New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-21
TIE CITY ACCOUNTS.
MIR. FOLEY's REPLY TO THE MAYOR.

Il
and Nineteenth Wards Citizens Association publishes
rejonder to Mayor Halls circular reply TO tho recent
memorial OF that Association, as follows:
The Hon. A. OAKLEY HALL, Mayor Of the oily Of New
SIR: Your printed circular dated 18th inst was only
delivered to me, throug. tho PostOice, on the after
noon OF the nth Inst The matters referred TO in the
Of too serious character TO I've slghtingly dealt
with Had you on tho Invitation which you received
attended the meeting OF the Twelfth and Nineteenth
Wards Citizens Association, to which you refer, you
would have found yourself in the company OF more than
Onetenh OF tho sgners OF the communication addressed
To you, and you would have heard mo put,
of the resolutions. No doubt an effort was made
To prevent this by your representatives, at tho
soemly manner. But this not much 10 he wondered
considering the fact that their names stand upon the
city payrOs and that they acted under the special Oh
| rccti0n OF one OF the Controllers messengers
II you will again read the last resolution You will SEQ
alton other citizens were Invited 10 unite With them
have the resolutions carried into effect. Inc comhhl-
ncorreet iIpon it,, face Ii was signed by the Commit
OF tho Association, and by the nhuentiai gentle
most most readily and cheorfuily united with the
Committee for the purposes explained. 1t IS nowhere
Gentlemen are ali residents Of the Twelfth or Nineteenth
Wards and II you cons0ling yourself WIN t9e ue,
fusion that tho communication was msaklngy slgheh
y them can only say that your sake ths il to
be regretted Further light upon the subject VIII DO
These however are but trivial excuses and are put
forward by you merely by Of evasion or diversion
!
ment o the city and County accounts Will not be toer
ated. The little already know makes it the mpera-
tive duty every citizen 10 do what ID MN hes 10 nave
the whole truth disclosed and II further incentive
to this necessary you have supplied II In TINS ccu
lar. The subterruge is too transparent. . a.,
You take exception to the following preamble 10 'ne
Whlreas L has been asserted By The N.c Daily inns AMI
not yet coote1 that go; frauds haye Gscn S3 5r @ %
whereby millions dollars have been oos distracted from
This YOU saw, dis surely known TO most Of you tho
gentlemen who signed the communication to DO untrue
as the undersigned Immediately on publication Oh te
nature" one occupying your present position ought 70
know was based upon certain of the County accounts
which were laid before tue public. You have never, 10
True i'm your card of the odd July last you deny that
they afford evidence OF fraud ana attempt TO throw inc
entire responsibility upon Others quote your IAN
The claims alluded to by Times are large they may have
known as the o Boa of Supervisors abolished when City
Government was naugurate aud most of tie auditing occurred
ami materials IN 1853 Tia, Board viii he rrTenbed was elected
b. che people, and composed equally Of Democrats and Republicans he
the MAYORS BIT the Mayor and the Counsel the Corpora
V audit Of the board anal and is not cl
1t is charitable to suppose the you penned this
statement and published it over your Signature. you or
had short run OF power between the Old and the new
Boards of Supervisors Let me- therefore refresh your
! CIapter Ss2 section ~ of the laws of 1870 pro-
| vdes that AN liabilities against the county OF
|
shall be audited by the Mayor, Controller and present
President Of the Board Of sapeF fyg 70 % an 81
| be provided for by the issue OF revenue pOuiS oi
the Comfy of NewYork PAYABLE during the year 1871,
and the Board of Supervisors shall include in the ori-
dance evying the for the year 1871 an amount sur
cent to pay bonds and the interest thereon such
claims shall be paid by the Controller to the party or
parties entitled TO receive the same, upon the certificate
What this interim Board accomplished under cover Of
the etno nor t5 conferred upon IT, WE NAVE awe % Ca
| troer in your message and accompanying accounts,
NIT that you, the Controller, and Tweed
went through the form OF auditing and
modest amount of s6812,5i 81. when you completed
this audit which report says you qua at one sitting you
| and thereupon signed the warrants under which
The Controllers accounts of june u make known
the further important fact that It out Of this OF
s3l254 that he paid all the claims made against the
County during the year work or furnishings
supplied, except the Of s065O on account OF the
Here therefore is tho evidence conclusive that the
responsibility does rest with and the Controller and
Mr. Tweed. for all the payments made to lngGrsol Gar
yey Miller, Keyser the Smiths, and Others, during tbs
year 1870 and that these claims amount in the aggre-
| gate to the enormous sum Of s6,3l25il 81.
But this Is not all You admit ami the accounts pub
shed The Times show, that the claims thus audited by
YOU the Controller and Tweed were stated to have been
Incurred in the years 1868 and 1869 Now turn, If you
| please, to tho statutes, chapter s5i Of the
| OF 1869. In these statutes you will find
fully forth the appropriations made by the Legisa-
carrying the government and providing for
the work to be performed for the County for those years
respectively and In each statute provision Is enacted
OliOws The said several sums shall be applied TO
the objects and purposes for which tho hereby
appropriated except herein otherwise provided, and
neither the Board OF Supervisors OF said County any
officer agent, member thereof or head Of department
shall Incur any liability, make any contract or con-
tracts permit for authorize audit or allow,
directly indirectly any expenditure or expenditures,
for any Of the objects and purposes specned the age
gate Of which expenditures and OF the liabilities under
such contracts shall exceed the sum appropriated for
said purpose for any other purpose or object than that
| herein specified"
All the special appropriations made by the statutes
ferred to paid by the Controller at the time. Be
yond these appropriations Board official had any
right power authority to enter into any contract,
incur any liability for work or furnishings for which the
County could be made legally responsible. This the
did the Controller and Tweed when you entered upon
duties members OF the interim Board And with
this knowledge how did you discharge the trust rep0sed
in youi Claims to the amount OF millions OF dollars
were presented for work stated to be done and fur.
nsng supplied to the County during the years 1865 and
1862 Not only the work and the furnishings thus
claimed performed supplied on the order OF
person authorized to act in the matter for the county
bat many Of the claims were "a The Times has already
shown fraudulent upon their face. of them being
made out in the names OF parties who did not exist,
standing all this, however, you allowed the claims
-you passed them all -you paid them = and
having done So now turn round and attempt to throw
~ the responsibility, and place Is upon Board COM
Hssed half Of Republicans and half OF Democrats But,
Sir this will not do. II 10 not matter Of politics ous
OF honesty and far dealings and the sooner this Is re-
allied by you the better 1t must be admltted-and /.
n lifelong Democrat, do admit it--that not even a
and paying OF the s6,2 81 of fraudulent claims paid
in 1870; and when you publish the accounts you have
Of the accumulated debt bOnds both and the Con-
troler are equally responsible for all similar claims paid
| in 1863
quite aware OF the measures that are being taken
TO add the above s632 81 to the permanent DEBT OF
| intend you shall hear from me in u different way,
| Yours, respectfully, ions FOLEf,
President Twelfth and Nineteenth Wards Citizens Az
NeV-Iorl Aug. 10. 1871