not stated by The IimeS-that the niger
soil who figures SO largely and suspiciOusly in
these doings was last Fall appointed one of four
new Commissioners to finish the never-tO-be-
to us of decided significance. Why should one
who had for years been furnishing that Court
House so lavishly-or at least drawing from
the treasury on the assumption that he had
done so-be chosen to supervise and scrutinize
such expenditure thereafter Is this tIans-
formation of contractors into commissioners
usual7 Did Mayor Hall make It'll
We call once more upon the Controller to
publish quarterly transcripts of his payments,
item by item, as the law used to require and
we presume still does. He says, we under
stand, that the books are open to the irspcc-
ton of any taxpayer. But they certainly arc
not accessible out OF office-hOurs; while IN Office
hours they are wanted by the clerks, &C., for
making entries, checking accounts and pay
ments, &c, &c. The only way to make the
City's accounts really accessible is to print
them end subject them to public scrutiny.
We hear it Suggested that the stealing-if
stealing there was was the work of the
double-headed Board of Supervisors, now
happily defunct. That Board, it is said, was
composed Of six Democrats and six Republic
cans. So it was originally; but in 1867 two
Democrats were elected and no Republican
so that it was balanced ne longer. The Board
was thereafter composed of seven Democrats
to five Republicans.
But party names are iimpeitinent 1t seems
clear that large sums have been taken from
the City's treasury without consideratiOn-in
short, by fraud. Note the dead silence OF the
Democratic organs iSate the Mayors own Leader,
which hits The Times sundry smart raps, but does
not meet the issue made by its charges. Those
charges import that the public money has been
stolen. The Mayor responds that The Times
was early and prominent in breaking down the
safeguards of the treasury. That, if true, is
bad for The Times; but how does it prove that
the public money has not been stOlen7 We
pause for a reply.
Let us patiently work at this mine till we
reach the bottom of it. We have honest men
in Office: the truth cannot harm them. We
have scoundrels also the truth ought to dam
age them, and it will. Let us not jump at
conclusions, and keep public attention fixed
on this matter until honest men and the State
Pri son alike come by their own.