The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-10-03

Criminal Charges Against Mayor Hall-A
Now Complication.
Yesterday afternoon an application was
made at the Yorkville Police Court for war
rant for the arrest of Mayor Hall on affidavits
charging him with q criminal neglect Of his
official duties. The documents placed before
the presiding Justice are of q voluminous
character, and accuse the Mayor Of variety
of onences-of conniving at the robbery of
the public treasury of neglecting to ex-
anime into the correctness, justice and
legality Of the accounts embraced in
the several warrants that were set
before him for his counter signature, and
of general disregard of the requirements of
the law. Justice Bixby, before whom the case
was brought, refused to grant the warrant
asked for, but issued summons requiring the
appearance of the Mayor at the Court on We'd
nesday next, at ten o'clock in the morning.
The arrest Of Mayor Hall is. no doubt, the
highest trump card of the men who are gam
bling with the city reform movement.
1t is to be played at any cost,
whoever may be loser by the trans
action. The excitement must be kept
accomplish that result than the Incarceration
Of the Chief Magistrate Of the city, for how
ever short time, upon charges Of official
malfeasance. But the first thing that will
strike every honest and independent citizen
is, why did not these ardent reformers, if sin
cerely DESTROYS of bringing offenders to justice,
placs at the bar of the Criminal Court the real
malefactor, who at present shelters himself be-
hind their own skirts? The charter, which
requires the Mayor to countersign the
warrants drawn for the payment Of the bills
alleged to be fraudulent charges against the
city, assigns to the Comptroller the duty of
''settling and adjusting all claims in favor of
or against the Corporation and all accounts
in which the Corporation is concerned as
debtor or creditor" (article 5, section 81
of the new charter) The next section, as
amended by section SIS, chapter STA of the Laws
of 1871, makes 1t the duty of the Comptroller
to report to, the Mayor the name of every
person in whose favor an account has been
audited, with the decision of the Auditor
upon the same, together with the final action
of the Comptroller thereon" Now, it it GER
tain, from these provisions, that the Comp
troller and the officers subordinate to him in
his department are entrusted with the prin-
cpal responsibility in the settlement of all
accounts against the city; and that iffraudulent
claims have been suffered to pass the ordeal
Of their department they are the real crimi-
mails. An honest desire to do justice to the
citizens, irrespective of political considerations,
would prompt the arraignment Of the princi-
pal culprit and not that of any minor offender
But probably the explanation Of the designs
Of the political managers of the present crusade
against Mayor Hall is TO be found in section 1O7
of article l6 of the new charter, which provides
as follows 1.-THE power of making appoint
merAs herein conferred Ito wit, all the APP
pointments given to the Mayor under the
charter) shall only be exercised by the Mayor
elected to that Office, and not by an acting
Mayor; and In the event Of the death, resig-
nation or removal of such elected Mayor, such
power shall devolve on and be exeltised by
the Comptroller Of said city,"
Let us see what the examination of Wednes-
day next will bring forth. If any criminal
acts should be proved against Mayor Hall let
him suffer the penalty, whatever it may be.
AT the same time it should not be forgotten
that Richard B. Connolly, under whose official
regime the stealing of the Watson vouchers
was perpetrated and concealed until after the
death Of the alleged robber, is still Comptroller
Of the city, and that in the event of the re-
moval of Mayor Hall the whole appointing
power of the city would devolve on Connolly
and his Deputy Comptroller.