The Portland daily press., 1871-08-17

public offices including the City Hall and
new Court House. l~F" t ht!--i i
After giving the particulars in regard to
these parties, the Times proceeds: :7oH
Tweed has the following named clerks in
the Bureau Of Elections in addition to VIII
bour and Corson, who are supposed to re-
ceive the salaries set opposite their names:
James 5: Iuraer, salary per year, ,......, $4,000
Patrick McMnll,n, sa airy per year. 5000
john N Outwater, salary per year. ........... 2500
William H. Bloom. salary per year. ........... 1900
John Price, salary per year 200
Adgar Brouer, tmessenger,). ............. 1900
To'al, including the salaries OF Corton
and Wilbour.. .........'...... .........' '$Z4ooo
The duties of the several persons employed
in the Bureau OF Elections only require their
presence for two or three weeks during the
fall and Tweed sends down the President and
Secretary of his Printing Company and four
or five clerks upon whom he can rely, and
for the service of these men the city and
county has to pay not less than S50,OO0 year
Tor be il distinctly understood that the $24,-
600 paid to Wilbour, Corson, and the clerks
named above is paid out of the County Bu-
reau alone, while an equally large or even a
larger amount is paid out of the City Bureau.
In addition to these, Tweed has his quota
of men in the different courts, and in order
that our readers may judge of the honesty of
of our officials, we subjon a list of the several
amounts that are paid out to clerks and court
officers Exclusive of the salaries of judges in
the new court house: -"
Superior Court, per month. ............ 1924 SO
Supreme Court, per month. S,6O8 ~
Surrogates' Court, per mouth. ..... 1866 20
Marine Court, per month. h................ Dbl I'll
Common Pleas, per month. .............. 2616 90
Total, per year. ar................... $4lzo65 10
Let US suppose that each court requires the
services of ten clerks and ten officers, the for
mer to receive $1,000 year, (mOre than
double the amount that many of them could
make in any legitimate way,) and the latter
to receive the same pay at present-$1,2O 200
year-and the total for the five courts would
be 100000 a year, leaving a little pool of
1852 1872 76 to be divided among the members
of the Ring, or to be paid to their agents.
Mayor Hall asserts that no responsibility
rests with Connolly or himself for the pay
ment OF fraudulent claims that were passed
by the old Board of Supervisors. Now let us
look at one little arrangement which owes its
very existance to the Mayor. The law re-
quires the Board of Supervisors to meet once
year, but they have the privilege of adjourn
ing to meet from time to time as the interests
OF the public Tor their own private schemes
may require.) The old Board which has been
denounced by the Mayor and the World as
the most scandalOusly corrupt body that ever
dsgraced civilized community, had as its
clerk and trusty agent a man named Joseph
b. Young, and also several deputy clerks,
among whom were James H. Ingersoll and
E. A. Woodward On the organization of
the new Board, Mayor Hall and his colleagues
retained Young and Woodward while Reeves
E. Selmes, a protege of Hank Smith, was al
50 appointed deputy clerk, and still retains
bis position. This Board does not meet more
than seven or eight times in the course Of a
year, and vet Mayor Hall signs warrents, for
clerks and messengers, amounting in the ag-
gregate TO $26,700 per year-an average of
more than $1,000 for each meeting of the
Board The following are the names used in
drawing this amount from the Treasury; and
the services that Young, as the Clerk OF the
Board, certifes that the persons named have
actually performed
Joseph Young, Clerk salary per year. .. 81 500
Reeves e. Selmes, Deputy Clerk, salary per
E. A. woodward, Deputy Clerk, salary per '''''
james McGowan, sergeant-at-Arms, salary wv
William j. McGowan Messenger, salary per
James King, Messenger to j. B. Young salary ''
Thomas Whitney Hail. Messenger to President '''''
(Mayor HALL salary per year ..............1,2 200
IOGdis. ........' .$Z6,1UO
e. A. Woodwa is a resident of Connect
cut, and does not even come down to sign the
payroll. Reeves f. Selves is clerk in Hank
Smiths bank, No.-Broadway, and only re-
ports once month, to receive his check for
$500. And yet, in the presence of these facts,
with the record of this barefaced robbery
staring him in the face, Mayor Hall prates
about the corruption of the old Board of Su-
pervisors, and impudently asserts that no
moneys have been paid out on fraudulent
claims under the new regime.
The above will serve as sample, but by no
means includes the small part of the pay roll
that the Times is able to obtain, the books
being carefully kept from the public gaze.
ShipbuiIding.
The Belfast Progressive Age of last week
contains a thoroughly sensible article on the
ship building interests of this State and the
country generally. 1t says: srl5.....,...
Soon after the close of the rebellion the de-
pressed condition OF our shipping interests was
laid before Congress. A committee was ap-
pointed to investigate the matter and prepare
bill for relief. They held meetings in most OF
the commercial cities, and heard the state
meDts OF all who chose to appear before them.
There was great deal of disagreement dis
closed both as to the causes of the depression
and the proper remedy. The New York ship
ping merchants saw no way of getting back
ship lines backed by large Government subsi-
dies. In order to compete with foreign sailing
vessels, the repeal of the Navigation laws was
urged in order to enable American shipping
merchants to purchase foreign built vessels
But this was resisted by the Maine shipbuild-
ers as entirely destructive to their branch of
business. The drawback on materials was al-
SO resisted by those owning shipping recently
built, on the ground that ships built at
cheaper rate would compete with theirs to
their disadvantage. A bill was, however,
framed, believed to be the best that could be
devised, and presented to Congress. President
Grant sent in special message urging its pas
sage III some form. Our Maine delegation did
their utmost to secure favorable action. But the
bill was defeated, and the discussion showed
little chance of any similar bill being passed.
Strong opposition came from the leading Dem
ocrats of the New York delegation, who it was
hoped and expected would support the bill.
Only three Democrats in the House favored
it. Some of them voted against it because it
was not general free trade measure; others
because it did not provide for an iron steam
navigation system with subsidies; others of
both parties in the seaboard States thought 1T
was useless because it did not provide for the
repeal of the navigation laws; and the Western
States went against it almost in body be-
cause they regarded it simply bounty to a
few Eastern shipbuilders lf . .,.. ..,
The complaint that shipbuilding is dull, and
shipyards are deserted, comes from outside
the United States as well as inside. In the
Dominion where they labor under none of
our disadvantages, it is equally dull, and the
Province papers complain as ours do here.
The business is dull almost everywhe re. Rail-
roads are superseding sailing vessels in all
countries. In places where the vessels were
formerly employed, not one is now employed.
In tact, the day when the wooden sailing YES
sci was the chief vehicle of commerce, is past,
Like the old stage coach, which was once the
universal vehicle of travel, but now used most
ly on the back routes, its use will stil be con-
tiDued, but only where steam cannot be profit
ably employed. -..... ..ftt ,
This boo-hooing by Democratic papers over
our deserted shipyards is unbecoming. They
are the last who should complain. They make
the case much worse than it really is, and
foolishly attempts to make the people believe
they could set the whole Imatter to rights if
they were in power.
How much has really been lost, and how
much has Maine suffered? The number of
men employed in sbipbuilding or sailing ships
is small in comparison with other industries
If ships cannot be built to profit in the Prov
1nces, and the business is dull tn ere, how
much are we worse off than they? But the
business is not ruined. Ships are still built
and put into the foreign carrying trade and
upon an average a fair profit to the Ow ners
Some owners are unfortunate, as some always
are. Besides, these causes have not greatly
affected our domestic commerce. From this
foreign vessels are excluded. If the cost of
building coastwise vessels and sailing them is
higher, freghts are also higher. Vessels which
formerly carried coal for 81 ton, now get $2,-
so. We are building considerable amount of
tonnage yearly, and our shipyards are far
from being deserted. The advantages of ship
building have been much Overrated. 1t al
ways was heavy risky business. Few made
money, while many made none As to build