New-York tribune., 1871-08-26
Tile MYSTERY OF INIOUITY.

Every citizen of ripe years and decent puDllc
spirit must remember the Annual Report which
the Controller of our City Finances was re-
quired to publish some six or eight weeks
prior to each Municipal Election. 1t covered
some thirty or forty octave pamphlet pages,
in large type, and showed what payments had
been made, and to whom, in behalf OF the
City, during the preceding year. Every one
could readily comprehend it, and every one
who chose could obtain a copy of it. We be-
lieve it was also advertised in two public jour
nals-in fact the act constituting the ONCE OF
Controller directs that it shall be, ana I'D 'noSe
DAYS our highest officials were expected to OBEY
the laws. Thus every one who chose ac-
0uainted himself with the disbursements OF
the past year, and judged whether to reelect
or replace the City's ruling functionarles for
the ensuing year.
Since Mr.. Connolly has been Controller, these
exhibits have ceased. AT all events, none has
appeared for 1869, for 1870, or for the former
half of 1871. The public demand for them is
evaded, and all manner of subterfuges resOrted
TO. Last FAN, six or eight of our most emil
nent citizens were privately shown some sort
of books and accounts relating to the City and
certify that the Controller was all right. Last
June we had an elaborate Report from the
Controller, which gave full particulars of every
thing but that which the public wanted and
had a right to know. We defy any man, how
ever skillful an accountant, to deduce from
that Report the cost of our City's munich
pal administration for 1869, for 1870,
or for any portion of the present
year. That the City and County Debts have
been very considerably increased, he could not
fail TO see; he might even find indications of
the various legislative acts whereby the sew
eral issues of bonds were claimed to have
been authorized; but what the City has TO
show for this augmentation of liability-hOw
much of it has gone into the Central Park,
how much into the New Court House, and how
much elsewhere and for what-nO wisdom or
skill can evolve from that Report. All that
can be confidently deduced imports simply
that the Taxes have been increased, that the
Debt has been largely augmented, and that
great deal of money must have been paid out
of the Treasury of which no account is given,
and of which it is plain that none riU he given
if it can possibly be avoided. That is where
the Controllers Report accompanying the
Mayors Message left the matter.
We will not here revive the sad history of
the broken promises and multiform quibbles
and shuffles of the last two months-the up
shot of all being a virtual refusal to publish
the required exhibit at all. The last dodge
relied on is to bury the essential facts under
a mountain of tedious and meaningless de-
| tails. Hear The World:
"The point insisted by Mayor Halls critics is
that he properly satisfied the demand for public
ity. What would these carpers have Do they wish vol
ume OF egtOuSond pages o. dry tedious accounts TO be
put the public expense in the hands OF every taxpayer
and voter of the cityi This would be an uajus fable
of the public money. In opinion or we prefer
speak frankly the printing o. this voluminous matter
by the Mayor which has been temporarily interrupted
10 pu the accounts in immediate possession OF the pub
c is very foolish proceel ling. The fact that partisan
Journals camored for it, and bounded the Mayor to do
IT, cannot justify the expense. Why should the munich
pal accounts of NewYork be published with more full
ness than the accounts of other cteSl Or with more
fness than usual with State accounts or Federal ac-
countsl In opinion, the Mayor ought not to have
Welded 10 this sensecss demand and hope that the
printing which has been interrupted may not be re-
sumed II is enough that the accounts are now accessi-
bic to friends and foes"